tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51077198610264397802024-03-18T03:20:00.702-04:00The Running ProfessorThe Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.comBlogger427125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-80966095962386614932024-03-07T22:11:00.002-05:002024-03-08T11:19:10.979-05:00Masters Athletes Tame the New Course at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships-Recap<p><b>March 3, 2024 </b>On Saturday, February 24th, speedy Masters athletes from coast to coast converged on Atlanta. The draw was the Atlanta Track Club's PUBLIX Atlanta Marathon Weekend; they were hosting the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships for the third consecutive year and the fifth year since 2018. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the Atlanta Track Club had to come up with a new course on relatively short notice and they delivered handsomely. Starting and finishing at the Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the course has an uphill pull in the first mile and then another in Mile 2. It is Atlanta after all. The times suggest, on balance that the new course is comparable to the old course in terms of speed, possibly faster. The top two times for the Women were much faster than past years but neither had competed on the old course. Comparing times for athletes who ran in both years, it appears that some ran faster and some slower, without an obvious trend. Whether faster or slower, everyone who won their age division set an Age Division course record. Scroll down to the very end of this recap for a listing of the twenty new Age Division Course Record holders.</p><p>Thanks to <b>Paul D. McPherson, Jr.</b>, who took the photographs shown here (unless otherwise credited). Thanks, also, to the Atlanta Track Club who made their photos available.</p><p><b>Pam Fales</b>, Masters LDR Liaison, filled her scarce down time by taking pics at the start and finish. She gets credit, in print, for many of the photos in the Age Division section as well as a few others.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>OVERALL</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN </span>After some crowding at the start last year and a fall and an injury to a female athlete, the Atlanta Track Club decided to have a separate start for the Women at 7:30 am, ten minutes ahead of the Men. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarzM5795jtiG7Qkz7QSVFTABVQLVe53nAPcjY5BB2yAxXK7U6ytmBhoOYfEGCG_-h4gE2_454BHg95MTXWKUVwAjW7SC7UJt-DWUJv40F07BBfgZ24wal8WRv4YKuojitMlnTVJ6q-IFGI7DFRWpQfbovfPCYDL-xnEhlZao5nbkP_O1fhDr4306VlA-c/s2048/Women%20Just%20Before%20Start-McPhers&%20Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarzM5795jtiG7Qkz7QSVFTABVQLVe53nAPcjY5BB2yAxXK7U6ytmBhoOYfEGCG_-h4gE2_454BHg95MTXWKUVwAjW7SC7UJt-DWUJv40F07BBfgZ24wal8WRv4YKuojitMlnTVJ6q-IFGI7DFRWpQfbovfPCYDL-xnEhlZao5nbkP_O1fhDr4306VlA-c/w640-h426/Women%20Just%20Before%20Start-McPhers&%20Lara.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for The Start of the Women's Race at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships at the Publix Marathon Weekend in Atlanta GA </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>A determined group surged to the front, including: <b>Jill Braley</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Atlanta TC/GA</span>, <b>Dawn Grunnagle</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated TX</span><b>, April Lund</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GYS TC/ND</span>, <b>Jennifer Pesce</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State TC/NJ</span><b>,</b> <b>Stephanie Pezzullo </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/NC </span>and<b> Michele Yates </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/CO</span>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7u1Kkj_4jYlxBQ-Aw_rFoo_r4E6f-D2LeMfrcsOUs9g_ngruHWnEyJjWJuEVrIoX8mFdUTiE8eW77yk0A07h8PgWVTEHp3NjcIhKDP653TszFyu2mCvn7YcSFD3-Bqv-gx0pECljpd0dPshlfQOGdHqimM9iMHu52U9R_7QWlN-FLCsILmX3Gh4etWBy/s1920/Women-Start-Posted%20By%20ATC%20on%20FB.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7u1Kkj_4jYlxBQ-Aw_rFoo_r4E6f-D2LeMfrcsOUs9g_ngruHWnEyJjWJuEVrIoX8mFdUTiE8eW77yk0A07h8PgWVTEHp3NjcIhKDP653TszFyu2mCvn7YcSFD3-Bqv-gx0pECljpd0dPshlfQOGdHqimM9iMHu52U9R_7QWlN-FLCsILmX3Gh4etWBy/w640-h426/Women-Start-Posted%20By%20ATC%20on%20FB.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surging up the first incline - Front Row, from Left-<b>Jami Hollandsworth, Stephanie Pezzullo </b>&<b> April Lund -</b>2nd row from left-<b>Jennifer Pesce </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">black & yellow</span>, <b>Hidi Gaff </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">sunglasses</span>, <b>Michele Yates</b>, <b>Jill Braley</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">red & black</span>, and <b>Fiona Bayly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">visor</span> -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Braley, a hometown favorite, finished 2nd in 2022 and 3rd in 2023; she ran 18:21 in 2022 and ten seconds faster the following year. Grunnagle has taken some time off from major championships after her 34:24 10K that allowed her to claim the 40-44 gold medal at the 2019 WMA Championships in Poland. Now that her daughter is a year old, Grunnagle is finding time to race again, hitting 37:32 at a local January 10K this year. Lund <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">won the Masters race at the
2023 USATF Cross Country Championships, and subsequently won medals for Team
USA at the World Masters Athletics Cross Country championships. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2tVreQO4hp2dH1R3oqTLqOz0v4KMfXtr3_xkr0cHkW1rkE63YzPzcxcP4uKU8hO_YTJ5ofj6FbTdmSnh3KlysJcphLFFVoqzs4vtHSVTRYqmlK_kpYZHMxPt9YC1azAEMbOTO37kQ812XdtpPxRElDM85bsTQxXPRHKRjtsvjKCplWyyD5Ym_KTxKJtS/s2880/Lead%20Women-approaching%201st%20turn-P_McPh.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="2880" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2tVreQO4hp2dH1R3oqTLqOz0v4KMfXtr3_xkr0cHkW1rkE63YzPzcxcP4uKU8hO_YTJ5ofj6FbTdmSnh3KlysJcphLFFVoqzs4vtHSVTRYqmlK_kpYZHMxPt9YC1azAEMbOTO37kQ812XdtpPxRElDM85bsTQxXPRHKRjtsvjKCplWyyD5Ym_KTxKJtS/w640-h426/Lead%20Women-approaching%201st%20turn-P_McPh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lead Pack Approaching the first turn to head up Castleberry Hill- from right- <b>Stephanie Pezzullo, April Lund, Jami Hollandsworth</b>, and <b>Jennifer Pesce </b> -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coming off a
bronze medal overall performance at this year’s Cross Country championships,
Lund was focused on getting back to gold. Pesce won here last year in 17:49 and demonstrated her range by winning the 2023 Masters 12 Km Championships in September at 44:29. Pezzullo was a top Open 3000M Steeplechaser; she made the finals at the 2011 Outdoor TF Championships. Pezzullo is still fast; last year she ran two sub-35-minute 10K's and a 17:48 5K. Primarily a Trail Runner and Mountain Biker, Yates was the wild card! </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;">Those six pushed from the start, with Lund and
Pezzulo leading the pack through the first mile. Lund and Pezzulo separated
from the rest in the second mile. By the time they headed uphill in the last
mile, Lund had a gap on Pezzullo. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGAxntkzOf_QM1Mxisj0ZwXtkvJdgj2YCBfuKoljjY7BN2qA6X1XyXOat0q9M2G6VKm3ZTJ8nFCkTYIM3lux3Y7Olr0o1NeEyUjUrlA3Drcc2GW-QW0K9KnPgwE3SCiSjkEXLM3Lv2YrHuQfdwGiJ4PwIBeUJZLIVFDUy9lQoLw1hJIOJrQL-QDDesbqz/s2048/Lund%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGAxntkzOf_QM1Mxisj0ZwXtkvJdgj2YCBfuKoljjY7BN2qA6X1XyXOat0q9M2G6VKm3ZTJ8nFCkTYIM3lux3Y7Olr0o1NeEyUjUrlA3Drcc2GW-QW0K9KnPgwE3SCiSjkEXLM3Lv2YrHuQfdwGiJ4PwIBeUJZLIVFDUy9lQoLw1hJIOJrQL-QDDesbqz/w400-h266/Lund%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">200 Meters to Go! <b>April Lund</b> striding to victory with no one in sight -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;">Lund pressed all the way to the finish line, running
a superb sub-17-minute 5K race! </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOxfmxZ0NyDXP-osLSubFJp7Rkf7S7Egc45fSDyzum5fCMi1U8Ahlv41BWGKVzQMal6b5-UzjKA5zzXdTTILR3C9HNP4aMs5WCuVmLycvUDGtRr6_3XlQh87JOnIaa8UZeAX6mMy0RCzxD4zfyNZia1GgxV-mp11fJayjD7LNvZG6i4o7tIvR68LvO5yS/s960/Lund%20Takes%20the%20Win.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOxfmxZ0NyDXP-osLSubFJp7Rkf7S7Egc45fSDyzum5fCMi1U8Ahlv41BWGKVzQMal6b5-UzjKA5zzXdTTILR3C9HNP4aMs5WCuVmLycvUDGtRr6_3XlQh87JOnIaa8UZeAX6mMy0RCzxD4zfyNZia1GgxV-mp11fJayjD7LNvZG6i4o7tIvR68LvO5yS/w300-h400/Lund%20Takes%20the%20Win.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>April Lund</b> Breaks the Tape to take the Overall Win -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;">Her 16:58 was the fastest at a 5 Km Masters national
championship since 4-time Olympian, Jen Rhines, won in 2014! Pezzulo claimed
second in 17:27, with Pesce pulling away from Yates<b> </b>and Braley to take third. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG70k290kBr5k9AOHAQXYXZjKO5GcOM4xkCocSWJIdtuTzJr1NJNSh-V32NvpxAWwiIN4kMAhRbdOgm6Zsqb-gX9_IsPmSpb8I62zzzP74T9_XQ_I9FDESGRqAtQKeof6GpmxPlzk3YfZSE1U98kNoQObRFDyu1iyY4upuYzIJUnuP7FbBtNql3PCFYV6K/s2048/Pezzullo%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG70k290kBr5k9AOHAQXYXZjKO5GcOM4xkCocSWJIdtuTzJr1NJNSh-V32NvpxAWwiIN4kMAhRbdOgm6Zsqb-gX9_IsPmSpb8I62zzzP74T9_XQ_I9FDESGRqAtQKeof6GpmxPlzk3YfZSE1U98kNoQObRFDyu1iyY4upuYzIJUnuP7FbBtNql3PCFYV6K/w266-h400/Pezzullo%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Stephanie Pezzulo</b> finishes off her Silver Medal Run -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;">Pesce posted a 17:52, just 5 and 6 seconds respectively
ahead of Yates and Braley. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUm_PX0v0SNvHD-fEjxmpLNVlDJBfAW4PoTqutXUztafok2N2D4FfAislpb_Zvy9aK8k10aN_-WbS34fEiwhzynY2LrVvHBc2IXtAwuehtVrwLj-dOC2uvspmBGUQ8TQwZ6ace_wOvBrEDko6GmlaoAjBPPpC0LbIdPl6XaSwbVYz9AWHKTMY_qcpoPq-/s2048/Pesce%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUm_PX0v0SNvHD-fEjxmpLNVlDJBfAW4PoTqutXUztafok2N2D4FfAislpb_Zvy9aK8k10aN_-WbS34fEiwhzynY2LrVvHBc2IXtAwuehtVrwLj-dOC2uvspmBGUQ8TQwZ6ace_wOvBrEDko6GmlaoAjBPPpC0LbIdPl6XaSwbVYz9AWHKTMY_qcpoPq-/w426-h640/Pesce%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Pesce</b> pulling away from <b>Michele Yates</b> to take the Bronze Medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;">Grunnagle<b> </b>finished 6<sup>th</sup> at 18:08.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">April Lund</i> 16:58 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Stephanie Pezzullo</i> 17:27 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Pesce</i> 17:52</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">MEN </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The main favorites lined up for the 7:40 AM start: <b>David Angell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/VA</span>, <b>Mike Aitken </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/MO</span>, <b>Luke Mortensen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athens Road Runners/GA</span><b> Perry Griffith </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span>,<b> Jay Stephenson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC. </span>Angell last appeared<b> </b>at the Masters 5 Km Championships in 2019 when he won the Overall Masters Championship at 15:41. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 106%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde1Z-Z-D70BTSrWj55dTnOEjvvZ89yES11Z7E7TXxn54KVZTTWXX3QQ3UJMwE37tyXK2DGKu3QUCTakYVavYKHFFms0Xl0ZXE26UcMhGUNcmUT0MJVtgRbkE9Tk6XRyldEYOH9B6HxN5ZfJ6xR_FsNe37YIDlK9c1Dr066KQQmST4f1ABWTjB4defWkM1/s2048/Men-PreStart-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde1Z-Z-D70BTSrWj55dTnOEjvvZ89yES11Z7E7TXxn54KVZTTWXX3QQ3UJMwE37tyXK2DGKu3QUCTakYVavYKHFFms0Xl0ZXE26UcMhGUNcmUT0MJVtgRbkE9Tk6XRyldEYOH9B6HxN5ZfJ6xR_FsNe37YIDlK9c1Dr066KQQmST4f1ABWTjB4defWkM1/w640-h426/Men-PreStart-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the Start of the Men's Race -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 106%;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Angell has been up and down in the post pandemic era as he dealt with some chronic foot and ankle problems. Angell showed signs of a return to his old form at the Masters 10 Km Championships last April; his 33:15 earned him the bronze overall medal. Aitken is a newcomer to Masters championships but ran a 16:06 5K on January 6th and followed it two weeks later with a 21:36 4-miler. Mortensen finished 2nd here in 16:01 last year. Five months later he claimed 2nd Masters at Peachtree with a 32:48 10K. Griffith finished 8th here in 2022 with a 16:16. Griffith ran 33:52 at Peachtree in 2022 but I find no 2023 results for him. Stephenson posted 16:10 at the Red Apple 5K last April. He ran 15:10 at the Macon Labor Day 5K. That is impressive but that race is known to produce fast times; it is a point-to-point course with over 13 meters per kilometer drop. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 106%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ms6D60VTPY-zaXIAOS7Yp0S5HNEnHv-es_yfx5FoLYsJoFq1X4XXgP2C0SHNW5VF8AgI5khLnkopChjm2PUuS8x7NnCPuoFEZFMJFDTGAa6VAY4VBXfkk9cS-RlGq4tnL9JuNqnYss0TM2oIh3wuoSoZcnE7ETjRM8pEBt5GOLNn_WiK7sYErrH5bzzq/s2048/Angell%20Easing%20Up-Early%20Race-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ms6D60VTPY-zaXIAOS7Yp0S5HNEnHv-es_yfx5FoLYsJoFq1X4XXgP2C0SHNW5VF8AgI5khLnkopChjm2PUuS8x7NnCPuoFEZFMJFDTGAa6VAY4VBXfkk9cS-RlGq4tnL9JuNqnYss0TM2oIh3wuoSoZcnE7ETjRM8pEBt5GOLNn_WiK7sYErrH5bzzq/w640-h426/Angell%20Easing%20Up-Early%20Race-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">300 Meters Into the Race - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left-Front Row - </span><b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">black singlet</span>, <b>Perry Griffith </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">red&black-no hat</span>, <b>Matthew Di Pretore </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">blue singlet</span>, <b>Daniel Seo</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">white cap</span>, <b>Peter Reed </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">gray t-shirt</span>, and <b>Alcides De Quesada </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">black vest </span>-- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 106%;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Aitken, Mortensen and Stephenson pushed to the front. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The three leaders headed up Castleberry Hill with determination and speed. They put a gap on the chase pack led by Angell and Griffith who took a more conservative approach to the hill. As they approached the 1 Mile mark, Angell reported, after the race, that a totally unexpected event occurred. The lead motorcycle passed through a break in the barriers and cones. All three of the leaders followed the motorcycle through the cones off the course! Angell, in fourth, who had studied the course and jogged it the day before, thought, for a second, that maybe he should follow them. But he knew that if he left the course, he risked disqualification. Angell stayed on the course as specified. He was reassured that he was correct when they passed the 1 Mile sign and clock and they matched up with his gps watch. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Apparently, the lead motorcycle must have gone across a city block and rejoined the course after a sharp turn. At the end of their race, Stephenson led Mortensen and Aitken into the finish area, thinking they had the top 3 spots. When they saw the finishing clock reading 13 minutes and change, they must have suspected something was wrong. It was not their fault; they meant to do nothing wrong, but they had cut the course. The actual winner was still out on the course. The Referee issued a disqualification.</p><p class="MsoNormal">After that incident, Angell was in front of the lead pack but there were challengers with him. By the time they hit their stride along Peters Street and swung around onto Trinity, the lead group was stretching out. Across Pryor Street and the sharp downhill to Central, Angell created a small gap to his rivals. That pack was led by <b>John Fernandez </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/OH </span>and <b>Edward Ross </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/NJ</span>, but still included Griffith, <b>Alcides De Quesada</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/FL</span>, and <b>Peter Reed</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/TN</span>. Angell took the two left turns and headed back up Mitchell. He could still hear footsteps, but they were slightly more distant. Once he crested the hill, for the first time, he enjoyed the sound of silence. After stretching it out on Mitchell St, speeding down another drop on MLK, Jr. Drive and taking the turn onto Northside Dr, it was all but over. Angell had a 30-meter gap on his closest rival. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MBAE23pXbPXelNcP572zfQM6N0NtdPMWilzCTe2lNCp6AUrqa-tGlRNomFaAoBJkyLmYPC1i6jc2eHVwhFCQA1wFH2f_wMeJbJ1Mls4yFJKROZC6NgIe-_j5eoxuc-Sdr0qvD2h1qcJuGsREL16wvOfOCEgRGYzZE-V5U0FP-TkqVVKlcA2cG2-Isj-d/s3840/Angell_David-2-Heading%20for%20Overall%20Masters%20Win%20in%20Men's%20Race-Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MBAE23pXbPXelNcP572zfQM6N0NtdPMWilzCTe2lNCp6AUrqa-tGlRNomFaAoBJkyLmYPC1i6jc2eHVwhFCQA1wFH2f_wMeJbJ1Mls4yFJKROZC6NgIe-_j5eoxuc-Sdr0qvD2h1qcJuGsREL16wvOfOCEgRGYzZE-V5U0FP-TkqVVKlcA2cG2-Isj-d/w426-h640/Angell_David-2-Heading%20for%20Overall%20Masters%20Win%20in%20Men's%20Race-Lara.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Angell </b>Heading for the Win-200 Meters to Go! -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Angell crossed the finish line in 16:03, knowing that he was the first athlete to run the course as specified and finish. But what would happen now? He did not have his picture taken breaking the tape! He was not presented with an American flag to drape over his shoulders. Was he the winner? By that time, the officials were already working hard. The three who left the course were disqualified. There was video evidence of the incident where they left the course. That mistake meant the athletes had 'cut the course' and run a shorter distance. The Technical Instructions specifically warned athletes to know the course and not follow a lead motorcycle that goes off course. It is a reminder to all of us; the onus is on athletes to know the course and stay on it. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Angell enjoyed the win in 16:03, his first overall national championship since the pandemic. The rest of the field was tightly packed; Griffith, who had broken away from the chase group, came storming around the corner, second at 16:10, just four seconds ahead of Fernandez. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0587dYXanMlhjfBzlgASTrZl5VVjLmliqLMmMCJNG4gQy9KqBe7G-T9eqFrVSKZa0o4F6_3CkhHUc8lS36FGD6EY0Sc9qsJ3QuwsiZk4JT6E0pd1d1S-d2nxsA2gb66uHkyiiCiS2vbWvrR-VnQufHdOQ6DeLKmu50eoFYecY6uyAU6SwYwcxXiIlXS8/s2048/Perry%20Griffith%20finishing-McPhers%20&%20Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0587dYXanMlhjfBzlgASTrZl5VVjLmliqLMmMCJNG4gQy9KqBe7G-T9eqFrVSKZa0o4F6_3CkhHUc8lS36FGD6EY0Sc9qsJ3QuwsiZk4JT6E0pd1d1S-d2nxsA2gb66uHkyiiCiS2vbWvrR-VnQufHdOQ6DeLKmu50eoFYecY6uyAU6SwYwcxXiIlXS8/w266-h400/Perry%20Griffith%20finishing-McPhers%20&%20Lara.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Perry Griffith</b> on his way to the Overall Silver Medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">De Quesada<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>finished five seconds later, at 16:19, in fourth, with Peter Reed<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>three seconds back in 5th.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Angell, Griffith and Fernandez were honored with the Overall Championship medals and get the prize money. In a recognition of the effort put forth by the athletes who, inadvertently, cut the course, the Atlanta Track Club awarded Stephenson, Mortensen and Aitken cash prizes equivalent to the cash prize they would have won had they actually finished 1-2-3. </p><p class="MsoNormal">But make no mistake. Many athletes have been ahead of the field at the 1 Mile mark of a 5 Km race only to be caught and passed later. We will never know what the outcome might have been, but we do know that the podium was Angell- Griffith- Fernandez. Angell is the 2024 Masters 5 Km Champion.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 16:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Griffith</i> 16:10 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Fernandez</i> 16:14</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">AGE DIVISIONS</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 40-44</span><b style="font-size: large;"> </b>Griffith was the only 40–44-year-old on the overall podium. At the same time, he claimed 2nd overall, he earned the gold medal in 40-44. Apart from Stephenson, Mortensen and Aitken, Griffith's main rivals in the division were <b>Neftali Colon</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/FL</span>, <b>Fred Joslyn</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/PA</span>, and <b>Chuck Terry </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/NY</span><b>. </b>Colon ran a 35:37 10K in March of 2023. But by January 20th of this year showed more speed in clocking a 16:51 5K. Joslyn was on the Team USA squad that went to Qatar and won the 2016 World Athletics 50K Championships. In 2022 he ran 54:03 to win the Capitol Ten Miler. Last year he won it in 55:15, equivalent via age grading to a 33:28 10K. Terry's 34:25 earned him 9th overall and 4th in this division at the Masters 10 Km Championships last April. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGzvto4IEFqhkOU3yC61-RyKBKIu4IBsR7qpK682N9A4WNKXEqdxT5h1ITG7G4oBk8th5Na3kJaFYGIzZmURcwaWRhLPYy2pQmWRNrXVhAoNRjFg0YfJOo3CzvSBWvUCbb7tR4Uka5vH18VT9We9NKfqQExYIIcRd2RMkM5Cpq2F_zn7Vis0KwkqYp3Hz/s960/Colon%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGzvto4IEFqhkOU3yC61-RyKBKIu4IBsR7qpK682N9A4WNKXEqdxT5h1ITG7G4oBk8th5Na3kJaFYGIzZmURcwaWRhLPYy2pQmWRNrXVhAoNRjFg0YfJOo3CzvSBWvUCbb7tR4Uka5vH18VT9We9NKfqQExYIIcRd2RMkM5Cpq2F_zn7Vis0KwkqYp3Hz/w480-h640/Colon%20et%20al.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Neftali Colon </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#210 foreground,</span> <b>Steve Bell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">red&black background</span>, and <b>Edward Ross</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">white singlet </span>head out among other competitors -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">At the Stockade-a-thon a half year later in November, Terry finished 3rd Masters, clocking 52:40 over 15K. Joslyn started more cautiously than the Overall leaders; he maintained a position a few seconds behind the main chase group. When that broke up, Joslyn was not able to move up but held his position. Joslyn finished strong with a 100-meter lead on his two rivals. Colon closed on Terry in the final stretch. Colon had a little extra, passing Terry to take the bronze medal by 2 seconds!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Griffith</i> 16:10 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fred Joslyn</i> 16:26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Neftali Colon</i> 16:47</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><b>David Angell</b> came out of 45-49 to take the Overall win; that gave him the division win at the same time. Three others were in the hunt for the two remaining podium spots, <b>Christopher Hernandez</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers/NY</span>, <b>Peter Reed </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/TN</span><b> Edward Ross </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC. </span>Hernandez finished 3rd in the division last year in 17:12. He was also on the division podium at the Masters 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis in June. He captured second at 4:47. Although it is hard to find much information online about Reed, he did win the Crosstown 5K in Memphis TN with a 16:09 the weekend before this race. Ross finished 3rd in this division at Cross Nationals in Richmond in January. One of his recent road credentials is a 1:02:31 10-Miler at the Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Reed and Ross were running with the main chase group through the 3 Km mark, with Hernandez a good 80 meters back. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi510IZSGp4KS16Kg2Nf8Yei_MqF-OMWDzACvlMPtXq__HcYNKk6biDRFsV6oM7rZ0ZeucMNRJ5t80apCDPcJm7UPI6bG96cAZj4MgjvTTftGRjbV_rL_49ihfGkZJIB85gwpv7auyQLyOvFDPWHtNRI-F8v5C3T7C90VE5lBY5VXxiqGuXNPc10D1y_OZ_/s2048/Ross-Andrews-Joslyn%20finishing-McPhers%20&%20Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi510IZSGp4KS16Kg2Nf8Yei_MqF-OMWDzACvlMPtXq__HcYNKk6biDRFsV6oM7rZ0ZeucMNRJ5t80apCDPcJm7UPI6bG96cAZj4MgjvTTftGRjbV_rL_49ihfGkZJIB85gwpv7auyQLyOvFDPWHtNRI-F8v5C3T7C90VE5lBY5VXxiqGuXNPc10D1y_OZ_/w426-h640/Ross-Andrews-Joslyn%20finishing-McPhers%20&%20Lara.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Edward Ross</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">bronze medal 45-49 </span>heading for the Finish Line, with <b>Mark Andrews </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">bronze medal 50-54</span> and then <b>Fred Joslyn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">silver medal 40-44 </span>in hot pursuit -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">When they hit the hill just after the 2-mile mark, Reed was able to start pulling away from Ross. Hernandez could not close the gap to Ross but was able to keep Ross from widening his lead. Reed claimed division silver with his 16:21, pulling away to a 10-second lead on Ross, who finished third. Hernandez kept it going, finishing 4th with a nifty 16:52, a good 20 seconds faster than his 2023 time.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell </i>16:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Reed</i> 16:22 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Edward Ross</i> 16:31</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span>It may be hard to believe but the 50-54 podium had a cumulative time quite close to the cumulative time of the 45-49 podium. The top three were tight. Fernandez, who finished 3rd overall, took the division win. He and De Quesada were running side-by-side for much of the race. At the bottom of the Trinity Street hill, approaching the 2-Mile mark, there was no more than a second between them. Not only that, the defending division champion, <b>Mark Andrews</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers</span>, was within striking distance, twenty meters back. Andrews ran faster this year than last but could not match Fernandez and De Quesada. They pulled away ever so slightly over the last 2 kilometers, taking 1st and 2nd in 16:13 and 16:19. Andrews claimed the bronze in 16:28, with 150 meters to spare. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5KQ-xheYRsGeZItwt0221ksEiXj1t0MoptbSDEP6QpffpwCWC74TJRjy1OhG2ARm4DCoEVHkz5Zz-ZYPU8CLNTm1Jq2eWHby2e0UbaAUHlzscsUx-Do9ol6ifQxRhVDSX7sW9CjkV7r68-1kv1YywfHhNVhyphenhyphenEZBRNnzQMhyNk7qAu8wb510JTlcbfLCZ/s960/Mark%20Andrews-Finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5KQ-xheYRsGeZItwt0221ksEiXj1t0MoptbSDEP6QpffpwCWC74TJRjy1OhG2ARm4DCoEVHkz5Zz-ZYPU8CLNTm1Jq2eWHby2e0UbaAUHlzscsUx-Do9ol6ifQxRhVDSX7sW9CjkV7r68-1kv1YywfHhNVhyphenhyphenEZBRNnzQMhyNk7qAu8wb510JTlcbfLCZ/w300-h400/Mark%20Andrews-Finish.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Andrews </b>claims the 50-54 bronze medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Steve Bell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>outlasted his teammate, <b>Christopher Harris</b>, finishing 4th in 17:02 with a 4-second margin.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">John Fernandez</i> 16:13 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alcides de Quesada</i> 16:19 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Andrews</i> 16:28</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Dean Thompson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chattanooga Track Club/TN </span>was on his game last year, finishing 2nd in 17:39. Earlier that year he had finished 3rd in the division at Cross Nationals in Richmond. He did not compete this year. Thompson's teammate, <b>Ryan Shrum</b>, finished 7th last year. They would lock horns with <b>Matthew Marion</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>and his teammate, <b>Fred Weir</b>. Marion did not compete here last year but demonstrated his distance credentials with a 1:19:58 at the Half Marathon in Houston this January. Weir finished two seconds and one place ahead of Shrum here last year. <b>Alan Thomas </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athens Road Runners</span> finished two seconds behind Shrum last year. They would mix it up again and see how they came out. Thompson led the way in the early going. By the time they headed down Trinity toward Central, he had 25 meters on Marion and Thomas, running in 2nd and 3rd in the division, just a few seconds apart. Shrum, with Weir on his heels, was tracking them another thirty meters back. The new athletes in the mix, Marion and Thomas, were able to reel in Thompson in the final mile. Marion led the way to the finish line, winning the division title in 17:54, a dozen meters ahead of Thomas, who had a similar margin over Thompson. Shrum had been able to keep his edge over Weir, crossing the line 4th in 11:04, just two seconds ahead of Weir.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Matthew Marion</i> 17:54 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alan Thomas</i> 17:57 <i><b>Dean Thompson</b> </i>18:01</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Lester Dragstedt</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Atlanta Track Club</span>, who finished 4th here last year, was the favorite. All that last week of registration, he must have been waiting for the other shoe to fall, to see if one of his rivals from last year, or from other championships might yet enter. None did. Dragstedt had been leading Atlanta's 60's team to strong results all last year. He performed well at Richmond in January, claiming fifth behind a strong set of entries, none of whom signed up for this 5 Km Championship. Dragstedt's teammate, <b>David Black</b> might provide his toughest competition. He had the same time at the Masters Ten Mile Championships and actually came in 8 seconds ahead of Dragstedt at the Masters 10 Km Championships. <b>Chuck Bridgman </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/OH</span> finished 19 seconds behind Dragstedt here last year. <b>Tim Ensign</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chattanooga TC </span>ran a 31:38 Turkey Trot 8K last November. Consistent with that, Ensign finished 31 seconds behind Dragstedt at Richmond this January. Dragstedt focused on the task at hand and took care of business. He left all his rivals behind; Dragstedt had almost 50 meters on his closest division pursuer, Ensign, at the 3 km mark. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdamx5wkM5hDqHxbMzHcmh2NpIpIfIsRnEJcxNGN0-q8QrF9JGtqPSUQfJ6y688mJ62rSU3iQnY9LoCoRCEA23vdBpOO6KfAaJyg1w1HFCgzgmxT-LLfD8hB8bTVbSCev6SPG0xjxWZQsKC3Qn60_PvFUkNQIifgkVursVRJGriZ3ibmb7FRm6_W0iYwvK/s960/Dragstedt%20et%20al-start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdamx5wkM5hDqHxbMzHcmh2NpIpIfIsRnEJcxNGN0-q8QrF9JGtqPSUQfJ6y688mJ62rSU3iQnY9LoCoRCEA23vdBpOO6KfAaJyg1w1HFCgzgmxT-LLfD8hB8bTVbSCev6SPG0xjxWZQsKC3Qn60_PvFUkNQIifgkVursVRJGriZ3ibmb7FRm6_W0iYwvK/w480-h640/Dragstedt%20et%20al-start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lester Dragstedt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> left -red t-shirt, no cap </span>setting out on the race where he will win the 60-64 Gold Medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Dragstedt increased that gap to over 100 meters by the time he crossed the finish line, the division winner in 18:19. Ensign maintained an edge over Black and Bridgman, claiming second in 18:54. Bridgman was 20 meter ahead of Black at the 3 K mark, but Black pressed harder over the last 2K, caught his rival and earned the bronze medal at the finish line, though both had the same 19:09 time. <b>Mike Mertens</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH</span> enjoyed a strong closing two kilometers, finishing eight seconds back in fifth.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Lester Dragstedt</i> 18:19 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Ensign</i> 18:54 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Black</i> 19:09</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>John Glidewell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>set the American 65-69 5K Record here last year with a 17:31 chip time/17:32 gun time effort. Naturally, he started as the favorite. But two other speedy 65-69 year olds were in the field. <b>Roger Sayre</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners/CO </span>finished 2nd to Glidwell here last year in 18:28; he clocked a 39:12 10K last November in Wisconsin. When Sayre has entered a championship without either Glidewell or <b>Jacob Nur</b> entered, he tends to win. Last year he earned the 65-69 gold medal at both the Masters Ten Mile Championship in 1:01:09 and at the Masters half Marathon Championships over a hilly course on an unseasonably warm day in Syracuse with a 1:24:43. <b>Ken Youngers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span> finished third here last year in 18:50. When Youngers is on, he is very tough to beat. In 2022 he won the 65-69 Masters Championships on a rolling hills course at Dedham MA in 37:48. He has not been at that level recently but has run very fast his last few outings. <b>Paul Beers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/VA </span>finished 6th here last year in 19:58. The race unfolded as expected. Glidwell sped off, running with the top guns from 55-59. He enjoyed a 70-meter lead over Sayre when he passed the 3K mark. Sayre, in turn, had almost 40 meters on Youngers. Beers had just started on. the steep downhill to Central as Youngers took the corner at the bottom. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb7lA5pkA7YE8NbNQOjcbzPn6Qfj9IMtyWz62CmLTIdbWdMKSvQSRR8moYja14JcxLe7LywSpmLLPFBRY2E8G23Jakz2EPuQOrWZ0CdJs_MPjbccNfVnCF_LrJsVcwa2Bn-773hbf7WJnnUAh-sQSYubvyrmaZx9mVkrrwjDPazwlI9pvy8OZ2nozTpcm/s960/Sayre-Youngers%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb7lA5pkA7YE8NbNQOjcbzPn6Qfj9IMtyWz62CmLTIdbWdMKSvQSRR8moYja14JcxLe7LywSpmLLPFBRY2E8G23Jakz2EPuQOrWZ0CdJs_MPjbccNfVnCF_LrJsVcwa2Bn-773hbf7WJnnUAh-sQSYubvyrmaZx9mVkrrwjDPazwlI9pvy8OZ2nozTpcm/w480-h640/Sayre-Youngers%20et%20al.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roger Sayre</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center-left, white singlet </span>and <b>Ken Youngers </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">center-right, red singlet-sunglasses </span>Taking their First Stroides toward the Silver and Bronze medal, respectively in the 65-69 Division -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Nothing changed over the final 2K. Glidewell enjoyed the win in 17:53. There was no new American Record this year, but Glidewell does have the Course Record. Sayre ran four seconds faster t1han last year, claiming division silver in 18:24. Youngers enjoyed a third-place finish in 18:55. A minute later Beers finished 4th, a good 50 meters ahead of <b>Brian Cummins </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/FL </span>in 5th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">John Glidewell </i>17:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Roger Sayre</i> 18:24 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ken Youngers </i>18:55</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Robert Qualls</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/NV </span>has won almost every national championship he has entered since turning 70 a couple of years ago. Qualls won here last year in 20:09. But he is also the M70 defending champion from the 2023 Masters Road Championships over 1 Mile and 10 Km, but also for all three national Masters cross country events. But it was a loaded field, sure to give Qualls his stiffest challenge in recent months. <b>James Linn</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">New Jersey Pacers Run Club</span><b> </b>captured the 12 Km crown in 51:44 last September. He also ran a 19:36 5K last September. <b>Richard Larsen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers/MA </span>won the 2022 edition of these championships in 19:37. Later that year he won the Masters 10 Km Championships for 70-74 in 40:30. He won the 2022 Boston BIGGSteps 5K in 19:45. Last summer Larsen challenged himself with a run up the highest mountain in Vermont and the climb to Mt Washington in New Hampshire. <b>Doug Bell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>has finished 3rd here the last two years; he is always a threat.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Qualls knew about the threat and did everything he could to beat it back. He went out aggressively on the first longer, more gradual uphill, leaving both Larsen and Linn behind. When he crossed the 3K mat, Qualls was over 70 meters ahead of Linn. As it turned out, this was Linn's day to challenge Qualls, not Larsen. Not up to a sub-20 on the day, Larsen was another 75 meters behind Linn at that point. Linn had no real hope of catching Qualls with that kind of lead with just 2 km to go. But Linn did take 8 seconds back. Qualls won in a much faster time than last year, 19:30. Linn was 13 seconds back in 19:43, with Larsen over a half minute back in third. It was not his day but it is pretty amazing to run a low 20's 5K at age 72 on an off day! Bell finished 4th in 21:06, nineteen seconds ahead of Don Morrison <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC. </span>Qualls was more than up to the challenge. He ran more than half a minute faster t1han his winning time last year, showing he has more in the tank yet! Linn also showed that he is a real threat from the 5K to the 12K!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> 19:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">James Linn</i> 19:43 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Larsen</i> 20:19</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNqwSQm_2lewhZh-aJHPx-TwnkVZ3P8REwr-9WVK7HJCBALjjmHup_GVmon_9VylJyVByHF3LXKrsPaBgY6qC2xPwGqtGRkhlP2A-_phE9owkX1iyUKdHW5SU_VWhFnA1EDqGzNIyttTE0byWPfa7KxLOPqbQj9-dJAZjA0-G4UBf8IpwMh8HhvM91Cyj/s960/Qualls_Conston_2%20et%20al-start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNqwSQm_2lewhZh-aJHPx-TwnkVZ3P8REwr-9WVK7HJCBALjjmHup_GVmon_9VylJyVByHF3LXKrsPaBgY6qC2xPwGqtGRkhlP2A-_phE9owkX1iyUKdHW5SU_VWhFnA1EDqGzNIyttTE0byWPfa7KxLOPqbQj9-dJAZjA0-G4UBf8IpwMh8HhvM91Cyj/w480-h640/Qualls_Conston_2%20et%20al-start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Center-Germany singlet </span>Heads off from the Start with <b>Jeff Conston</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#12211</span>, <b>Matthew Marion </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">foreground #12275</span>, and <b>Dale Flanders </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH #12230</span>. Qualls claimed the 70-74 gold medal and Marion the 55-59 gold medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span>In 2018 <b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC </span>all but set a new World 70+ Marathon Record when he clocked 2:54:23 at the Jacksonville Bank Marathon. It turned out the race was not USATF sanctioned; World Masters Athletics requires that records be set in races that are sanctioned by the relevant national governing body. He does hold the American 70-74 Marathon Record at 2:55:22, not to mention the Half Marathon and 50Km records. Dykes has been more up and down than we were used to before the pandemic. That is partially due to some niggling health issues. On the other hand, what is a down race for Dykes is an up race for most others in his age division. He was able to 'deep six' a venerable American 75-79 Marathon record with his 3:17:01 at Chicago last October. But Dykes is plenty fast at shorter races too. He ran 20:47 in 2022, finishing second to Larsen's 19:37. Slowed last year by some of his medical issues, he still managed to break 21:30 at age 74. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Dykes loves to run Ultras and he will run them fairly close to races that are way shorter than a Marathon. Dykes posted in Strava a week before this 5K that he has 'only' completed 66 miles of a 100-Mile ultra because he had made a 'rookie mistake' and failed to research the weather carefully enough. Without his usual rain gear, Dykes got soaked over the last 16 miles. No one thought that experience would slow Dykes much six days later and they were right. His main challengers were <b>Rick Katz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>and <b>Jerry Learned</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span>. Katz's 22:58 here last year left him in 8th place for his last year in 70-74. But had he been a year older, that same time would have left him just 4 seconds out of the win for 75-79. Since turning 75, Katz has been on the podium at the three championships he entered, all on the turf. He won the Masters 5 Km at Boca Raton FL with a 24:48, finishing well over a minute ahead of Learned, who claimed the silver medal. With the stronger fields at Tallahassee and Richmond, Katz still ran his way onto the podium, earning bronze both times. Learned finished right behind Katz both times, just 18 seconds back at Tallahassee but well over a minute back at Richmond. This would be their first meeting as 75-year-olds on the roads. Dykes started off at a comfortable pace but one which no one else in the division could match. By the 3 Km mat, Dykes was over 200 meters ahead of the pair. He extended his lead the rest of the way, winning in 21:15, fourteen seconds faster than his 2023 time. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElWMKe7_uYec5hl_y-5JUzWbtTo3MSn7w0MfmcrcBvDRcM4D1vaAqC0IXhq52j65P7yNcBLoBegC1319u84SI_aXa4xcP42Nt5ZVGYG0kgvX1ZzXkYh3An7vxF8JcBhs9JU72b5WKChuoj9mGOFtvwpuKMm3M3FDCqEyV2Ty2PpSnIJcU4dRfW3zS_siJ/s960/Dykes-Myers-Learned-Larson%20start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElWMKe7_uYec5hl_y-5JUzWbtTo3MSn7w0MfmcrcBvDRcM4D1vaAqC0IXhq52j65P7yNcBLoBegC1319u84SI_aXa4xcP42Nt5ZVGYG0kgvX1ZzXkYh3An7vxF8JcBhs9JU72b5WKChuoj9mGOFtvwpuKMm3M3FDCqEyV2Ty2PpSnIJcU4dRfW3zS_siJ/w480-h640/Dykes-Myers-Learned-Larson%20start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3><b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">bright blue shirt</span><span style="font-size: small;"> begins his race for the M75 gold medal with</span></span> <b><span style="font-size: small;">Eugene Myers</span> </b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">background-green singlet</span>,</span> <b><span style="font-size: small;">Jerry Learned</span></b> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white cap reversed</span>, <span style="font-size: small;">and</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Oscar Martinez</b></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: normal;">foreground 12277 </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">-- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: normal;"> </span><i style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></h3></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">At the 3 Km mat, Learned was still within striking distance of Katz, just 15 meters back. If Learned could work the uphill on Mitchell, he might reel Katz in. But it was not to be. Katz was able to handle both the uphill and then the downhill on Mitchell, extending his lead to over 40 meters by the time they finished at the Home Depot Backyard. Katz had second in 23:21, 14 seconds ahead of Learned. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIHROlbeY7WmM1mW-WvmayVBk3BzyE5ahF5HMmwd7l4VVC-eM0dXJ1_ADaof8x6xX0Gu5mkBpLd0DNxrDrmnpguI5gOp2G1daBk6LJKXrSoZckvU6iYSCDuAQz3He4DoV-IAWVrNBNcudVaJ8W09-2kiEbuBfVRMznUsmZoVk0Mch2TVkwb8SLP6EwaNF/s960/Kirschner-Katz-Pratt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIHROlbeY7WmM1mW-WvmayVBk3BzyE5ahF5HMmwd7l4VVC-eM0dXJ1_ADaof8x6xX0Gu5mkBpLd0DNxrDrmnpguI5gOp2G1daBk6LJKXrSoZckvU6iYSCDuAQz3He4DoV-IAWVrNBNcudVaJ8W09-2kiEbuBfVRMznUsmZoVk0Mch2TVkwb8SLP6EwaNF/w480-h640/Kirschner-Katz-Pratt.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Katz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right-lime green sleeves</span> begins his race to the M75 silver medal with <b>Eugene Myers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">left-green singlet</span>, <b>Bruce Kirschner</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center-arm sleeves</span>, and <b>Aaron Pratt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">far right-white singlet</span> -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">At Richmond, over 8 Km of turf, <b>Jan Frisby </b>had moved away from me, your author, <b>Paul Carlin</b>, in the early stages and I was able to get closer over the last 2 km but not make the catch. Frisby finished 5th and I was 6th. It was the same story this time except Frisby pulled away on Castleberry Hill, grew the gap to a 28 second lead by the 3 Km mat and then extended it. Frisby finished 4th in 25:01, forty seconds ahead of me. Dykes did a fine job, garnering another hundred points for his Grand Prix attempt. Dykes is committed to running certain marathons and ultras. And like everyone else, life also can conflict with races. Dykes struggles to fit in five Grand Prix races; he needs to be sure every race counts! Katz landed on the podium yet again. Learned showed he is not going away and will continue to compete hard.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes </i>21:15 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Katz</i> 23:21 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry Learned</i> 23:35</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Harold Rosen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/MD</span>, who won this division at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run last April in 1:27:04, was coming, for the first time, to challenge for a USATF Masters National Championship. He ran a few 5K's last year in the low 27 to mid 28-minute range. That is faster than any of the others entering this year. Last year, <b>Doug Goodhue</b> claimed the title in 26:36. He ran a 25:08 5K in November. But by early December at Club Cross, his hamstring acted up. Goodhue decided to take some time off from racing and focus on getting the hamstring under control; he is not entered this year. <b>Ed Bligh</b> finished 2nd last year in 28:45. He also clocked a 10K in a few ticks over an hour at the AJC Peachtree Run, with its challenging hill and, typically, warm 4th of July weather. Bligh claimed the division win in Tallahassee over the 8 Km cross country course in 49:01. <b>David Turner</b> last ran a sub-27-minute 5K in the 2019 Masters Championships when he was 79. He came back after the pandemic to win the 80-84 division with a 29:22 in 2022. Turner did not compete last year. Rosen had no difficulty. After the initial rise and drop, they faced a gradual climb over the next 3/4ths of a mile. Rosen pulled away to take the lead. After the hairpin turn at one mile, they stretched it out on the long curving stretch of Peters Street and then headed downhill to the 3k mat. Rosen enjoyed a lead of over 100 meters on Bligh, and 150 on Turner. Rosen continued apace, taking the win in 26:53 with more than 90 seconds to spare. Bligh was able to keep Turner at bay, claiming second in 28:31, with Turner 23 seconds back at 28:54. Rosen enjoyed a victorious entry to the world of USATF Masters Championships. Bligh and Turner both improved on their most recent performances at these championships. Turner will also turn 85 between now and 2025. If he retains his health and fitness, he should enter as the favorite for the 85-89 win.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Harold Rosen</i> 26:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ed Bligh</i> 28:31 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Turner</i> 28:54</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzT1alZ0HcbwlLR8g3HC8ACJEx473OfFjldbeTGexzAIjExtRpThwsLYll0w2RynrUE37mtls7eJwEXCoC6OpZSlkycnVjDuC0mBP_G202jAGNvELK9wuimzGfin5bmwoNYYxKpLJMhG7zNezZFW0SujoLvQwVGGXpXYYj8f1kOO92Sjra9q2C12KDjGE/s2048/Harold%20Rosen-FinshLine-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzT1alZ0HcbwlLR8g3HC8ACJEx473OfFjldbeTGexzAIjExtRpThwsLYll0w2RynrUE37mtls7eJwEXCoC6OpZSlkycnVjDuC0mBP_G202jAGNvELK9wuimzGfin5bmwoNYYxKpLJMhG7zNezZFW0SujoLvQwVGGXpXYYj8f1kOO92Sjra9q2C12KDjGE/w266-h400/Harold%20Rosen-FinshLine-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Harold Rosen </b>heading for the finish line with 200 Meters to Go-About to Claim the 85-89 National 5 Km Championship -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Bill Blask</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greenville TC/SC</span>, <b>Adrian Craven</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span>, and <b>Sid Davis</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>lined up to contest the 85-89 division. All who finished would be on the podium. But who would be atop it? Craven would likely come in ahead of Davis. Craven was 15 minutes ahead last year, with just a few hundred meters to go, when he tried to avoid a runaway toddler in his path. After tripping in his efforts to avert running into the child, Craven was assisted to his feet by a bystander. Upon review of the evidence. the Referee disqualified Craven. The Referee observed that Craven had, unknowingly, also received unwanted assistance from the bystander in moving toward the finish line. </p><p class="MsoNormal">This year Craven had to worry about a faster challenger. Blask, a newcomer to the championships had run two 5K's in under 37 minutes last year. But probably neither of those were as challenging a course as the one in Atlanta. Craven's time last year was 38:50. How much time did Craven lose to the fall, probably not enough to lower his time to 38 minutes? The two would have a real duel. Craven was up to the challenge, but Blask still pulled away inexorably in the first mile. The gap grew larger; by the bottom of the hill before turning onto Central, Blask had carved out a 100-meter gap. Despite his best efforts, Craven could not cut into that lead. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1DZznLlBIESlYHUBo0V040qB9KklkwszpxoR0Ts2OYMEZCyUzefoFY8BTjHCfRKc2CzVmOwR5minoeQl3HCql1W3Wn7rXyaWZE-XmqiMLtoO4JaBEupdRblC6I0TD3iIiqM9-9nzyfDidfxgq_8lXDe5VDIZkWxMRmRFwI2XKv_d_ckCDkvk1mRSSvjw/s960/Sherwood-Craven-Davis%20start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1DZznLlBIESlYHUBo0V040qB9KklkwszpxoR0Ts2OYMEZCyUzefoFY8BTjHCfRKc2CzVmOwR5minoeQl3HCql1W3Wn7rXyaWZE-XmqiMLtoO4JaBEupdRblC6I0TD3iIiqM9-9nzyfDidfxgq_8lXDe5VDIZkWxMRmRFwI2XKv_d_ckCDkvk1mRSSvjw/w480-h640/Sherwood-Craven-Davis%20start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Adrian Craven</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center-black knit cap </span>starts out on his 85-89 Silver medal Run-with <b>Andrew Sherwood</b> on his left -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Blask enjoyed the win at 39:51 with a minute and 23 seconds to spare. Davis earned the bronze medal with a 54:38 tour of Castleberry Hill and the southwest side of Atlanta's downtown.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bill Blask</i> 39:51 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Adrian Craven</i> 41:14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sid Davis</i> 54:38</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">WOMEN</span> <span style="font-size: medium;">40-44</span> Lund, Pezzullo, and Pesce, who went 1-2-3 overall, finished 1-2-3 in this division at the same time. Yates finished just 5 seconds behind Pesce in 4th, both overall and in the division. <b>Jami Hollandsworth</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/MI </span>finished 5th at 18:33, with <b>Hidi Gaff </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Three Rivers Racing/PA </span>in sixth at 19:28.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3ehtbA8Rukk-LhemmO81cJdO7PM5Aur6C7ghK-5hOlJiRHhxpyUhiVobNggvfku73h4R2yIbU5CFUFhSeFv2Mw3TH8exqzMnDbibqRvMF76bOOfWEp4ylx6u_nNCSKgoT_gCMCv1CfdXVSq68urg4hzulGRxun6yIPKti1qfa2OogQjYvcERRrL68dV_/s960/Hollandsworth-Pezz-Lund-Yates.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3ehtbA8Rukk-LhemmO81cJdO7PM5Aur6C7ghK-5hOlJiRHhxpyUhiVobNggvfku73h4R2yIbU5CFUFhSeFv2Mw3TH8exqzMnDbibqRvMF76bOOfWEp4ylx6u_nNCSKgoT_gCMCv1CfdXVSq68urg4hzulGRxun6yIPKti1qfa2OogQjYvcERRrL68dV_/w480-h640/Hollandsworth-Pezz-Lund-Yates.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Leaders surged away from the Start- <span style="font-size: xx-small;">from left: </span><b>Jami Hollandsworth</b>, <b>Stephanie 'PEZZ' Pezzullo</b>, <b>April Lund</b>, and <b>Michele Yates </b>-- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Braley has finished third in 40-44 the last two years. In her first year in 45-49, she takes the crown. Grunnagle, in her return to national competition, finished 6th overall and second in the division.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh738Did4w0Ifokz9DkLZt8YVg2r6qNeqBKoqIwxGqIAtdDYidaYEe0XGjYjxq1rgxXQzuT-gVXJN7dJGjWCcdwWL3DVdrFZTVsjchpV7zISGWr9TiEfwlBW6hBc-F4PmYwOiAnr9SUEvR3JjaPOH2gK-Vgv2KC71_QZqNsWbSLXEjwgsMfSBmJ7nJbLZlP/s1882/Grunnagle%20FinshLine-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1882" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh738Did4w0Ifokz9DkLZt8YVg2r6qNeqBKoqIwxGqIAtdDYidaYEe0XGjYjxq1rgxXQzuT-gVXJN7dJGjWCcdwWL3DVdrFZTVsjchpV7zISGWr9TiEfwlBW6hBc-F4PmYwOiAnr9SUEvR3JjaPOH2gK-Vgv2KC71_QZqNsWbSLXEjwgsMfSBmJ7nJbLZlP/w400-h266/Grunnagle%20FinshLine-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dawn Grunnagle</b> finishes sixth overall and earns the 45-49 Silver Medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The defending 45-49 champion, <b>Sara Girotto </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC</span>, finished third. Girotto <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">won this division</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in 2022
and 2023, despite a fall in a crowded start last year. While trying to avoid a fallen runner, Girotto was pushed and, already off balance, fell to the street. She bounced up, adrenaline flowing, set off a second time and won the division in 18:54. A few days after the race she learned that her knee needed to be surgically repaired. She returned, after the surgical repair, and months devoted to regaining fitness, to finish third in this division. She ran 5
seconds faster this year! Girotto's 18:49 gave her almost a minute lead over </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rhia Kilpatrick </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">Athens Road Runners</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, fourth in 19:45. Kilpatrick had finished 8th in 40-44 last year; she ran 8 seconds slower this year but moved up 4 places in her new age division.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jill Braley </i>17:58 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dawn Grunnagle</i> 18:08 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sara Girotto</i> 18:49</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Abby Dean</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC</span>, <b>Samantha Forde</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Impala Racing/CA</span>, and <b>Rebekah Kennedy</b> were the prime contenders. Two years earlier, Dean was at the top of her game; she won this division in 18:43. Last year she was working her way back from surgery the autumn before. She was far enough along in recovery that she took the win, but in a slower time, 19:22. This past November she had surgery again and was once more in rehab mode. Her recovery might take longer this year; her time at Cross Nationals in Richmond this January was 28 seconds slower than last year. Forde, who finished fourth here last year in 20:05, finished well over a minute ahead of Dean at Richmond. Kennedy finished a half-minute behind Dean here last year, and 12 seconds ahead of Forde. But Forde finished a good half-minute ahead of Kennedy at Club Cross in Tallahassee this past December. Forde and Kennedy would be battling. Kennedy was able to get out and away from Forde, as she did last year. Forde was still within shooting distance of Kennedy, just 4 seconds back at the 3 K mat. Despite her best efforts, Forde could not diminish the gap. Kennedy crossed the finish line with the division win in 19:59, with Forde seven seconds back. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIroO9XBkImODNwzItSgQx9fJszSqgLAU8SHrabrW7j5jyPa_ZzR3Ubwi4R2PQwdlhK5fvoiXdAXQtSdg6NmXRrHK4jjkAlR0Bg1nORt33IoR-XU8wC62uVM5F7_a37QYB19DMUEqrCj_hDNGKOjWkdOtYazLIPH7KGspw3gNKbED-zdWW0egLcBt6Ur3G/s2048/Rebekah%20Kennedy%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIroO9XBkImODNwzItSgQx9fJszSqgLAU8SHrabrW7j5jyPa_ZzR3Ubwi4R2PQwdlhK5fvoiXdAXQtSdg6NmXRrHK4jjkAlR0Bg1nORt33IoR-XU8wC62uVM5F7_a37QYB19DMUEqrCj_hDNGKOjWkdOtYazLIPH7KGspw3gNKbED-zdWW0egLcBt6Ur3G/w400-h266/Rebekah%20Kennedy%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rebekah Kennedy </b>with 200 Meters to Go as She wins the 50-54 Gold Medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Dean ran well but was not yet ready to compete for the win. A good thirty meters behind Forde with 2 km to go, Dean was able to hold off everyone else and claim third in 20:22. <b>Alysia Puma</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC</span>, who finished eighth in the division last year, moved up to fourth with a time of 22:12. Forde's teammate, <b>Alexandra Newman</b>, was fifth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rebekah Kennedy</i> 19:59 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Samantha Forde</i> 20:06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i> 20:22</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Even with a very strong field, <b>Fiona Bayly</b> was a huge favorite. The defending 55-59 champion with an 18:40 last year, Bayly has continued to post strong performances. She won the Joe Kleinerman 10K on January 6th in 38:33 and also took the division crown at the Houston Half Marathon two weeks later with a 1:25:20. <b>Melissa Chiti</b> won this division at Cross Nationals in Richmond a month earlier. Last August she ran a 22:03 at Atlanta's Finest 5K. That uses the same racecourse that was used for the 2023 USATF Masters championships. <b>Mimi Fallon </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Liberty Athletic Club </span>is a regular at the Masters 10 Km Championships. Now that she has joined a team that aims to compete in the Grand Prix we may see Fallon at a few more of our championships. Always competitive for the podium, Fallon, finished 3rd in the division at the 10 Km this year in 42:03; she ran three 5K's between October and November last fall in 20:11, 20:15, and 20:24. <b>Hronn Gudmundsdottir </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Impala Racing </span>finished 5th in this division at the Masters Ten Mile Championships last April in 1:10:13, age-grade equivalent to a 42:31. In November she ran a 1:37:24 at the Clarksburg HM. Not so long ago, in 2019, Gudmundsdottir finished 3rd in 50-54 with a 19:29 at the Masters 10 Km Championships, run here in Atlanta in August. Speed may be her forte. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Rachel Hopkins </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">finished third in 50-54 with a 19:43 last year. With Bayly skipping the race, Hopkins won this division at Clubs in Tallahassee, clocking 24:41 over 6 Km of turf.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Once the gun sounded and the field worked its way up to the top of Castleberry Hill, the top three had sorted themselves. Bayly, Hopkins and Gudmundsdottir were well separated, with Chiti and Fallon locked in combat behind those three. At the bottom of the downhill on Trinity, it was Bayly with over 150 meters on Hopkins, who was, in turn, more than fifty meters ahead of Gudmundsdottir. Eighty meters back it was Fallon with Chiti on her heels. No one had made any mistakes; they were all strong, determined runners. The gaps grew a little bit over the last 2 Km of up and down. Bayly had her repeat win in 19:02. Hopkins was 1:08 behind in second with Gudmundsdottir claiming the final podium spot in 20:44. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VbHnpr7IlehJvwge_390u_4cb5jTJQvzhA9frFqdP4uPUtDcrnRlf0ZLonLsg9hYVpilJOiCrYUOOncAgRQXFQTQa44y4elnVFXwfqvPu8uxi8o5p2hu7m1PPW5MSWiDejvimC9cXeMOEUbTWurGB8238n1nC9eSbIZ0Fr4LRizGISqu0IELsVuugdIx/s2048/Rachel%20Hopkins%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VbHnpr7IlehJvwge_390u_4cb5jTJQvzhA9frFqdP4uPUtDcrnRlf0ZLonLsg9hYVpilJOiCrYUOOncAgRQXFQTQa44y4elnVFXwfqvPu8uxi8o5p2hu7m1PPW5MSWiDejvimC9cXeMOEUbTWurGB8238n1nC9eSbIZ0Fr4LRizGISqu0IELsVuugdIx/w400-h266/Rachel%20Hopkins%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rachel Hopkins</b> striding to the finish and a Silver 55-59 Medal -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Chiti stayed right on Fallon until late in the race but could not make the catch. Fallon was fourth in 21:17, with Chiti fifth, six seconds later.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fiona Bayly</i> 19:02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rachel Hopkins</i> 20:10 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hronn Gudmundsdottir</i> 20:44</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Mary Cass</b> was atop this division in 2022 and the first half of 2023. Then <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> turned 60. They have met three times since then. Except when <b>Kris Clark</b> got between them in the Masters 12 Km at Highlands, they have gone 1-2. Each time it has been La Burt ahead of Cass. At Boca Raton the matter was in doubt until late in the race. La Burt finished four seconds ahead of Cass. The margins were bigger in the others but not huge. Cass finished 2nd to Clark last year in 20:17. One thing for sure, Cass and La Burt would have a battle. Cass's teammate, <b>Amanda King</b>, ran a 22:25 5k on Super Sunday in 2023 and finished fifth in the division at Tallahassee in 27:58. That was well behind La Burt and Cass but was 14 seconds faster than <b>Kris</b> <b>Huff</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span>, King's main rival for the final podium spot. Huff finished third in the 55-59 division last year in 21:28. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">La Burt left nothing to chance. She pushed up Castleberry Hill and Cass, despite her best efforts, could not match her pace. By the 3 Km mark, La Burt had over a hundred meters on Cass. Cass was running well though. Her teammate, King, was 70 meters back in third, with Huff over a hundred meters behind her in fourth. Those gaps did not shrink. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSTGnACc38CIURhzwNOJ7HpmjZuHUDqUefEJQfJKbQST_IBah2NjSW-5FZam7UTZcBORnz_COVek52M3MDcZ4e3BxneY5p_v1OrXkAJ-erUpPJk2TR2CL-EDrLUfTl03wsCtwxKsVsJfVzh432z-s7Gw8LfYeT2-70TjP-NVIVt_GQ2JOSaJ4vlxwlNXZ/s2048/Suzanne%20la%20Burt%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSTGnACc38CIURhzwNOJ7HpmjZuHUDqUefEJQfJKbQST_IBah2NjSW-5FZam7UTZcBORnz_COVek52M3MDcZ4e3BxneY5p_v1OrXkAJ-erUpPJk2TR2CL-EDrLUfTl03wsCtwxKsVsJfVzh432z-s7Gw8LfYeT2-70TjP-NVIVt_GQ2JOSaJ4vlxwlNXZ/w266-h400/Suzanne%20la%20Burt%20finishing-McPhers&Lara.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt</b> on Her Way to 60-64 Victory -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">La Burt enjoyed the win in 19:53, with Cass in second 48 seconds slower. King got the bronze medal in 21:20 and Huff had the fourth-place finish at 22:07. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt</i> 19:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> 20:41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Amanda King</i> 21:20</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span>In 2022, <b>Stella Gibbs</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Impala Racing </span>finished 4th here in the 60-64 division in 21:06. A couple of months later she won at Dedham, clocking 42:24. A year later, Gibbs finished 3rd in 60-64 at the Masters ten Mile Championships with a 1:15:16. She ran 21:38 and 21:12 at the Stow Lake and Morgan Hill 5K's last summer. That appears to be faster than the defending champion, <b>Patrice Combs</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>who won here last year in 22:32. However a 44:14 outing at Peachtree suggests breaking 22 minutes in a 5K was within her reach in the summer. <b>Lesley Hinz</b> trains primarily for the shorter distances on the track but she can run a fast 5K if necessary. She ran 24:29 here last year and has run two 5K's this January in 24:23 and 24:21. <b>Kitty Musante</b> finished 2nd in this division last year at 23:28. She had a couple of slower times later in the year but turned the corner and posted a 23:13 in mid-January. She followed that with a 22:35 and, on February 11th, presumably on a course that was flat and fast, a 21:18! <b>Cindy Williams</b> is an anchor for Atlanta's 60+ team. She finished 4th at Tallahassee last December in this division, behind Combs and Hinz, but ahead of Musante. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKIkbSbkNfnIyXnUEybqFbQB2K7j6dzJAvHAta0YXnjYFqtQy_5FuJaoPa8_s4CQln7azVBGt3QCJ7SOBjr8eawhlFKJEAIYoDMFD1EHWBY0OVZMg1jWDiowjZb_MZOWQxlyVRErxc1DXZbH6CLxAbNg1IXGkEEfvnlfWzkQbi_0ZAhCOF8-VTi60L9mt/s960/Hinz-Williams%20et%20al%20start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKIkbSbkNfnIyXnUEybqFbQB2K7j6dzJAvHAta0YXnjYFqtQy_5FuJaoPa8_s4CQln7azVBGt3QCJ7SOBjr8eawhlFKJEAIYoDMFD1EHWBY0OVZMg1jWDiowjZb_MZOWQxlyVRErxc1DXZbH6CLxAbNg1IXGkEEfvnlfWzkQbi_0ZAhCOF8-VTi60L9mt/w480-h640/Hinz-Williams%20et%20al%20start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Lesley Hinz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">red singlet with gloves</span>, <b>Kari Chandler</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">blue t-shirt</span>, and <b>Cindy Williams </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">red singlet with gloves </span>set off from the Starting Line -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When the horn sounded, Gibbs set off and found herself among the 60-64 runners she had often competed with. She hit the 3 K split in 12:59. Combs was 50 meters back in second but had a gap of over a hundred meters on the rest of the field. Musante had pulled away from Hinz, hitting that 3K mark in 14 minutes flat; Williams was a little closer to Hinz than Hinz was to Musante. But it would be tough to move up. Gibbs took the win in 21:14. Combs ran faster than last year, claiming second in 22:01 with a minute to spare. Hinz pushed hard and did take three seconds out of Musante's lead. It was a good effort but did not change the finishing order. Musante had third in 23:04; Hinz was 11 seconds back in 4th. Williams had the 5th spot at 23:48.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Stella Gibbs</i> 21:14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs</i> 22:01 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kitty Musante</i> 23:04</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Kari Chandler </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/ MI </span>has been running times that no one else in this field could touch. She ran a 22:43 5K at a turkey trot in Lansing Michigan last November and earlier clocked 38:04 in the Autumn Classic 8K. After hip replacement surgery it took <b>Cynthia Lucking</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>a bit to regain her fitness. But since Tallahassee last December, Lucking has been leading the way for the Atlanta 70's team. She finished 2nd in the division at Clubs in 35:31 and won the division at Richmond Cross Nationals in 34:50. This would be Lucking's first road national championship in her comeback from the hip replacement. <b>Norma Hudnall</b>, also primarily a track athlete, is happy to help her team out with Cross Country and road races as needed. She finished third in the division last year in 27:40. and was third at Tallahassee, sixteen seconds behind Lucking. <b>Francoise Levinson</b> ran a 55:47 10K last May and a 26:38 5K at a Gobbler jog last November</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Mary Lewis</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> finished fourth in this division last year in 28:31. Chandler, as expected, shot to the front of the field, running primarily among younger athletes. She hit the 3K mat at 13:58, almost 300 meters ahead of the 70-74 field. Lucking was able to control the race otherwise, crossing the 3K mat at 16:17, with a 50-meter lead over the newcomer to the championships, Levinson. Lewis was 25 meters back from Levinson with Hudnall on her heels. Chandler took the win in 23:03. That was an impressive margin of victory! Lucking enjoyed her return to a road national championship; she claimed the silver medal in 26:51 with over a half minute to spare.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvX7bwXrjrGvJvDZKtRPPfis03ZJS3o91EKVfNGOjm-mv2Gt3QLFss2SExFmlXYI3PngJfwLTDZSyRtNIeXQzN7A33dBMh7_vByJ4e_xDB0RRHteJBQp68aYHzOPhiKLoXk1f9mEEyD0JDsHMBuma6UlaR8VKoVQqx0ibAUqE4ZEQMj7NpwUC2HSZU-gf/s960/Hudnall-Lucking%20et%20al%20start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvX7bwXrjrGvJvDZKtRPPfis03ZJS3o91EKVfNGOjm-mv2Gt3QLFss2SExFmlXYI3PngJfwLTDZSyRtNIeXQzN7A33dBMh7_vByJ4e_xDB0RRHteJBQp68aYHzOPhiKLoXk1f9mEEyD0JDsHMBuma6UlaR8VKoVQqx0ibAUqE4ZEQMj7NpwUC2HSZU-gf/w480-h640/Hudnall-Lucking%20et%20al%20start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall</b> takes the Early Lead in 70-74, ahead of <b>Cindy Lucking </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">knee socks</span> as they Head Away from the Starting Line -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> Levinson ran into no trouble over the final 2 Km, taking the final podium spot with a 27:27. Hudnall was able to use her track speed to pass and pull away from Lewis, taking 4th in 27:46, with Lewis fifth in 27:55.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Kari Chandler </i>23:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cindy Lucking</i> 26:51 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Francoise Levinson</i> 27:27</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Terry Foody</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/KY</span>, <b>Andrea McCarter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span>, and <b>Barbara Sauer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Buffalo TC/NY </span>were sure bets to make the podium; they were the three entrants who showed up, and therefore finished ahead of everyone who did not. What would the final order of finish be? Foody finished 4th in the division at Tallahassee. She has run three 5K's in the last year that are between 36:05 and 36:13. McCarter finished second here last year in 37:09. She ran a 36:08 Resolution Run this January. Given the hilliness of the Atlanta course it seems reasonable to expect Foody and McCarter to be competitive with one another. Sauer, the newcomer to the division, Sauer is much faster. At this event last year, Sauer finished 5th in 70-74 in 29:08. Had she been a month of two older, her 29:08 would have netted her a runaway win in the 75-79 division. Sauer did not explode from the start for a huge lead, but steadily built it. By the time she crossed the 3K mat at 19:28, she had a lead of more than 75 meters on McCarter. Foody ran steadily but found herself over a hundred meters behind McCarter at that point. Sauer enjoyed the win with over 2 minutes to spare. She is the Women's 75-79 National 5 Km Champion. McCarter posted a 34:38 time to claim the silver </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">medal, with Foody in third at 35:09.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Barbara Sauer</i> 32:05 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 34:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Terry Foody</i> 35:09</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span>Teammates <b>Myrna Barnett </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>and <b>Catherine Radle </b>enjoyed a friendly competition. Last year Barnett took her second straight 75-79 win. Barnett finished first in 36:46 with Radle third in 38:35. The year before Barnett and Radle went 1-2 separated by just over a minute. Based on that history one would think a finishing order of Barnett-Radle was close to a sure thing. But this time Radle was able to stay right on Barnett's heels. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0a5WgbPT3mlo1tkllSRVM6EW8OQ2mPamas99p5yEICSE7dV_OvflRmZsEKQENm5DkIyNhpAIS31LDs4m-HSATIUjDeaLLUbqI0zh0WD9ly72fUDapGAmDaXLxTtS-j8HiPllf5ENlNUmV0h_LEXSs1Sz7GOkuPKvy0fM-HYMR63FtltE_C1EjWsJPFHiu/s960/Radle%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0a5WgbPT3mlo1tkllSRVM6EW8OQ2mPamas99p5yEICSE7dV_OvflRmZsEKQENm5DkIyNhpAIS31LDs4m-HSATIUjDeaLLUbqI0zh0WD9ly72fUDapGAmDaXLxTtS-j8HiPllf5ENlNUmV0h_LEXSs1Sz7GOkuPKvy0fM-HYMR63FtltE_C1EjWsJPFHiu/w480-h640/Radle%20et%20al.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Catherine Radle</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right-knit hat with pom-pom</span> sets off from the Starting Line on her way to a win in the 80-84 Division -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">At the 3K mat, Barnett had a slim 2second lead. Whether Radle pulled away on the Mitchell Street uphill segment of stayed patiently in second until they reached the turn onto Northside Dr. and pulled away over the final 300 meters. Either way, Radle turned the tables and enjoyed a narrow win. She crossed the finish line in 36:06 with a winning margin of just twenty meters! Barnett was probably happy for her teammate to enjoy the thrill of victory as she had the last two years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Catherine Radle</i> 36:06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Myrna Barnett</i> 36:15</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b>, the 2023 Masters National Grand Prix 85-89 Champion, was at it again. The only entrant this year, her task was to tame the new course and finish. That was no problem for Hodges-Hite! She covered the first 3K in 30:28, and less than twenty minutes later, crossed the finish line to add another national championship to her collection! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyPZ2S6GkN3sFUQc8fWElorkAcGiY07wVDMg0-X-68DMHJEhANWYwuXo3BfCMt6ElzD3xlfaF4mopEdEmGMFYnQYWb5FJZOzop612kQjA1bvZpwlhD3Wy9x43YZRovVJc6JV9iNScQRXShixB_w_eiBVNsC5H6jHmlnL78GDpVh2HrmG6g2SqmjM5ZbWG/s2048/Hodges-Hite&Radle-post%20race-McPhers-Lara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyPZ2S6GkN3sFUQc8fWElorkAcGiY07wVDMg0-X-68DMHJEhANWYwuXo3BfCMt6ElzD3xlfaF4mopEdEmGMFYnQYWb5FJZOzop612kQjA1bvZpwlhD3Wy9x43YZRovVJc6JV9iNScQRXShixB_w_eiBVNsC5H6jHmlnL78GDpVh2HrmG6g2SqmjM5ZbWG/w266-h400/Hodges-Hite&Radle-post%20race-McPhers-Lara.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left</span> and <b>Catherine Radle</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right </span>, Gold Medalists in the 85-89 and the 80-84 Divisions respectively, Relax after the Race -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She also gained another hundred points towards the 2024 Grand Prix championship.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 50:08</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">AGE GRADING</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Age Grading assigns a Performance Level </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Percentage <span style="font-size: x-small;">PPL</span> to each athlete based upon how close their time in a race is to the fastest possible time for a runner of their age and sex. Those 'fastest possible times' are statistical constructs from <i>global</i> race data. For example, if a Masters athlete runs 20:00 for a 5K and the fastest possible time for that runner's age and sex is 18:00, their PLP would be, subject to rounding errors within a computer, to (18/20)*100 or a 90.00% PLP. If a younger runner of the same sex clocked 20:00, their time would, presumably, be compared to a faster World's Best, such as 17:00. That younger athlete who ran the same time would, if these hypothetical numbers were correct, be assigned a PLP of (17/20)*100 or 85%. If an athlete matches the 'World Best' their PLP would be about 100. A runner could break an American Record, however, and score less than 100, if the American Record is not as fast as the World's Best. Higher scores are better. A rough nomenclature has emerg0ed over the years. The term <i>World Class</i> is applied to PLP's 90% and above; <i>National Class</i> requires 80% PLP or above. Gun times are used for Overall, Age Division and Team results. Age Grade PLP's are based on net time to even the playing field across age divisions. Older athletes typically cede the front rows to the younger athletes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">WOMEN <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">60 </span>who has often been on the Age Grading podium outdid herself this time and is atop the podium. Her 19:52 earned a 93.12% PLP. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Stella Gibbs </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">65</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> who finished fifth in age grading in 2022, moved up three places to claim second place. Her 21:12 earned a 92.92%. Gibbs was just 0.02% ahead of </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Kari Chandler </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">71</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. Chandler's 23:00 performance scored a 92.90% PLP. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1AEhnaz63533IOBYU6P36FffepiR3v5uS0t9pintGAUZV5bdbJsD1LRV1ma9oqXiTkcW2cdhp0I-ACacGm8crqQeI55UeOFE9RhLjsVqZqISPjhFW8xTldb-ilVKswSsDznysY_p96hUe7hgZKPT_f1J2qD6SULLJFFh66IoMlRYKufamoPCp3ZLtvrT/s960/Kari%20Chandler%20wins%2070-74.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1AEhnaz63533IOBYU6P36FffepiR3v5uS0t9pintGAUZV5bdbJsD1LRV1ma9oqXiTkcW2cdhp0I-ACacGm8crqQeI55UeOFE9RhLjsVqZqISPjhFW8xTldb-ilVKswSsDznysY_p96hUe7hgZKPT_f1J2qD6SULLJFFh66IoMlRYKufamoPCp3ZLtvrT/w300-h400/Kari%20Chandler%20wins%2070-74.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kari Chandler </b>finishes first in the 70-74 Division and wins the bronze medal in Age Grading, symbolic of the Tope Performances Across All Age Divisions -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Just off the podium was </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Fiona Bayly </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">56</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, in fourth; she earned a 92.73 PLP from her 19:01. Bayly had been fifth in age grading the last two years, showing an admirable consistency. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Mary Cass</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">62 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">moved up from 6th in 2023 to 5th this year. Her 20:40 performance gave her a 91.69%. The top five all had World Class performances.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">60 19:52</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>93.12% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Stella Gibbs</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">65 21:12 </span>92.92% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kari Chandler</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">71 23:00 </span>92.90%</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">MEN <b>John Glidewell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">67 </span>was atop the Age Grading podium last year and is this year as well. His 17:52 earned a 94.59% PLP. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnzNLPPO2ES7MJxLnippWiFQN2lgDHzKgMvc8ZXsIjTDlsLvpupfko5MjQ9yNMuE5ZBS1LNeaoDgv-Fs4L6hfeNzXSpOZwzQ5LtaP_XkSVCuIJZgoxJcCJAQOKk1mXBQc6Q4_IL9crCzAr6-cYIm6IB6NdQX4kbTWoMSxBlxjPtEJNtVFQi32IY9vGr2-/s960/Glidewell%20et%20al%20start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnzNLPPO2ES7MJxLnippWiFQN2lgDHzKgMvc8ZXsIjTDlsLvpupfko5MjQ9yNMuE5ZBS1LNeaoDgv-Fs4L6hfeNzXSpOZwzQ5LtaP_XkSVCuIJZgoxJcCJAQOKk1mXBQc6Q4_IL9crCzAr6-cYIm6IB6NdQX4kbTWoMSxBlxjPtEJNtVFQi32IY9vGr2-/w480-h640/Glidewell%20et%20al%20start.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John Glidewell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">foreground blue cap</span> captured the Age Grading Gold Medal for the top Age Grade PLP, symbolic of the Best Performance across all Masters Age Divisions -- 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Pam Fales</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">John Fernandez</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">54 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">not only won the 50-54 division in his first appearance, he claimed the silver medal in age grading; his 16:30 merited a 93.01%. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Roger Sayre</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">66 </span>is rarely far off the age grading podium. He finished fifth last year. Sayre moved up two places to earn the bronze age grading medal; his 18:23 scored a 90.94 PLP. <b>Mark Andrews</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">53</span> moved up from sixth last year to fourth this year; his 16:28 gave him a 90.89. He was just 0.05% off the podium! <b>Robert Qualls</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">71 </span>is a year older and lowered his time by over half a minute, a huge improvement! He jumped from 12th to 5th! His 19:28 scored a 90.51%. As with the Women, all five produced World Class performances.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">TEAM </span>In Masters LDR Road Race championships,<span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>t</span><span>eam scores are the sum of the times of the first three runners to finish from that team. Low score wins. Teams may declare up to five runners. The 4th and 5th runners across the finish line provide insurance against one of the top three running into trouble, either in getting to the starting line or in finishing once the race has started. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The home team </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Atlanta Track Club</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> cleaned
up! They held serve against strong teams from other regions of the country. ATC entered multiple teams in every Men's division except 70+; they entered teams in the Women's Divisions, 70+ and 80+.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ATC’s
women won the 40+, 70+ and 80+ divisions, and earned a bronze medal in 60+. San
Francisco’s </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Impala Racing</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> claimed the 50+ win for Women, with </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Liberty
AC</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, out of Greater Boston, taking top honors in 60+, and 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in
50+. New Jersey’s </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shore Athletic Club </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">won the silver medals in 60+ and
the bronze in 50+. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Greater Philadelphia</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> took bronze in 50+.</span></p><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ATC was even more dominant on the men’s side, with
wins in every division from 40+ to 80+ except 70+ where they took second. Colorado’s
</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Boulder Road Runners </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">enjoyed a handsome victory in 70+ with </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Atlanta </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">edging
the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ann Arbor TC</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> for 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> place, by just 7 seconds per runner. The </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Athens Road Runners</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> claimed the bronze in 40+, with </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chattanooga TC</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> enjoying
bronze in 50+.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span> <span style="font-size: medium;">40+</span> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A </i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">50:26 total/average = 16:49 </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">P Griffith, C Hales, N Deeter (D Heslep)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC B </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">54:47/18:16 D Seo, J Mickle, K Gibson (J Eison, M Castleberry) </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Athens Road Runners B </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">56:05/18:42 T Kolet, M Ross, J Coffee</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <i>Greater Philadelphia </i>5. <i>Shore AC </i>6. <i>Atlanta TC D</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>**Note: The DQ that affected runners in the overall and 40-44 race also meant that the Athens Road Runners A team did not have a complete scoring team.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50+</span> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">52:03/17:21 S Bell, C Harris, F Dolan (T Carroll)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC B</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">54:29/18:10 M Mario, F Weir, B Sydow (B Slavens, C Cadiou)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Chattanooga TC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">55:18/18:27 D Thompson, R Shrum, T Ensign</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <i>Athens Road Runners </i>5. <i>Genesee Valley Harriers </i>6. <i>Shore AC</i> 7. <i>Atlanta TC C </i>8.<i> Atlanta TC</i> <i>D</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">60+ </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">55:07/18:23 J Glidewell, L Dragstedt, K Youngers (C Hannan, G Oshust)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC B </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:03:27/21:09 D Black, J Bitsko, M Anderson (N Feather)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC C</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:23:38/27:53 R Stroud, R Carter, S Benedict</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">70+ </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder Road Runners</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:07:20/22:27 D Bell, B Kirschner, R Katz (J Frisby)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:10:07/23:23 K Larson, J Learned, W Irvin (A Joyce, P Taylor)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ann Arbor TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:10:29/23:30 D Kurtis, A Pratt, P Carlin</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">80+ </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:32:04/30:42 E Bligh, D Turner, A Must (A Sherwood)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC B</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:13:41/44:34 J Dubow, A Craven, S Davis</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;">40+ </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">59:08/19:43 J Braley, A Koepp, B Presten (H Guarneri)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Athens Road Runners</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">59:42/19:54 R Kilpatrick, E Noble, S Baldwin (A Cass)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Greater Philadelphia TC </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:02:06/20:42 S Girotto, A Dean, A Broadbent (L Siegel)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <i>Impala Racing </i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;">50+ </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Impala Racing </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:02:04/20:42 S Forde, H Gudmundsdottir, S Gibbs</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Liberty AC</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1:05:57/21:59 M Fallon, J Craig, J Shakar (A Cossi)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:07:43/22:35 A Puma, M Massell, K Musante</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;">60+ </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Liberty AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:04:39/21:33 M Cass, A King, V Bok (M McNulty)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:06:10/22:04 S La Burt, D Capko, D Grocki</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:06:48/22:16 P Combs, K Huff, M Silva (L Hinz, B Chandler)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <i>Atlanta TC B</i> 5. <i>Athens RR </i>6. <i>Greater Buffalo TC</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">70+ </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC A </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:27:40/29:14 C Lucking, T Ozell, K Allen (A McCarter)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC B</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:27:55/29:19 F Levinson, N Hudnall, M Finley (M Reed)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>New Age Division Course Records- Atlanta Track Club 5 Km course, February 2024 forward </u></b>(net times):</p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">WOMEN: 40-44 <b>April Lund</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">16:58 </span>45-49 <b>Jill Braley</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">17:57 </span>50-54 <b>Rebekah Kennedy</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">19:57 </span>55-59 <b>Fiona Bayly </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">19:01 </span>60-64 <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">19:52 </span>65-69 <b>Stella Gibbs</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">21:12 </span>70-74 <b>Kari Chandler</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">23:00 </span>75-79<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><b>Barbara Sauer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">32:00 </span>80-84 <b>Catherine Radle</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">36:02 </span>85-89 <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">50:01</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">MEN: 40-44 <b>Perry Griffith</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">16:10 </span>45-49 <b>David Angell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">16:02 </span>50-54 <b>John Fernandez</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">16:13 </span>55-59 <b>Matthew Marion </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">17:52 </span>60-64 <b>Lester Dragstedt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">18:16 </span>65-69 <b>John Glidewell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">17:52 </span>70-74 <b>Robert Qualls </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">19:28 </span>75-79 <b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">21:10 </span>80-84 <b>Harold Rosen </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">26:47</span> 85-89 <b>Bill Blask</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">39:42</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Three Cheers for the Athletes and Teams that made the trip to compete for the National 5 Km Championships. And congratulations to the Atlanta Track Club for Hosting another fantastic competition!<div><br /></div><div>That concludes this recap of the third event and first road race of the 2024 Masters National Grand Prix season. Next up is the 2024 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships, hosted by the James Joyce Ramble, in Dedham MA on April 28th. For details please visit: <a href="https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-usatf-masters-10-km-championships">2024 USATF Masters 10 km Championships | USA Track & Field</a><br /><br /></div>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-19491592801681265562024-02-21T16:02:00.002-05:002024-02-22T22:07:33.106-05:00Hurrying To Atlanta-Preview of the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships<p> <b>February 21, 2024 </b>The USATF Masters 5 Km Championships return to Atlanta for the third consecutive year; it is their 5th time hosting since 2018. The Championships see some very fast times; that is due to the competition more than the course. Atlanta, as folks learned from the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials, is a hilly city. The Atlanta Track Club referred to their 5 Km Championship course as being 'Atlanta Flat' meaning 'not flat.' But they did put all of the uphill in the second half of the course. They are introducing a new course this year, due to local changes beyond their control. It will start and finish next to teh Home Depot Backyard near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They hope the new course will be at least as fast, and maybe faster, than the old course. We shall see, the proof is in the running.</p><p>Here is a rough description of the new course, based solely on the elevation profile. Unlike the old course, this one hits the runner with a hill right off the bat. There is about a 60' rolling uphill climb in the first mile, followed by a few smaller downs and ups in the second mile, with a long downhill to get you past Mile 2 to around 2.3. At that point, the course is slightly lower than at the start. You did not think you could get by with just one long uphill, did you? From this point you have another good climb of 50' or more and then a rollicking good, half mile rolling downhill to the finish. Some folks are going to be flying! There should be some f-a-s-t [!!!] finishes! </p><p>An Atlanta athlete gave me a description of the course after he did a practice run on it. Here is his take--you will have to confirm or not when you get onsite. <span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The course has an uphill start, one significant hill for about 3 blocks just past the </span><span style="color: #222222;">2-mile</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> mark, but otherwise mostly - to use your phrase - “Atlanta flat” - with a nice downhill finish past the impressive new stadium ... Much of the route traverses the funky arts district of Castleberry Hill. That part of town is just beginning its gentrification process, so there are a few rough spots in the pavement - offset by some creative artwork on the walls, Watch out for the giant alligator on your right at the top of the third mile hill."</span></span></p><p>The course map, with elevation cross section is posted at: <a href="https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-usatf-masters-5-km-championships" target="_blank">Atlanta 5K Course Map</a> </p><p>[Scroll down for the map when you are redirected to that page]</p><p>The weather forecast is for sunny skies, 40F temperatures at 7:30 am, with WNW winds at 5-6 mph, gusting to 15. That is better than a few days ago when the forecast was for 36F!</p><p>The Atlanta Track Club, to no one's surprise, has retained many of the features that athletes love. The staging area is in the Home Depot Backyard, next to Mercedes Benz Stadium. It will have the same big USATF Masters Tent that is the hub of activity. Eric Heintz of the Atlanta Track Club will be the M.C. on the microphone, keeping everyone on track during the run up to the race on Saturday morning.</p><p>New this year are separate starts for Women and Men. The Women start at 7:30 am, with the Men going off at 7:40am. The Mass participation race starts at 7:45 am. That will make for less crowding at the start and the lead women will have a separate finish to themselves before the lead men finish.</p><p>Everyone knows that the Atlanta Track Club <span style="font-size: x-small;">ATC </span>turns out in force to defend the home roads! Last year they had over 90 of the 300 or so runners who ran. This year, when entries were at 211 and climbing, ATC was already at 80! That encourages the fastest runners from around the country to visit Atlanta and stake their claim to being the fastest 5K Masters runners in the land!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyiD8N0HYwFCiDX7OsN9n-3aWcMnk4pBplRvbGDwmSL-B8xL3MOPUCkwqDptmFgp9pbgPgQOfvgSfjwbq-bvhuXl35NbFPR-arxA7e7ZRTcZL5HPenDxmmkktbGGOOX5_LTLUouwS5_6bwAtoFffarrCAzIHcbIQW3jsp7_WS1ZmHVvrnlNRQQrRVHLIf/s3020/Masters%20Corral-close%20to%20start-CropFor'24PreviewBlog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2003" data-original-width="3020" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyiD8N0HYwFCiDX7OsN9n-3aWcMnk4pBplRvbGDwmSL-B8xL3MOPUCkwqDptmFgp9pbgPgQOfvgSfjwbq-bvhuXl35NbFPR-arxA7e7ZRTcZL5HPenDxmmkktbGGOOX5_LTLUouwS5_6bwAtoFffarrCAzIHcbIQW3jsp7_WS1ZmHVvrnlNRQQrRVHLIf/w640-h424/Masters%20Corral-close%20to%20start-CropFor'24PreviewBlog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the Start of the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Joaquin Lara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>How do the races look at this point?</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">OVERALL CONTENDERS</span></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Based on entries through Wednesday, February 21, 12 Noon.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span> With a few days to go before online entry closes, we already have a very fast field. <b>Hidi Gaff</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Three Rivers Racing/Indiana</span><b>, Jami Hollandsworth</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Unattached/Michigan</span>,<b> April Lund</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> GYS Track Club/North Dakota</span>,<b> </b>and <b>Jennifer Pesce</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State Track Club/New Jersey</span>, and <b>Stephanie Pezzullo</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Florida </span>are in the 40-44 division, with<b> Jill Braley</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>and <b>Dawn Grunnagle</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/Texas </span>in the 45-49 division. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrKfn4lPaKpJrBijZ8pEjfav-8TmfWWVufBv3kjhSvVZCS_wMs17BAlzejmqu7ZTsAwHppwGCDMO9MrhVwFR_4wHyD_rH0lkLshk5fueygxCasKc_oi0fBx-AyjWnzNFTKz_5zBCGPLtZfMZfXNtm5PKGucDLvPRssQ1WC0DaDrDr31-jLP_ZKrE9u6AQ/s4013/Masters%20Corral-prestart-Crop%20Women%20and%20men.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2676" data-original-width="4013" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrKfn4lPaKpJrBijZ8pEjfav-8TmfWWVufBv3kjhSvVZCS_wMs17BAlzejmqu7ZTsAwHppwGCDMO9MrhVwFR_4wHyD_rH0lkLshk5fueygxCasKc_oi0fBx-AyjWnzNFTKz_5zBCGPLtZfMZfXNtm5PKGucDLvPRssQ1WC0DaDrDr31-jLP_ZKrE9u6AQ/w640-h426/Masters%20Corral-prestart-Crop%20Women%20and%20men.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the Start of the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta GA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Joaquin Lara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Pesce</u> is the defending Overall champion. She ran away from a fast field to take the win in 17:49 last year, with ten seconds to spare. Since then, she has cemented her status as one of the fastest Masters women on the roads. It was closer at the Masters 12 Km Championships, but Pesce showed she has endurance as well as speed, winning by 8 seconds in 44:31. She also posted a 28:59 at the Ashenfelter 8K and a 36:52 at the Cooper Norcross Bridge 10K in 2023.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmVp8f5idP4gwfQC6b4ZPWEpC29RJkqQbcr1dP9ptFKg-i8fETsZvRVvBkhT99ATjiY34OgTzCMdZCLSXyQHl93dq2N1XCNUGpJoBJ6LD9LBCHCAamG3DMym3ICYn_fNBHdtoG0w5W3WNSYE-A8SgAXmAnc_vjnZMYlBBiqy8ppH5CiZeteM1K7BbsNk5/s628/Pesce%20wins%20Women's%20Race%20Overall-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="628" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmVp8f5idP4gwfQC6b4ZPWEpC29RJkqQbcr1dP9ptFKg-i8fETsZvRVvBkhT99ATjiY34OgTzCMdZCLSXyQHl93dq2N1XCNUGpJoBJ6LD9LBCHCAamG3DMym3ICYn_fNBHdtoG0w5W3WNSYE-A8SgAXmAnc_vjnZMYlBBiqy8ppH5CiZeteM1K7BbsNk5/w400-h374/Pesce%20wins%20Women's%20Race%20Overall-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Pesce </b>Takes Top Honors Among Women at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Joaquin Lara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Gaff</u> finished 5th Overall last year in 18:41. Three months later she posted a 37:18 10K at the Carmel Marathon in Indiana. In June, Gaff clocked 17:59 at the Brian Diemer 5K. If she can run closer to that in Atlanta this year, she will give Pesce something to think about.</p><p><u>Hollandsworth</u> did not compete in Atlanta last year. But she turned in some fast times in the Traverse Bay area of Michigan. Her fastest was a 17:50 at the Elk River Harborun 5K in August. But she also posted an 18:06 at the Meijer Festival of Races in Traverse City and a 37:39 10K at the Bayshore Marathon in May.</p><p><u>April Lund</u> has, perhaps, enjoyed more success on the turf than on the roads. She won the Overall Masters race at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships, earning the right to represent Team USA at the first WMA Cross Country Championships over the same course and on the same weekend as the WA Championships in Bathurst Australia. At that event, she paired with Ben Bruce to win a silver medal in the Relay and earned a 40-44 gold medal in the Individual race. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdi1Ev4SyL8FnswplbHLLfSQw6hXCR98P2iH_aY53f7t9iS1_IAT8zcMH8pQ4HTCCBhiZ67mtqD0aT5voFq5pc5_GM2bwEWO6ObD13SUOwGxHVl6ckfYTmAjqFQMvLNvNB-_8yqOBE2rTLYrIOU-38Zvskd4hl3DA_yCAbwBzhPKJDkM_mnh4rQ0lqIlwn/s1351/Lund%20Heads%20Downhill%20with%20Aussie%20chasing%20her%20at%20WMAXC2023-MScott.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1351" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdi1Ev4SyL8FnswplbHLLfSQw6hXCR98P2iH_aY53f7t9iS1_IAT8zcMH8pQ4HTCCBhiZ67mtqD0aT5voFq5pc5_GM2bwEWO6ObD13SUOwGxHVl6ckfYTmAjqFQMvLNvNB-_8yqOBE2rTLYrIOU-38Zvskd4hl3DA_yCAbwBzhPKJDkM_mnh4rQ0lqIlwn/w640-h428/Lund%20Heads%20Downhill%20with%20Aussie%20chasing%20her%20at%20WMAXC2023-MScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>April Lund</b> headed for the Team Silver Medal in the Mixed Relay at the 2023 World Masters Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Lund also earned gold medals in Cross Country at the 2022 WMA Outdoor Championships in Tampere Finland in the 35-39 division and at the 2023 WMA Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland in the 40-44 division. Lund is no slouch on the roads. She also claimed a 40-44 Half Marathon gold medal in Poland with a 1:17:44. This past October Lund turned in a nifty 2:43:35 at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.</p><p><u>Pezzulo</u>, a newly minted masters athlete was a nationally ranked 300M Steeplechaser in 2010 and 2011. She made the final at the Outdoor Championships in Eugene in 2011, finishing 13th in 10:09.43. Her PR was when she finished 8th in 9:56.82 at the 2011 USATF High Performance Meet in Los Angeles. In the last year, Pezzullo has been tearing up the roads in Florida and North Carolina. In Charlotte NC last November she won the Turkey Trot 8K in 28:07 and, on the same day, the 5K in 17:48, not a bad double! Pezzullo also clocked a 34:48 and a 34:06 10K last year, not to mention a 54:38 15K at the Novant Health Lake Norman 15K, age grade equivalent to a 35:43 10K.</p><p><u>Braley</u> finished 3rd last year, 20 seconds behind Pesce. The year before she ran ten seconds slower but finished second overall. If she can again improve her time by ten seconds, Braley should be on the podium again! Braley most recently competed at the Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, finishing 11th overall in 22:49 over 6 Km.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHh5hIX6bM8yF4Y9oTeElA6E_6613w8Sv8PaKFHYek5rA0ZmCbXSBO5vKXMcVMrowZJc62keo-MIwPXHuHbvcgBtk7_y8QCRVvDAeA9fyPglL7WwptfnU-06mE9cMLd2ftYvqKdJIvKzPqav9r73xodAoyzCBF0Mt76N4VKfK0068FFs2v5xLu3QgFmGS/s705/Braley_Camy%20at%203%20Km-Tally'23-Crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="699" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHh5hIX6bM8yF4Y9oTeElA6E_6613w8Sv8PaKFHYek5rA0ZmCbXSBO5vKXMcVMrowZJc62keo-MIwPXHuHbvcgBtk7_y8QCRVvDAeA9fyPglL7WwptfnU-06mE9cMLd2ftYvqKdJIvKzPqav9r73xodAoyzCBF0Mt76N4VKfK0068FFs2v5xLu3QgFmGS/w634-h640/Braley_Camy%20at%203%20Km-Tally'23-Crop.jpg" width="634" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jill Braley </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#502 </span>in a highly competitive race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Grunnagle</u> has not competed recently in USATF Masters LDR events. In 2019, as a newly minted Masters athlete, Grunnagle's 34:24 won the 40-44 gold medal in the 10K at the WMA Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland. Four years later, Grunnagle may not have the speed to run under 35 minutes for a 10K. But Grunnagle is still plenty speedy, as shown by two recent races in the Dallas area. She posted a 37:22 10K at the Toyota Music Factory 10K and backed that up in late January this year with a 37:32 win at the Too Cold to Hold 10K. The latter is age grade equivalent to an 18:22 5K.</p><p>Although Pezzullo is a newcomer to the Masters Championships, she appears to have the speed and endurance to carry the day. But Pesce will not give away the title. She is a strong runner and, you never know, the hills may be an equalizer. Grunnagle and Lund have strong international experience, and both are competitors. It should be a heck of a race at the front of the Women's field. If I had to pick a finishing order today, before all entrants are known, I would probably go with Pezzullo-Pesce-Lund, but Grunnagle and others could well upset that prediction!</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>April Lund Jennifer Pesce Stephanie Pezzullo</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span> Top speedsters entered at this time include <b>Perry Griffith</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta Track Club</span>, <b>Luke Mortensen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athens Road Runners</span>, <b>Aaron Rowe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated</span>, and <b>Jay Stephenson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>out of 40-44 and <b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Virginia </span>in the 45-49 division. <b>Fred Joslyn</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated </span>may be a wild card. </p><p><u>Griffith</u> finished 8th overall in 2022 with a 16:16. That same time would have landed him in 5th overall in 2023. Later in 2022, he ran a 33:42 10K at Peachtree and a 21:55 at the Decatur Dekalb 4 Miler in August, equivalent to a 16:56 5K. I can find no results for Griffith since August of 2022 on <i>Athlinks </i>or for any of the obvious 2023 Atlanta Track Club races. That raises some questions as to current fitness. </p><p><u>Mortensen</u> finished 2nd last year in 16:01. He finished as 2nd Masters at the AJC Peachtree Road Race, a few months later, in 32:48. Later in 2923, he ran a 16:33 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I find no <i>Athlinks</i> results for him in 2024, but he has a private <i>Athlinks </i>profile that may include 2024 races.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdrS7rJlash4x-RXqiVj5J7CIjdZQi_eTolkmjpnd3EDEYOn-pyzSYU6zNYalug0yyORzlRehS-0WdbG0wGm_525u5INqzCR1CXegRfxw079_UWU6R2yWyGGQW9JTZ_RY4Qblx5rZQzbiq5Pj0TNkqTH-yapZRZxZ1rl9P6Ht6ti_aaOibct4s5vi8nrV/s4437/Mortensen-Finishes%202ndCROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="4437" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdrS7rJlash4x-RXqiVj5J7CIjdZQi_eTolkmjpnd3EDEYOn-pyzSYU6zNYalug0yyORzlRehS-0WdbG0wGm_525u5INqzCR1CXegRfxw079_UWU6R2yWyGGQW9JTZ_RY4Qblx5rZQzbiq5Pj0TNkqTH-yapZRZxZ1rl9P6Ht6ti_aaOibct4s5vi8nrV/w400-h194/Mortensen-Finishes%202ndCROP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Luke Mortensen </b>claims 2nd place in the Men's race at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta GA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Joaquin Lara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Rowe</u> was close behind Mortensen at this championship last year, finishing fourth in 16:10. He clocked 16:47 in the 5K associated with the Cleveland Marathon in May. This January he ran 15:58 at the Matanzas 5K. </p><p><u>Stephenson</u> did not compete in this championship last year. But two months later, Stephenson took top honors at the Red Apple 5K in Cartersville, GA with a 16:10. Stephenson clocked 15:11 to take 2nd overall and top Masters at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K last September.</p><p><u>Angell</u> has been up and down the last couple of years dealing with various foot and ankle issues. He finished 3rd overall last April at the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham Mass, with a 33:15, it looked like a new beginning. After finishing 6th overall at Indy in the Masters 1 Mile Championships in 4:42, he clocked a very respectable 16:01 to take the Wild Angels 5K in October. Over the years, Angell has been almost as strong on the turf as on the roads, finishing 3rd in the Masters 10K race at Club Cross in 2018. So it was a surprise when he struggled at Club Cross in Tallahassee this year, finishing outside the top forty. He righted the ship before Cross Country Nationals in Richmond VA. There, on January 20th, Angell finished 5th overall in the Masters race, over 8 Km, in 27:05. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CkSLWoLeGIVKc3DtAub0WFtiSyKrhlwP6rmMayf-tNz3kkfVauawVhTZ15kBWqBz3KOzEAatEpDi18RrP975thJRDZC9T_1paG-UNftT8uoIGOb9PB6faPAHZWBYEXN61IfYHCaP_jXvx7JNF4Oe85trTN2qWJTvwSNuzbjDIpLUrBzKgk6vbjkdmQB8/s1346/Angell%20and%20M40's-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CkSLWoLeGIVKc3DtAub0WFtiSyKrhlwP6rmMayf-tNz3kkfVauawVhTZ15kBWqBz3KOzEAatEpDi18RrP975thJRDZC9T_1paG-UNftT8uoIGOb9PB6faPAHZWBYEXN61IfYHCaP_jXvx7JNF4Oe85trTN2qWJTvwSNuzbjDIpLUrBzKgk6vbjkdmQB8/w640-h426/Angell%20and%20M40's-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">far right </span>Swinging Wide to Pass at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>It will be fun to see what Angell can do on Saturday the 24th. His last appearance at these championships in Atlanta was in 2019 when Angell took top honors in 15:51.</p><p><u>Joslyn</u> is intriguing. In 2016, at age 33, Joslyn was, apparently, one of the six athletes who made up the Team USA squad that took top honors at the World Athletics 50K Championships in Qatar. He ran several fast races in the greater Harrisburg PA area in his late 30's. That included a 15:57 5K and a 25:21 5 Miler at age 37, and a 54:43 at the Capitol 10 Miler in Harrisburg in 2022 when he was 38. This past April, at age 39, he won that same race in 55:15, equivalent on age grading to a 33:28 10K. Now he is 40. It will be interesting to see what he brings to this 5K course as a masters athlete. Being from the greater Harrisburg area, he is probably used to running hills!</p><p>Picking a podium is never easy. In this case, I would give Mortensen the nod. Bruce ran away with the race, and Mortensen beat everyone else. He has earned the #1 pick, with Rowe second, as he finished just 9 seconds back from Mortensen. Had I been able to find results for Griffith for either 2023 or 2024, I might pick him 3rd. But it seems risky. Instead, I will go with Stephenson, who had strong results throughout 2023. Angell may well break onto the podium. He ran well in Richmond and his training appears to have gone well since then.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Luke Mortensen</i> <b><i>Aaron Rowe Jay Stephenson</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>AGE DIVISIONS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span> 40-44 If Mortensen, Rowe and Stephenson go 1-2-3 overall, they go 1-2-3 in M40. Others who can challenge include Griffith and Joslyn, not to mention <b>Chuck Terry</b>, who finished 9th overall at the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA last April with a 34:25.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Luke Mortensen</i> <b><i>Aaron Rowe Jay Stephenson</i></b></p><p>45-49 If Angell is on and no other strong runners enter in this division in the next week, he could take the division win by over a minute. The strongest rivals for the podium otherwise appear to be <b>Chadwick Hales</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta Track Club/Georgia </span>and <b>Christopher Hernandez</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers/South Carolina</span>. Hales ran 17:01 in 2022 to finish 6th in this division. He also posted a 35:16 at the Peachtree 10K in July and a 58:29 at the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler in October. In Hales's absence last year, Hernandez finished 3rd in the division with a 17:12. He finished 6th at the Masters 12 Km Championships in September in 43:23, age grade equivalent to a 36:07 10K. Two others could well be battling for the podium. <b>Matthew Di Pretore</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC/Pennsylvania </span>finished 4th in the division here last year with a 17:30 and 4th at the Masters 10 km Championships with a 34:59. However, he was closer to Hales in 2022 when he ran just 6 seconds slower. <b>Stewart Ellington</b> ran a 1:14:50 Half Marathon in Greenville SC in February, age grade equivalent to a 34:13 10K and a 17:18 5K in Knoxville TN in July. In between he clocked a 1:17:56 HM in Knoxville. It looks like the battle for the two remaining podium spots are likely to be settled by those four. <b>James Berry</b> who finished sixth here last year in 17:47 and <b>Edward Ross</b>, who finished 3rd in this division at Richmond VA last month on the turf, may have something to say about that. My picks at this point are Angell for the win, followed by Hales, with either Hernandez or Di Pretore likely for third. I will go with Di Pretore.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> <b><i>Matthew DiPretore</i></b> <b><i>Chadwick Hale </i></b></p><p>50-54<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>The main contenders for the podium appear to be<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b><b>Mark Andrews </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers/New York</span>, <b>Steve Bell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>, <b>Alcides De Quesada</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Florida</span>, <b>John Fernandez</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Ohio</span>, and <b>Christopher Harris</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>.</p><p><u>Andrews</u> is the defending champion; he won here last year in 16:30. At Thanksgiving, Andrews ran 34:35 to take 1st Masters at the Race with Grace 5K. Two weeks later he was third overall and first in this division with a 16:36 at the Don Curran Memorial 5K. His most recent outing, a 17:04 5K on January 20th, was an Overall win at the Charleston HM in South Carolina on an unseasonably cold 44-degree day. Andrews seems primed to defend.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYav8l3hZU3ThPrpKJiJH4HS_LkwLu4dBHYF4y6lVU5vPvVyzRO2JkLFTvmU0wP4RfCfvZoJppaa3OsxOsT2M-L_BS879DiEPrJ0BFzUJUuUsBv-AG1as0yhVkz9gxJT4H0na78AMO3ENeZgd7Ur4kwHYpJQnMzJ8sbrxMfRUTH1EBBoqOh4EN0-uFLEA/s1171/Andrews%20Wins%2050-54_Recap2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="1128" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYav8l3hZU3ThPrpKJiJH4HS_LkwLu4dBHYF4y6lVU5vPvVyzRO2JkLFTvmU0wP4RfCfvZoJppaa3OsxOsT2M-L_BS879DiEPrJ0BFzUJUuUsBv-AG1as0yhVkz9gxJT4H0na78AMO3ENeZgd7Ur4kwHYpJQnMzJ8sbrxMfRUTH1EBBoqOh4EN0-uFLEA/w616-h640/Andrews%20Wins%2050-54_Recap2.jpg" width="616" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Andrews</b> driving for the M50 Win at the 2022 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Bell</u> finished 2nd last year in 16:59. Two months later he finished 2nd at the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA in 34:36. He added a 16:38 and a 16:40 to his collection of sub-17 5K's in June. On Labor Day he posted a nifty 16:28 at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K. In Mid-October, he popped a 16:49 5K at an Apple Festival 5K.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ90H1yZF38O3yIAxflJVtet3ZlAPj9dZ3pcqCQD6YimraaityaNAzuC18W8Hh1Xjnhy1kJHIG7zwNRonqEMjjjh0Dy7qcvyoyxj1JLveMUxGLlrf8ORNK4YhW3VBSSMYOgQo_PMfrAFJaCWgk1RcWu8SNZerRXitG0zPliZJ2fLvmdehB0FVbhWtS-nkW/s5760/Bell_Deeter-Cush-finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="5760" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ90H1yZF38O3yIAxflJVtet3ZlAPj9dZ3pcqCQD6YimraaityaNAzuC18W8Hh1Xjnhy1kJHIG7zwNRonqEMjjjh0Dy7qcvyoyxj1JLveMUxGLlrf8ORNK4YhW3VBSSMYOgQo_PMfrAFJaCWgk1RcWu8SNZerRXitG0zPliZJ2fLvmdehB0FVbhWtS-nkW/w640-h426/Bell_Deeter-Cush-finish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Bell</b> finishing off his Silver Medal M50 Run at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, GA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Joaquin Lara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>De Quesada</u> ran six 5K's in 2023 in the 16:46 to 16:59 range. His most recent effort was a 16:50 5K this January in Florida. He showcased his 10K speed with a 34:34 at Flanigan's Rockin' Rib Run in mid-November.</p><p><u>Fernandez</u> finished 4th last year in 17:42. This past fall he ran a 1:18:48 HM at the Haunted Forest Marathon in October and a 16:59 at the Perry Rotary Turley Trot 5K, both in Canton, OH. Those two results taken together suggest he might be able to go faster this year. Or it might just be that those race courses are flatter than 'Atlanta flat.'</p><p><u>Harris</u> did not race in the championship last year, but he did race in the Mass Participation race that started after the Championship, over the same course. His time was 17:53, which would have been fast enough for a 6th place finish in the championship. Harris ran a 35:09 10K at the AJC Peachtree Run, which suggests he could maybe go faster than the 17:53 he clocked last year in this 5K. He finished 3rd in this division on the turf at Boca Raton in 17:56 over 5 Km.</p><p>As noted above, Andrews seems primed to repeat as division champion. Bell looks a solid bet for 2nd place again. De Quesada seems t have the speed and consistency to run a fine 5K. I will go with him for the third-place pick to round off the podium: Andrews-Bell-De Quesada</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Andrews</i> <b><i>Steve Bell</i></b> <b><i>Alcides De Quesada</i></b></p><p>55-59 The top performers in this division appear to be: <b>Jeffrey Conston</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore Athletic Club/New York</span>, <b>Matthew Marion</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia </span>and <b>Dean Thompson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chattanooga TC/North Georgia</span>. </p><p><u>Conston</u>, a solid performer for the Shore 50+ squad, finished 5th last year in these championships in 18:11. He also claimed 8th in the 10 Km Championships in 37:51. He finished 3rd in this division at Cross Nationals in Richmond with a 30:31 over 8 Km of turf. He claimed 2nd in the 12 Km Masters Championships in mid-September with a 46:36. He could challenge Marion for 2nd.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA37TYJh_IL-TkCQu6pp8UCxaCppr20wEmnjJI7Qo_usibKQ12KntVmNyPiNkr9RtD5HdEwdQqxiHg3DnesWDBaX8Jvosbt_YQyPnvychmwJdzmzgNmd9flfLqPdB036cIoOZbL8d2f6Rj2C6CW-q5FwqYz54A4HUAQf270dnhZP0tX5UEGsc0TFFe0AA/s1090/Conston%20finishing.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1090" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA37TYJh_IL-TkCQu6pp8UCxaCppr20wEmnjJI7Qo_usibKQ12KntVmNyPiNkr9RtD5HdEwdQqxiHg3DnesWDBaX8Jvosbt_YQyPnvychmwJdzmzgNmd9flfLqPdB036cIoOZbL8d2f6Rj2C6CW-q5FwqYz54A4HUAQf270dnhZP0tX5UEGsc0TFFe0AA/w400-h265/Conston%20finishing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeffrey Conston</b>, getting it done for Shore AC at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Marion</u> won his division at the Houston Marathon's Half Marathon in 1:19:58. That is age grade equivalent to a 36:28 10K. In fact, Marion ran a 37:56 at the Tartan Trot 10K earlier this month on February 10th.</p><p><u>Thompson</u> finished 2nd last year in these championships in 17:39. He finished 3rd in the 2023 USATF XC Championships in Richmond VA. On February 3rd of this year, Thompson ran 3:04:56 in the Mississippi River Marathon, finishing 6th overall and first in the division. Three weeks is probably enough to fully recover from that effort, but we shall see on the 24th.</p><p>Those three appear to have an edge over the rest of the field. Four athletes return who finished 30-40 meters behind Conston, within 4 seconds of one another last year: <b>Dale Flanders</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers/New York</span>, <b>Ryan Shrum </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chattanooga TC/Tennessee</span>, <b>Alan Thomas</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athens Road Runners/Georgia</span>, and <b>Fred Weir</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>. Last year it was Conston <span style="font-size: x-small;">18:11</span>, Weir <span style="font-size: x-small;">18:20</span>, Shrum <span style="font-size: x-small;">18:22</span>, and Flanders <span style="font-size: x-small;">18:23</span> in 5th through 8th M55, with Thomas a second behind Flanders, 7th in 50-54. If everyone brings the same fitness to the line this year, those results favor Conston, or Marion, to close out the podium. </p><p><u>Flanders</u> plays a crucial team role for GVH. He finished 5th at the 5 Km Masters XC Championships in Boca Raton with a 19:27. Flanders ran a 5:22 in Indy to finish 7th in this division in the Masters 1 Mile Championships. He also ran for GVH at Cross Nationals in Richmond this year but was off his best, running three minutes slower than in 2023. Conditions were better in 2023 than 2024 but a three-minute difference may point to some issue with his training. With over a month between the races, let us hope there is no noticeable effect remaining for the race in Atlanta.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6t7av2Qc7qLtKc9wYAijQqi56kvN57-eApvx5DfxWlvu06oyac6bGF4sxASzXw6ej4pKDB8rTm7xsheK0BZPF2h61y6djQkzZOPds-C-3gN9uhyphenhyphenpqayj1IuEy0uPK5ANgCEyrLAb170s-fRZD8T8pX-VinRGTW_qfQNWqzDvc6rGQtp43fmshxSfUSLe/s1615/Flanders_12K-CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1615" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6t7av2Qc7qLtKc9wYAijQqi56kvN57-eApvx5DfxWlvu06oyac6bGF4sxASzXw6ej4pKDB8rTm7xsheK0BZPF2h61y6djQkzZOPds-C-3gN9uhyphenhyphenpqayj1IuEy0uPK5ANgCEyrLAb170s-fRZD8T8pX-VinRGTW_qfQNWqzDvc6rGQtp43fmshxSfUSLe/w400-h338/Flanders_12K-CROP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dale Flanders</b> heading to the Finish Line as he Helps his GVH Team to a 5th Place M50+ Finish at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ Photo Credit: Jason Timochko<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Shrum</u>, shortly after last year's 5 Km Championships embarked on a successful quest to run a Baker's Dozen of Marathons in 2023. Starting with a 3:24:13 in Rome, Italy on March 19th and finishing with a 3:24:15 at the St Jude Memphis Marathon on December 2nd. The set included a 2:56:15 in Boston on Patriot's Day. Shrum returned to shorter pursuits after that, running 40:12 to finish 15th in the division at Club Cross. A week later he ran a 30:10 8K. Shrum could not resist a run at the Chevron Houston marathon, clocking 2:52:02. Perhaps he has more marathon goals in mind.</p><p><u>Thomas</u> ran a half minute faster, 6 months later, at the Macon Labor Day 5K, clocking 17:51. Of course, that race does produce fast times every year.</p><p><u>Weir</u> Two months after the 5 Km Championships, he ran an 18:08 at the B.A.A. 5K. Weir returned to Boston in late June to run a fast 39:38 at the B.A.A. 10K, before slogging through an AJC Peachtree 10K nine days later in Atlanta, clocking 43:02. [The BAA does not identify hometowns in results but it seems unlikely there are two 57-year-old Fred Weir's who can finish 2nd to Tim Meigs in the 55-59 division at the 5K and win the 55-59 10K. Weir joined Thomas in Macon for Labor Day, running even faster, at 17:22. like Conston and Flanders for their Clubs, Weir has been a rock-solid part of the 50's team for Atlanta, running in their scoring five at Club Cross in Tallahassee last December; he was #2 runner for Atlanta 50's at Cross Nationals in Richmond last month.</p><p>Thompson seems almost a lock for first. It may be a mistake, but I will give the edge to Conston for 2nd over Marion. Conston has run well in Championships over the last year and Marion is new to the event. I will go with Marion to close off the podium and let one of his rivals prove me wrong if they can.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeffrey Conston</i> <b><i>Matthew Marion</i></b> <b><i>Dean Thompson</i></b></p><p>60-64 Unless we see a late entry, this will be the first championship in a long time without at least one of the 'Big 5" of the division, Nat Larson, Rick Lee, Steve Schmidt, John Van Danacker, and Mark Zamek. Larson regularly misses this event due to a family event the last weekend in February. But all of the others have run here before but are not currently entered. In their absence, the runner most likely to land atop the podium is <b>Lester Dragstedt </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>. <b>Chuck Bridgman, Tim Ensign, Casey Hannan</b>, and <b>Michael Mertens</b> will fight it out for the other two spots.</p><p><u>Dragstedt</u> had a fine year in 2023. He finished fourth here last year in 18:41. A month later he took 4th at the 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento in 1:02:53. Dragstedt claimed 7th at the 10 Km Championships in 38:43. In September he ran 46:18 to finish 5th at the 12 Km Championships. Dragstedt seems ready to keep up the good work. He finished 5th at Cross Nationals last month in 30:49. That is more than a minute faster than he ran on that same course in 2023.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8xZBWXCqPdwhlQRbFzIx116YpJy2jRbOJ1jWnjVAbJ04fiQBMdSxmtaUo0-_95fK0sAujf2GxsmjHplN0v26hXU-k7mTmELsLYin6bd1HeyZVRPJSBBiXj1szQ9Re4pyN1uPSYGz-6FDokX6yd0ih4w6VMekPbDOdiE9Jdj4Uk3wX3cavhRUw34RNT2Q/s1346/M60-2Km2Go-Bussard-Dragstedt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8xZBWXCqPdwhlQRbFzIx116YpJy2jRbOJ1jWnjVAbJ04fiQBMdSxmtaUo0-_95fK0sAujf2GxsmjHplN0v26hXU-k7mTmELsLYin6bd1HeyZVRPJSBBiXj1szQ9Re4pyN1uPSYGz-6FDokX6yd0ih4w6VMekPbDOdiE9Jdj4Uk3wX3cavhRUw34RNT2Q/w640-h426/M60-2Km2Go-Bussard-Dragstedt.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lester Dragstedt</b> enjoys a slim lead over <b>Dave Bussard</b> as they finish off their 8 Km race Over the Turf, helping their Teams to 4th and 5th place respectively at the 2023 Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u>Bridgman</u> finished a half minute behind Dragstedt here last year, claiming 6th with a 19:20. Four months later, Bridgman finished 7th at the Masters 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis in 5:22. A month later he claimed 5th in 60-64 in the 1500 Meters on the track with a 5:02.</p><p><u>Ensign</u> has been a key part of his Club's Cross Country efforts. He ran with the M50+ team in Tallahassee, finishing among the five scoring slots. In Richmond he finished 5th in M60, trailing Dragstedt by 27 seconds in 31:16. The year before he had come in 16 seconds ahead of Dragstedt, and 50 seconds ahead of Hannan. Ensign also ran a 31:38 8K at a Turkey Trot in November, roughly equivalent to a 19:28 5K.</p><p><u>Hannan</u>, a teammate of Dragstedt's ran in many of the same championships, finishing within shouting distance of Dragstedt. He was a key contributor to their successful season. He finished 8th in Atlanta with a 19:22. At the 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA, Hannan ran 39:19 to finish 9th. Hannan's 47:26 at the Masters 12 Km Championships earned him a 7th place finish.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYnPw1OCf_AIPVJ5X8C-o1iBlempU-0HLYNCEVlWk0yh4YwqNIwdOXjWZgXj6HJ87z5iTusM5JTlV5ZLwjueBtONacwNhaP8w6kY_5SYns5_g9RzKaMVOGOcmmkL2Lk46RjcNsyiFEHTA7OA6cVybmJubqdgo2bGTyVLdNO5DpWv8s4nhV7_p3U0Z_7lE/s1353/Hannan-12K-CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1353" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYnPw1OCf_AIPVJ5X8C-o1iBlempU-0HLYNCEVlWk0yh4YwqNIwdOXjWZgXj6HJ87z5iTusM5JTlV5ZLwjueBtONacwNhaP8w6kY_5SYns5_g9RzKaMVOGOcmmkL2Lk46RjcNsyiFEHTA7OA6cVybmJubqdgo2bGTyVLdNO5DpWv8s4nhV7_p3U0Z_7lE/w400-h316/Hannan-12K-CROP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Casey Hannan</b> heading for the Finish Line at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Mertens</u> is not far back from those four but will need a good day to get on the podium. He finished 12 seconds behind Hannan last year, finishing 12th in M55 with a 19:34. Mertens clocked 40:20 at the 10 Km Championships.</p><p>Dragstedt looks good for the top of the podium. Ensign and Hannan should have a good battle for 2nd. If this were on the turf, I might give Ensign the edge. But Hannan has proven a bit faster on the roads and he does have home course advantage. I will opt for Dragstedt-Hannan-Ensign.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Lester Dragstedt</i> <b><i>Tim Ensign</i></b> <b><i>Casey Hannan</i></b></p><p>65-69 <b>John Glidewell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Alabama</span>, <b>Roger Sayre</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners/CO</span>, and <b>Ken Youngers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span> should all be on the podium at the end of the morning. </p><p><u>Glidewell</u> surprised many at this race last year, although not his Atlanta TC teammates, by running away from a strong field to win in 17:32. Apparently a standout runner at Ohio State in his day, Glidwell had run sparingly since then. Last summer he ran a 10K in the Senior Games but something was off. Either he was accompanying someone else or encountered an issue during the race as his time was over an hour. <i>Athlinks </i>has nothing for him since that race and I do not find him in any Atlanta TC results since then. I am guessing he is running this Saturday at full fitness, but we shall see.</p><p><u>Sayre</u> finished 2nd to Glidewell last year in 18:28. Other times include a 19:57 5K and a 40:46 10K at the Bolder Boulder, both at altitude. Sayre dropped down to Wisconsin in November to run a 39:12 10K. Sayre ran most recently at Pole Green Park in January, finishing 4th in 32:44 over 8Km of turf. He attributed the slower time to an off day.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2nqNLvIqJycZ4MgjXjdISUHFv0VFT5xVkeJGg-zgY9Ih431uBQCtcXvyKS4E5z54rP3cxWBpnemDOYFZPMdNlrQMVHf2bJDyajia-41CM2XefrwbGassWI4VdBHhMLut28bg4kLHYQtQA-z26o1G2EoX9hJIVi0G1gqLUnjFManKRgM6nCkKlzckZOSC/s1346/Sayre-Gloves-midrace.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2nqNLvIqJycZ4MgjXjdISUHFv0VFT5xVkeJGg-zgY9Ih431uBQCtcXvyKS4E5z54rP3cxWBpnemDOYFZPMdNlrQMVHf2bJDyajia-41CM2XefrwbGassWI4VdBHhMLut28bg4kLHYQtQA-z26o1G2EoX9hJIVi0G1gqLUnjFManKRgM6nCkKlzckZOSC/w640-h426/Sayre-Gloves-midrace.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roger Sayre</b>, Pulling on the Gloves midway through the Masters Race at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Youngers</u> finished 3rd last year in 18:50. He ran a similar time, 18:56 at the Invesco Thanksgiving HM 5K. Youngers also had an unusual day at Pole Green Park, finishing 5th in 32:45. Youngers experienced a lower back issue that made the last portion of the race painful, forcing him to alter his normal stance. Sayre reported after the race that Youngers had been ahead of him but fell close to the finish. Youngers indicated after the race that the issue had come as a complete surprise to him and that he was looking forward to a better race in Atlanta.</p><p>If any of those three have an off day, <b>Paul Beers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Virginia </span>seems most likely to advance but <b>John Blaser</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners/Iowa</span><b>, Kevin Dollard</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/New York</span><b>, Kevin Jenkins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Florida</span><b> </b>and <b>Brian Cummins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Florida </span>finished in 9th through 12th last year, just 4 seconds apart.</p><p>I will go with Glidewell-Sayre-Youngers in that order, despite some uncertainty.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">John Glidewell</i> <b><i>Roger Sayre</i></b> <b><i>Ken Youngers</i></b></p><p>70-74 I had a note from an athlete in this division that noted this would be the first time that he knew of where the 'Big Three' of 70-74 would meet in the same race. Those three were <b>Richard Larsen</b>, <b>James Linn</b>, and <b>Robert Qualls</b>.</p><p><u>Qualls</u> took top honors here last year in 20:09 and won a ton of other championships and races in 2023. A month later, Qualls also claimed the gold medal in the road 10K at the WMA Indoor Championships in Poland 41: 12. At the end of April, he won the 70-74 competition at the Masters 10 Km Championships in 41:38. Qualls set a new 70-74 American Road Mile record in Indy when he took top honors in 5:33! Over the fall and into January of 2024 he took top 70-74 honors at the Masters 5 Km XC in Boca Raton, Club Cross at Tallahassee and Cross Nationals in Richmond. He has not been seriously tested in domestic competition since he won the 12 Km Masters title in 2022 in 49:53.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pvsi6lMws3CnhiHqWQM8cLd7zdDBpIEM82EmT1-R_2Gn2E4rvrglq9uivD3sYb-cK__zFN5MBl3O1sRHd0xn4fEMIPf-k9Wl3D4Dl97C26k27O-ktOitP6GZlDQthaqIdSVkaVu7Y-H4bkiVVq0RNawHMS63CNeyuI_6TpibRXWgA0q3Lmy_Ejskjv64/s1346/Qualls%20with%20a%20big%20lead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pvsi6lMws3CnhiHqWQM8cLd7zdDBpIEM82EmT1-R_2Gn2E4rvrglq9uivD3sYb-cK__zFN5MBl3O1sRHd0xn4fEMIPf-k9Wl3D4Dl97C26k27O-ktOitP6GZlDQthaqIdSVkaVu7Y-H4bkiVVq0RNawHMS63CNeyuI_6TpibRXWgA0q3Lmy_Ejskjv64/w640-h426/Qualls%20with%20a%20big%20lead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls</b> moving up through the 60's Athletes On His Way to a Big M70 Win at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Larsen</u> will be a test for Qualls if anywhere near his usual form. In 2022 Larsen took the 70-74 title here in 19:37. In November of 2022 he clocked 19:45 in the BIGGSteps Boston 5K. I find only trail and mountain results on <i>Athlinks</i> for Larsen in 2023. Because of elevation and measurement issues, those are hard to interpret. For what it is worth, Larsen was the first runner over the age of 61 to finish the Delta Dental Mt Washington Road Race this past June. His time of 1:26:08 over 7.6 miles may have been affected by the 4,650 feet of vertical climb and the 22% max grade. I surmise that Larsen will not be fazed by hills on the 5K course.</p><p><u>Linn</u> did not compete in Atlanta in 2023 or 2022. Last summer, Linn clocked 20:39 and 20:40 at two 5K's in New Jersey. In September, Linn took top 70-74 honors at the Masters 12 km Championships in Highlands NJ with a 51:45. He ran 1:11/:45 in a 10Miler on Super Sunday. That is age grade equivalent to a 43:13 10K.</p><p>Those three probably are the favorites for the podium but there are a number of other strong runners in the field, including <b>Doug Bell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners/Colorado</span>, <b>Kirk Larson</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>, <b>Don Morrison</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC/Pennsylvania</span>, and <b>Eugene Myers</b>. One of them could move up onto the podium if any of the other three run into any difficulties.</p><p><u>Bell</u><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: bold;"> </span>finished 3rd in M70 here last year in 20:54. In June Bell finished 3rd, with a 6:10, in 70-74 at the Masters Road Mile Championships hosted by Indianapolis's Monumental Mile. He ran a 43:56 10K at the Longmont Turkey Trot, at altitude. Bell was off his best at Pole Green Park in Richmond last month; he finished 6th in the division with a 37:06 effort. The year before he ran 35:46, finishing 2nd.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-cJjz6HGrcfM0Qb3DPAR1ALD1P5okhfq96ZAbzmd30kP3H38TGDJH22ODZS2N_1N3YaW7cfnIyHiCHQKTlZD2h7KUmDu9eTzUvasdVblxgKZe-pysa1_eIoIZBsdOSBSe0gg9u-wLYhiN6F8k7UMEocQgHfJDuUdSm_IBjts8hp-koxb4GnjacOBhx1J/s689/Bell%20Et%20Al-MyersCROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="530" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-cJjz6HGrcfM0Qb3DPAR1ALD1P5okhfq96ZAbzmd30kP3H38TGDJH22ODZS2N_1N3YaW7cfnIyHiCHQKTlZD2h7KUmDu9eTzUvasdVblxgKZe-pysa1_eIoIZBsdOSBSe0gg9u-wLYhiN6F8k7UMEocQgHfJDuUdSm_IBjts8hp-koxb4GnjacOBhx1J/w493-h640/Bell%20Et%20Al-MyersCROP.jpg" width="493" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Bell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span>leads a group of 60's and 70's athletes on his way to an M70 Silver Medal at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Larson</u> was 36 seconds behind Bell here last year, finishing 5th in 21:30. Larson did not appear to lose much, if anything, over 2023. At the Invesco Half marathon on Thanksgiving Day, Larson clocked 21:26 in their 5K. On New Year's Day, 2024, Larson ran a 21:45 5K, and followed that a few weeks later with a 21:58.</p><p><u>Morrison</u> does not often compete in Masters Road Championships. In September 2021, Morrison clocked 54:43, finishing 1st in 70-74. On New Years Day, 2023, Morrison ran a 22:22 5K and then a 22:11 5K in mid-March. At the same race on New Year's Day this year, Morriosn ran 21:37. Three weeks later he came in ahead of Myers in Cross Nationals at Pole Green Park, taking 3rd in the division in 36:33. He looks ready to compete!</p><p><u>Myers</u> was injured over the second half of last year. Before that, he finished 7th here in 22:19, and followed that with a 5th place finish at the Masters 10 Km Championships in 45:17. Myers was over his issues by December when he clocked a 22:27 and a 22:15 5K. At Richmond last month, Myers ran faster than he had in 2023; he finished 4th in 36:51, fifteen seconds ahead of Bell.</p><p>Qualls is the reigning champion; I have to go with the champion until someone unseats him. I will go with Larsen for 2nd and Linn for 3rd: Qualls-Larsen-Linn.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Larsen</i> <b><i>James Linn</i></b> <b><i>Robert Qualls</i></b></p><p>75-79 <b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC/Pennsylvania</span> is the strong favorite. Last year he was in the 70-74 division for this championship, finishing 4th in 21:29. His time was well over a minute faster than the winning 75-79 time. Dykes likes to run lots of races. In the fall Dykes was still running well, clocking a 21:02 and a 44:37 10K on the same day in Bethlehem PA. In early November at Chicago, Dykes broke the American 75-79 Marathon Record with a 3:17:01. In November and January he ran two 1:35 and change Half Marathons. Dykes was disappointed but no one else would be. At Pole Green Park on January 20th, Dykes won the 75-79 division in 37:39 on the turf over 8 Km. That was almost 2 minutes slower than he ran on the same course in 2023; it was almost a minute faster than his closest rival. Even though Dykes is not running as well as he would hope, there is a large gap back to the closest rival currently entered. Dykes had a difficult Ultra on a colder and much rainier than expected day this past weekend. But he has usually been able to shake off such difficulties, even with only a week to recover.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSRnE09br9a9XzOFiZ7JqAurMgf-_5OVVxqmmCAmClvtjUrtBaFMDpfaC-uzBjHAECq_JNBg80KWr7ex_phFUeYsCXciXpGmKwCrDdkwLluSDzDYV0Bk3jnR-a0yVsuFwyGvejNXJr_XHQZgC0snp80YzsON5XOkeFB4ZCL5eYetFrp9xT0VBeRHiovw-/s1346/Dykes%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSRnE09br9a9XzOFiZ7JqAurMgf-_5OVVxqmmCAmClvtjUrtBaFMDpfaC-uzBjHAECq_JNBg80KWr7ex_phFUeYsCXciXpGmKwCrDdkwLluSDzDYV0Bk3jnR-a0yVsuFwyGvejNXJr_XHQZgC0snp80YzsON5XOkeFB4ZCL5eYetFrp9xT0VBeRHiovw-/w640-h426/Dykes%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">blue headband, #459</span>, leading some 60's athletes on his way to an M75 Win at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The other prime contenders for the podium are: <b>Rick Katz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runner/Colorado0 </span>and <b>Jerry Learned</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>.</p><p><u>Katz</u>, like Dykes, was in 70-74 last year; he finished 8th in 22:58, a minute and a half behind Dykes. By the fall, Kattz was in 75-79 and took 1st place at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton with a 24:48. He ran well in Tallahassee for the Club Cross Championships, earning a 3rd place finish in the division with a 40:02. He repeated that 3rd place M75 finish in Richmond, clocking 39:43.</p><p><u>Learned</u> had health issues that affected his performance during the first half of 2023. By late April, Learned's fitness was coming back. His 49:59 was well back in M70, but had he been competing in 75-79, that would have been good for third place. From October to January, his 5K times were up and down, including a 25:00 effort in late October, a 23:23 on Thanksgiving Day, a 25:36 on New Year's Day and a 24:22 six days later. At Richmond, Katz finished 4th over the 8Km of turf. His 41:17 left him a minute and a half behind Katz, but almost two minutes ahead of his closest pursuer.</p><p>Should any of those have an off day, it appears that <b>Jan Frisby</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners/Colorado </span>or <b>Paul Carlin</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ann Arbor TC/Michigan </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(your author) </span>should have a chance to move up. Last year, Carlin finished 3rd here in 24:39. But Learned fought me off at the 10K and I have not finished ahead of him yet. Frisby was rounding into shape last year; he finished fourth, a half minute behind me. I was still ahead of Frisby at Tallahassee, finishing 2 minutes ahead, in 44:03. But Frisby reversed that at Pole Green Park in Richmond. His 43:08 effort there left me 17 seconds back. <b>Allen Joyce </b>finished a minute and a half behind me at Richmond last month, but he came in a second ahead of me last year here in Atlanta. He could also factor into the race for the podium.</p><p>If things unfold according to recent history, it should be Dykes-Katz-Learned in that order.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes</i> <b><i>Rick Katz</i></b> <b><i>Jerry Learned</i></b></p><p>80-84 <b>Ed Bligh</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia </span>and <b>Harold Rosen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Maryland </span>are the favorites. </p><p><u>Bligh</u> is a veteran of Masters Championships, as well as a mainstay of Atlanta's 80+ team. Bligh claimed 2nd in this division last year in 28:45. He repeated that 2nd place M80 finish in the Masters 10 Km championships in April. In Indianapolis, Bligh's 8:27 road mile netted him another 2nd place at the Masters National Championship. He claimed the win at Club Cross in December by finishing ahead of Doug Goodhue, who ran, bandaged up, hoping that a recalcitrant hamstring would behave. Bligh's 49:01 gave him the win with two minutes to spare. His perseverance and patience had paid off.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkvUnVj3BmOMRNak4d3a_wKlsu331ujufLPiXDxjxSUP8qEiAl9fFdZI0siKEmHFWUj2F2ibpqh8zFrrA0pMgfxur1BWUjWjt5-cjjUIi_CwEQ7nkfqhyphenhyphenqaL-PZ0r26oumBNGRm8nfhLDtytM_QDpQiyxjFpD_ciNhL9LWkM61LcoVDzbn5KQC-6x_EwH/s1346/Bligh%20-Start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkvUnVj3BmOMRNak4d3a_wKlsu331ujufLPiXDxjxSUP8qEiAl9fFdZI0siKEmHFWUj2F2ibpqh8zFrrA0pMgfxur1BWUjWjt5-cjjUIi_CwEQ7nkfqhyphenhyphenqaL-PZ0r26oumBNGRm8nfhLDtytM_QDpQiyxjFpD_ciNhL9LWkM61LcoVDzbn5KQC-6x_EwH/w400-h266/Bligh%20-Start.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ed Bligh</b> setting Out oon His Winning M80 Jaunt Over 8 Km of Turf at the 2023 USAF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Rosen</u> may be a veteran runner but is a newcomer to USATF Masters National Championships. He won this division at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run, the USATF Open 10 Mile Championship. His 1:27:04 is age grade equivalent to a 52:15 10K. Later that month he ran 54:39 at the Pike's Peek 10K. Rosen reinforced that message with three 5K's in 2023 at 27:08, 27:09 and 28:41. Those times suggest that Bligh will be pressed to stay with Rosen. That may be true but Bligh's 28:45 was on a challenging course. And he does have home course advantage. Bligh will have to make the hills work to his advantage.</p><p>Those two should go 1-2. <b>David Turner </b>won this division on this course in 2022 in 29:02 but did not compete last year. This year in September, he clocked 29:35 at a 5K so he should be ready.</p><p>I will go with Rosen for the win. His times are certainly faster. But Bligh will not quit. Rosen appears to be faster on the flat. I do not know if any of Rosen's times were on challenging courses. The CUCB 10 Miler is flat and fast for a ten miler. The Pike's Peek 10K advertises itself as a PR course, suggesting the same.</p><p>My pick is Rosen-Bligh-Turner in that order.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><b><i>Ed Bligh</i></b> <b><i>Harold Rosen</i></b> <b><i>David Turner</i></b></p><p>85-89 It would be poetic justice if <b>Adrian Craven</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/South Carolina </span>would win this division this year. Last year he was far ahead in M85, not far from the finish when a young spectator ran out of his parents' grasp, entered the racecourse. Craven, in trying to avoid running the child down, fell. Craven was helped to his feet. That is allowed by rule. Based on visual evidence, the Referee determined that Craven had also been assisted forward after he rose. The Referee issued a DQ. Craven was directed to the Medical tent and did not learn he had been disqualified until after the protest period was over. Craven's time would have been 38:50 had he not been DQ'd. Had he not been tripped; the time would have been faster. A few months later, he won the M85 Masters Road Mile Championship in 11:28. Craven wound up the year with a win at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships on a warm day in Boca Raton, with a 44:42.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAKwU2JxOyprVm5Ns8Dg7bdX2cqExWrWy00zZmq8ksf570WglkWenTuT5zTp0-33lgjko8hTJdMrRXYePowUEY7ZVHEmXFcSKMSfwI0_yqk5lIW3wpLZ4LtP8ZiyWKpqtYlIkJLxMVeV_m9vWUd4bbRKd-DLsCij_OWWXcSpKEtqPofP1jFCfKyCai9yo/s1346/Craven_Adrian-1st%20M85.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAKwU2JxOyprVm5Ns8Dg7bdX2cqExWrWy00zZmq8ksf570WglkWenTuT5zTp0-33lgjko8hTJdMrRXYePowUEY7ZVHEmXFcSKMSfwI0_yqk5lIW3wpLZ4LtP8ZiyWKpqtYlIkJLxMVeV_m9vWUd4bbRKd-DLsCij_OWWXcSpKEtqPofP1jFCfKyCai9yo/w400-h266/Craven_Adrian-1st%20M85.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Adrian Craven</b> On His Way to M85 Victory at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships at Boca Raton, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p><b>Bill Blask</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greenville TC/South Carolina </span>will give him a run for his money. Blask ran a 1:10:14 5-Miler in February. But he speeded up, posting a 35:11 5K in April and a 36:41 5K in October. Those are both faster than Craven's effort at these championships last year. Whether terrain is an equalizer or not is a question. How much time was lost in the incident leading to the DQ is also unknown.</p><p><b>Sid Davis</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia </span>was declared the winner last year in 53:54. His lone challenger for third is <b>Fred Motz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/North Carolina </span>who ran a 1:51:26 10K at Peachtree, which is age grade equivalent to a 55:26 5K. Motz followed that with a 59:47 5K in August. But with temps in the mid-80's it is safe to assume he adopted a measured pace. It has also been suggested by his Team Captain that Motz might not make the trip from NC after all. Either way, I will go with Davis for third. </p><p>It looks like it might be close between Craven and Blask. I will go with an order of Craven-Blask-Davis.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><b><i>Bill Blask</i></b> <b><i>Adrian Craven</i></b> <b><i>Sid Davis</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span> 40-44 If Pezzullo, Pesce, and Lund finish 1-2-3 overall, they also finish 1-2-3 in this division.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>April Lund Jennifer Pesce Stephanie Pezzullo</b></i></p><p>45-49 <b>Jill Braley</b> and <b>Dawn Grunnagle</b> were considered in the preview of contenders for the Overall podium. Hence they are the top two contenders for this division. I give Braley a slight edge, both because her time last year on this course appears to be a bit faster than Grunnagle's recent 10K's suggest she can run. But Braley also has experience in this Championship and, presumably, has practiced on this new racecourse.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG91121xLRM0oNZUPqASfC2W-bu8jm1QeaUanCFMmFf8CvDzCggDCRUspt5dJcyiaNYzCuownRwneWumumjcifH9Hurq-QEIYdQ7azFwTbxxHPYb2wuPFmEQ6tWxvClt7-GWjjfK1Tlcn3TtoOagc71kVpU9Ilgl0OBJsTKfbeZcb3y4NliBtXZPDe6wAp/s2499/Braley-2nd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2499" data-original-width="1785" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG91121xLRM0oNZUPqASfC2W-bu8jm1QeaUanCFMmFf8CvDzCggDCRUspt5dJcyiaNYzCuownRwneWumumjcifH9Hurq-QEIYdQ7azFwTbxxHPYb2wuPFmEQ6tWxvClt7-GWjjfK1Tlcn3TtoOagc71kVpU9Ilgl0OBJsTKfbeZcb3y4NliBtXZPDe6wAp/w458-h640/Braley-2nd.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jill Braley</b> captures 2nd Place Overall and in the 40-44 Age division at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, GA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Courtesy of Atlanta Track Club</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The other primary contender is <b>Sara Girotto</b> who won here last year in 18:54. That time might have been faster. In the crowded start, Girotto tried to maneuver around a falling runner. As she was doing so, somewhat off balance already, another runner bumped into her, and she fell hard. She bounced back up, like a champion. After she won the race, she had an ice bag on her knee. Girotto learned later that she needed surgical repair to her knee. That she was able to win her division and improve on her 2022 time, is a testament to her resilience. A long rehab followed. By December she was training well and had recovered some of her fitness. Her times at a 10K and a Half Marathon, however, were still slower than her time in those same races in 2022 before the surgical repair work. She ran a 40:42 10K in November and a 1:30:18 HM in December. Those suggest conditioning sufficient for a sub-20-minute 5K but perhaps not a sub-19.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBke55Tb15tbnz-OaiLkgo1NKbhW3OlgfstnTmr5vt5Urgy3BsN7hr_1FilCQ2F3edP7K4HITHh50FXeY75pbq7uWcGDg9AFolbEoPgabXXz2fRHi77CjQgM3zUavqP_JO_qx3vypewOUEkabGET0afSCNSsdECX3d-Cf6jw5_TJuHz_tIprZTue_AHxvF/s2026/Girotto%20wins%2045-49CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2026" data-original-width="1327" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBke55Tb15tbnz-OaiLkgo1NKbhW3OlgfstnTmr5vt5Urgy3BsN7hr_1FilCQ2F3edP7K4HITHh50FXeY75pbq7uWcGDg9AFolbEoPgabXXz2fRHi77CjQgM3zUavqP_JO_qx3vypewOUEkabGET0afSCNSsdECX3d-Cf6jw5_TJuHz_tIprZTue_AHxvF/w263-h400/Girotto%20wins%2045-49CROP.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sara Girotto</b> claims the Win in Women's 45-49 at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, GA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Courtesy of Atlanta Track Club<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>That means that <b>Rhia Kilpatrick</b> who finished 8th in this division last year in 19:37, has a shot at coming in ahead of Girotto. Kilpatrick ran 18:16 at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K. Her 31:31 at the Give Thanks 8K was a half-minute faster than the 8K that Girotto ran as part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend just before Thanksgiving. I will guess that Girotto's fitness has continued to improve since early December. If so, she should be up to the challenge from Kilpatrick. I am opting for a finishing order of Braley-Grunnagle-Girotto.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Jill Braley Sara Girotto Dawn Grunnagle</b></i></p><p>50-54 <b>Abby Dean</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC/Delaware </span>won this division last year with a 19:22. That was three months after surgery. The surgery threw her off at Richmond last year. History has repeated itself as a surgery in November relegated Dean to 3rd at Richmond in 26:44 this year. Last year Dean got enough training time in to rise to the top for Atlanta. That is likely to be true again this year. Dean was 4th overall and first in this division at the Masters 10 Km Championships in 38:15.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNCsfTBJkuEPTAPGWgc9xMchoiqqS7d6eDnyY8xoiF6JWpnqJTFRN7qQ8ft9PbcTCs9oHpPHhyphenhyphenm0pAt7CLK9lwx_XnIFlSl5aFXfGTvUMOQiEHTzVAWDRRpN-u4IYlm6txJuSoF89iObVdTquWshtWzff5eyneteXu8q6WtCGX22F1HfJBheGiPSh3xAd/s2066/Dean%204th%20OverallCROP-ATC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2066" data-original-width="1785" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNCsfTBJkuEPTAPGWgc9xMchoiqqS7d6eDnyY8xoiF6JWpnqJTFRN7qQ8ft9PbcTCs9oHpPHhyphenhyphenm0pAt7CLK9lwx_XnIFlSl5aFXfGTvUMOQiEHTzVAWDRRpN-u4IYlm6txJuSoF89iObVdTquWshtWzff5eyneteXu8q6WtCGX22F1HfJBheGiPSh3xAd/w345-h400/Dean%204th%20OverallCROP-ATC.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Abby Dean</b> crosses the Finish Line in 4th Place Overall and with the 50-54 Win at the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Should Dean not be fully recovered, it is likely that <b>Samantha Forde</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Impala Racing/California </span>and <b>Rebekah Kennedy</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Central Park TC-Tracksmith/New York </span>would battle for the win. Kennedy had the edge here in Atlanta last year, finishing 4th in 45-49 last year in 19:45. Forde was 20 seconds back, finishing 4th in 50-54. In their most recent matchup, however, on the turf at Tallahassee, Forde had the edge, finishing 4th in 25:19, more than a half minute ahead of Kennedy, in 7th. It will be interesting to see who has the edge on Saturday. <b>Alexandra Marzulla</b> has the recent edge over her teammate, <b>Alysia Puma. </b>If any of the top three have an off day, Marzulla, or possibly Puma, might ascend the podium. Puma finished 8th here last year in 21:49; Marzulla did not run. Marzulla came in two minutes ahead of Puma at the 12 Km Masters Championships last September in 52:32. They have 10K times in different races that are within a half-minute of each other so Puma may be stronger at shorter distances and Marzulla at longer distances. On the other hand, Marzulla also came in 20 seconds ahead of Puma last month in Richmond.</p><p>My best guess at finishing order is: Dean-Forde-Kennedy.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Abby Dean Samantha Forde Rebekah Kennedy</b></i></p><p>55-59 <b>Fiona Bayly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/New York </span>enters as the strong favorite. She won the division here last year, Her results this year show she is still in top form. In torrential rain, strong winds and mid-30's temps, Bayly still managed a division win at the Fred Lebow HM in NY on January 28th in 1:29:26. She ran 4 minutes faster in Houston two weeks earlier. <b>Rachel Hopkins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sirius Athletics/Georgia</span>, moving up from 50-54 this year is probably the best bet for 2nd place. She finished 3rd in 50-54 last year in 19:43. With Bayly unentered at Clubs in Tallahassee, Hopkins took the division win in 24:41 with over 20 seconds to spare. After those two there is still a very strong field that will battle for the third spot on the podium: <b>Melissa Chiti</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pursuit Of Excellence TC/North Carolina</span><b>, Laura DeLea</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/New Jersey</span><b>, Mimi Fallon</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Liberty AC/Massachusetts</span>, and <b>Hronn Gudmundsdottir</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Impala Racing/California</span>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WTrD6sxGVc9OSAZVpTnUgcJSwWACboP4FvkThCZU8y8CDbaHzWeWDJoP5YdcEodxwmygbM4BXgITBytd4UY9BNjFP6JOsTMAYQBI7GdyUiKAEgsWIvHFfzF_u_21joxjJ3jhnGWiAn0wZ3r-Od2AaVApDFesatyjRr3oPm4-Av4oaBhdediQIuTc8o1d/s834/Bayly-Last%20loopCROP.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="834" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WTrD6sxGVc9OSAZVpTnUgcJSwWACboP4FvkThCZU8y8CDbaHzWeWDJoP5YdcEodxwmygbM4BXgITBytd4UY9BNjFP6JOsTMAYQBI7GdyUiKAEgsWIvHFfzF_u_21joxjJ3jhnGWiAn0wZ3r-Od2AaVApDFesatyjRr3oPm4-Av4oaBhdediQIuTc8o1d/w400-h363/Bayly-Last%20loopCROP.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fiona Bayly </b>attacking the final hill on her way to a Podium Finish Overall in the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships at Pole Green Park in Richmond, VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u>Chiti</u> and <u>DeLea</u> met at Richmond last month on a chilly day on the turf. Chiti came in first, just 2 seconds ahead of DeLea. How will the rematch go? In August, Chiti ran a 22:03 at the Atlanta's Finest 5K over the same course as the 5 Km Championships. DeLea ran 20:34 and 21:12 5K's in the fall.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPbaokfr5wTCLUmJ4VtWeAXiG4oO4AqOvtvZNZPljUaHkcc3pMs0e6v9RJ1b0kM9w4w5XU0WG8C10snwqjx3XIle6MwcXsZRZA0cSnRN6VKjF_gHnBFNa5zDqluG_CWo5OWPgrEJn6W8n3MUqN3hqyuWpqcJIOtwdes0fzjUZRDIvXaxbqUx5Zn8n_J_J/s1105/De%20Lea-Chiti-Marzulla-CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1105" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPbaokfr5wTCLUmJ4VtWeAXiG4oO4AqOvtvZNZPljUaHkcc3pMs0e6v9RJ1b0kM9w4w5XU0WG8C10snwqjx3XIle6MwcXsZRZA0cSnRN6VKjF_gHnBFNa5zDqluG_CWo5OWPgrEJn6W8n3MUqN3hqyuWpqcJIOtwdes0fzjUZRDIvXaxbqUx5Zn8n_J_J/w640-h446/De%20Lea-Chiti-Marzulla-CROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura DeLea </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left, knee socks </span>leading <b>Melissa Chiti </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">lime green hat</span> (and her 50-54 teammate, <b>Alexandra Marzulla</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right, red gloves)</span>, mid-race, on their way to a tight 1-2 finish in 55-59 at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><u>Fallon</u> finished 3rd in 50-54 at the Masters 10 Km Championships in April with a 42:03. She ran three 5K's last fall in the 20:11 to 20:24 range. On February 11th, she clocked a 26:35 4-Miler on Super Sunday. That is age grade equivalent to a 20:21 so she is on target for this coming Saturday. Gudmundsdottir last appeared here in 2019 when she finished 3rd in 50-54 in 19:29. More recently she finished 5th in 55-59 with a 1:10:13 at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in Sacramento. That is age grade equivalent to a 42:31 10K. One of those four will break away from the others. It is possible that one of them might challenge Hopkins for 2nd. If forced to pick, I will go with Fallon. That gives me a projected order of Bayly-Hopkins-Fallon.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Fiona Bayly Mimi Fallon Rachel Hopkins</b></i></p><p>60-64 This could change on the last day of registration. But, as of now, this division has the largest field of entrants among the Women's divisions and is larger than Men's 60-64. That would be a first in my decade or so of looking at Masters Championship entry lists. The competition in Women's 60-64 is very healthy! I expect to see <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/New York </span>and <b>Mary Cass</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Liberty AC/Massachusetts </span>contending for top honors. Cass had her way at the top of 60-64 from late 2022 through much of 2023. She did encounter a faster runner at the 5K Championships here last year. <b>Kris Clark</b> (not entered this year) claimed the win; Cass finished 2nd in 20:17.</p><p>Since La Burt aged up from 55-59, she has had the edge over Cass. La Burt claimed her first 60-64 Championship, in Indianapolis, running a 5:46 road mile to take the win. Cass did not compete at that event nor the next one. At the Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ, La Burt ran 49:13, taking the division win with 5 minutes to spare. They finally met at the Masters 5 Km XC championships in Boca Raton in October. Cass closed strong to close the gap to 4 seconds, but La Burt had the win in 20:51. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHya5tY36YXMtGr9K3BELWbdMk4rUVx-QXkmCSa66GDNIXDsLKr4Tp_a3gtWgJI7Y4iBGTT5bWjCpQTTGZt1GDlDdTu8hHeIig1OTJhEGwBMxfcsYPm0cot66OhqjgXQveR-T0OxFvvhrqD8dQlO7UvgJ8LenQ8n9P_y0BA37NXB7cnvTt1jMpy2PvAZb3/s1346/La%20Burt-Cass-1st-2nd%2060-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHya5tY36YXMtGr9K3BELWbdMk4rUVx-QXkmCSa66GDNIXDsLKr4Tp_a3gtWgJI7Y4iBGTT5bWjCpQTTGZt1GDlDdTu8hHeIig1OTJhEGwBMxfcsYPm0cot66OhqjgXQveR-T0OxFvvhrqD8dQlO7UvgJ8LenQ8n9P_y0BA37NXB7cnvTt1jMpy2PvAZb3/w640-h426/La%20Burt-Cass-1st-2nd%2060-64.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt </b>closes in on her 60-64 victory over <b>Mary Cass</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">background</span> at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>They met again at Tallahassee, in December, where La Burt enjoyed a more decisive win, by 25 seconds, as she clocked 25:21. Cass enjoyed the win at Cross Nationals in Richmond in January with a 25:37. But La Burt was not entered. Atlanta will be their third meeting since La Burt entered the division. Cass will be hoping that third time is the charm, for the win La Burt will be hoping that her winning margin stays the same or grows.</p><p>Who will be battling for the final podium spot? The chief rivals are: <b>Deborah Capko</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/New Jersey</span>,<b> Donna Grocki</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/New Jersey</span>, and <b>Kris Huff </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>. Capko ran a 22:08 5K at Asbury Park in August and followed that with a 21:21 at the Little Silver 5K in October. Her 55:46 at the Masters 12 Km Championships earned her the bronze medal. But she finished a minute and change behind her teammate, Grocki, who claimed the silver medal. Grocki posted a 22:32 5K on Thanksgiving Day and a 22:05 on New Year's Day. She ran a 47:03 10K at the end of May. Huff finished 3rd here in 55-59 last year with a 21:28. She also posted a 44:21 at Peachtree. At Clubs in Tallahassee, Huff came in a good minute ahead of Capko. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVuEqUQ5Ag3IEQL5ZafWKxPznHwhlozV9adLK6-wYyE5G3ujm-2OHqNdwWswAHUEz0sc68S_TAjXoNBXuTC-r9JPYk-K5bJS9_jtN0rf6ASiNO4KjkNvcnjJtXPCM5SGGdJ5EEwwFVm0hcx8nBmX4ddHVqAuCBIK0U5c4Wl_urId2O4PLYyAD1C-FA75I/s1346/Huff-midrace.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVuEqUQ5Ag3IEQL5ZafWKxPznHwhlozV9adLK6-wYyE5G3ujm-2OHqNdwWswAHUEz0sc68S_TAjXoNBXuTC-r9JPYk-K5bJS9_jtN0rf6ASiNO4KjkNvcnjJtXPCM5SGGdJ5EEwwFVm0hcx8nBmX4ddHVqAuCBIK0U5c4Wl_urId2O4PLYyAD1C-FA75I/w400-h266/Huff-midrace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kris Huff</b> on her way to a 4th place finish in the Women's 60+ Team Race, helping her team to a Second Place Finish at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships at Pole Green Park in Richmond, VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Given Huff's experience running Masters Championships and her mental knowledge and 'muscle memory' of Atlanta's terrain, I go with Huff for the third-place finish! That gives a predicted order of La Burt- Cass - Huff.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Mary Cass Kris Huff Suzanne La Burt</b></i></p><p>65-69 <b>Stella Gibbs</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Impala Racing/California </span>should enjoy her new age division. In 20:22 her 21:06 left Gibbs just off the 60-64 podium. If she had run the same time last year, it would have again left her in 4th. But it would have been a winning time in the 65-69 division. If we apply the aging function of age grading to that 2022 time, we see that two years later, it equates to a 21:39. That would still be faster than the winning 65-69 time last year. That does not guarantee a win, but it points in that direction. Last year she ran a 21:38 5K in June and a 21:12 in July. I have no recent results, but it looks like Gibbs is ready to run under 22:00. <b>Patrice Combs</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia </span>won the division here last year in 22:32. Four months later she ran a faster pace to win her division at Peachtree with a 44:14. That suggests she might be more competitive with Gibbs than it appears from looking at the 5 Km Championship times. <b>Lesley Hinz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia </span>is coming back from rehab after surgery; that close finish might be a sign that she is ready to compete with Combs. Hinz was setting American Age Division Records on the track not so many years ago. Hinz clocked a 20:09 5K at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K in 2021. Even though the course is fast, that time suggests the low 21's, on an ordinary racecourse, was possible for Hinz in 2021. In February of 2023, Hinz was two minutes slower than Combs at Atlanta in 24:19. At Tallahassee last December, Combs edged her teammate, Hinz, for the silver medal by a single second. It looks like their friendly competition is tightening up. <b>Kitty Musante</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC/Florida </span>also has a role to play on Saturday. Like Hinz she is returning either from an injury or surgery or both. In late 2022, Musante was running her 5K's in the low 22-minute range. In the Masters 5 Km Championships in February 2023, she finished 2nd to Combs in 23:34. At the 5 km Masters Cross Country Championships in early October, Combs ran 4 minutes faster than Musante. By Clubs in December, the margin was down to a minute. This winter Musante has run her 5K's in 23:13, 22:35, and 21:18, all in Florida. It looks like she is ready to compete for the podium as well!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZVvmUnQwNpXEPzVuk2LG5vWax57lODhpYbckNbVib2qwKwGibz3dXegZdGtQGQgYN_WZnrfJTdlqbJxm2u6w4fRLNJqFmHtT-w4I1fcYWYGCNxr1JWhlq8KjMix8jXZx76iTVhykUg7LXF_EsZ0oSlgrxzULLVF6oHdc0_6f9v5M8aqDtwvqz9x00pkX/s5040/Silva-Hines-post-finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5040" data-original-width="3360" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZVvmUnQwNpXEPzVuk2LG5vWax57lODhpYbckNbVib2qwKwGibz3dXegZdGtQGQgYN_WZnrfJTdlqbJxm2u6w4fRLNJqFmHtT-w4I1fcYWYGCNxr1JWhlq8KjMix8jXZx76iTVhykUg7LXF_EsZ0oSlgrxzULLVF6oHdc0_6f9v5M8aqDtwvqz9x00pkX/w426-h640/Silva-Hines-post-finish.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mireille Silva </b>and <b>Lesley Hinz</b> sharing a happy moment right after they crossed the finish line at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, GA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Joaquin Lara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>It is not clear at all how things will shake out on Saturday. Until Hinz actually beats Combs, I have to give Combs the edge. The same goes for Combs vs. Musante. I will go with Gibbs for the win, followed by Combs, followed by Hinz. But it is very possible that Musante will be on the podium. Almost any permutation of those four seems possible on Saturday. My best guess is: Gibbs-Combs-Hinz.</p><p> <i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Patrice Combs Stella Gibbs Lesley Hinz</b></i></p><p>70-74 A newcomer to Masters Championships, <b>Kari Chandler </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Michigan</span> appears to be the favorite. Last September, she ran a 38:04, age grade equivalent to a 23:24 5K. Chandler followed that in October with a 1:43:13 Half Marathon in Grand Rapids, age grade equivalent to a 46:57 10K. Chandler finished off the series with a 22:43 Turkey Trot 5K in Lansing. </p><p><b>Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall</b> finished 3rd here last year in 27:40. Hudnall's teammate, <b>Cynthia</b> '<b>Cindy Lucking</b>, returning to the Championships after hip replacement surgery, finished 16 seconds ahead of Hudnall at Club Cross in Tallahassee with a 35:31. A month later, Lucking took the division win, unopposed, at Cross Nationals in Richmond VA with a 34:40. Lucking has not tested her hip at a Masters national road championship yet. But it seems unlikely Lucking could crack 25 minutes. She would need that fast a time to be close to Chandler. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbscDIlNW1_qpBzR3NP59JhV8sKKtMmof54ccAjRbHlXUUNR2ZtN3BEiuK-d59TEeF6DBrLywRqp5bY5Jxllvkd1Z4rCCKkz0PtnE5tL8RO7kewGt9lbt6bJ9SZ1dm1ud847FET5-fbgq85DtuM0R4odPyOYae2hrFuYCHE90EqsxJxpdl_kaAE0OilbhP/s1346/W70-Lucking.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbscDIlNW1_qpBzR3NP59JhV8sKKtMmof54ccAjRbHlXUUNR2ZtN3BEiuK-d59TEeF6DBrLywRqp5bY5Jxllvkd1Z4rCCKkz0PtnE5tL8RO7kewGt9lbt6bJ9SZ1dm1ud847FET5-fbgq85DtuM0R4odPyOYae2hrFuYCHE90EqsxJxpdl_kaAE0OilbhP/w400-h266/W70-Lucking.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cindy Lucking</b> started conservatively but moved up during the race to capture the 70-74 Silver Medal at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Terry Ozell</b>, an ATC teammate of Hudnall's and Lucking's, ran 27:53 last year to finish 6th in 65-69 here in Atlanta, GA. Her most recent efforts do not suggest she is likely to run under 27 minutes. The most likely order of finish seems to be Chandler-Lucking-Hudnall.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Kari Chandler Norma Hudnall Cynthia Lucking</b></i></p><p>75-79 <b>Terry Foody </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unaffiliated/Kentucky</span><b>, Andrea McCarter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span>, and <b>Barbara Sauer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Buffalo TC/New York </span>are entered in the 75-79 division. They have to make it to the starting line and finish the race. If they do so, each will be on the podium, barring late entrants to the division. But what is the likely order? Sauer was 5th in the 70-75 division here last year with a 29:08 effort. Sauer advanced to the 75-79 division before the Masters 10 Km Championships. Her 1:00:13 earned her the 75-79 silver medal at those championships. She ran a 28:52, a 30:04, and a 29:19 5K in August, September, and October last year. Unless something is amiss, Sauer seems likely to run around 30 minutes or under on Saturday. In 2023, Foody ran 36:05, 36:11 and 36:13 5K's. Something around 36 minutes seems a good projection. McCarter finished 2nd here last year in 75-79 with a 37:09. Her first run of 2024 on New Year's Day was a 36:08. McCarter finished ahead of Foody on the turf last December, stopping the clock at 46:06, 43 seconds ahead of Foody. It looks like McCarter and Foody will have a good battle for 2nd place! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8RTbjZKabqgBW6PiZEO25W41hbUCT5Ag-Ns7ulaWcdee-wQ8B-sHK7279HM0XFT4t-oz4AKdF2iUBdf9QbswpK9pVo9JwUH3J7WQ5MzmpshciYYyomb4hdaUUjD7JcXly-IQRGAZ-Rg6Q5cxERrwYMmJgz7FCoQTSkzwGpK2S2w3Wj9wUz1t_QAYS-Bk/s1346/W70-McCarter-Early.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8RTbjZKabqgBW6PiZEO25W41hbUCT5Ag-Ns7ulaWcdee-wQ8B-sHK7279HM0XFT4t-oz4AKdF2iUBdf9QbswpK9pVo9JwUH3J7WQ5MzmpshciYYyomb4hdaUUjD7JcXly-IQRGAZ-Rg6Q5cxERrwYMmJgz7FCoQTSkzwGpK2S2w3Wj9wUz1t_QAYS-Bk/w400-h266/W70-McCarter-Early.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andrea McCarter </b>on Her Way to a 75-79 Bronze Medal at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>But I have to give McCarter the edge based on the Club Cross outcome and home roads advantage. That leaves me at: Sauer-McCarter-Foody.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Terry Foody Andrea McCarter Barbara Sauer</b></i></p><p>80-84 Teammates, <b>Myrna Barnett</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia </span>and <b>Catherine Radle</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC/Georgia</span> are the two entrants in this division. They will go 1-2. Last year Barnett won with a 36:46 effort. Radle was 3rd at 38:35. Barnett ran a 37:33 5K on January 20th. Radle ran a 38:01 on New Year's Day and then a 39:06 on January 13th. There seems no reason to look for an upset. The more likely order of finish is Barnett-Radle.</p><p><i>Likely podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Myrna Barnett Catherine Radle</b></i></p><p>85-89 <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b>, the winner of the 2023 Masters National Grand Prix title in this division, continues to roll along.<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>She won the 80-84 division here in 2022 with a 50:05. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OHNTdLw3AjBtuogG2F8yS4egpC_GDJtdKxX6VX0epLmqBMjJu6hbL7vLUeQFIMoFTTBcdo_PX2QDxWXJ22NlOamvDb_u8Hm3FZqHRIkRm8LdgUW_0_nhQQ0iKF2PV5AK-B4MagR6d-965JZnupK9QTAMrBPJeMptfW_ujIsy6ip6NWXg_CDCkWGXzwrO/s1346/Hodges-Hite_Joyce%201st%2085-89.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OHNTdLw3AjBtuogG2F8yS4egpC_GDJtdKxX6VX0epLmqBMjJu6hbL7vLUeQFIMoFTTBcdo_PX2QDxWXJ22NlOamvDb_u8Hm3FZqHRIkRm8LdgUW_0_nhQQ0iKF2PV5AK-B4MagR6d-965JZnupK9QTAMrBPJeMptfW_ujIsy6ip6NWXg_CDCkWGXzwrO/w400-h266/Hodges-Hite_Joyce%201st%2085-89.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> on Her Way to an 85-89 Gold Medal performance at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>A year later, she ran faster, clocking 48:51 to win the 85-89 division. She is running unopposed. A victory is all but certain.</p><p><i>Likely podium:</i></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b></span><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></p><p><b style="font-style: italic;"><br /></b></p><p>That covers the entries through Tuesday, February 21st at 12 Noon. The fields are almost set! If there are important last-minute entries, I will update this article.<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-91231830584726147272024-02-08T10:29:00.002-05:002024-02-08T23:02:39.662-05:00Hall and Kibet Just Miss Qualifying for the Olympics But are the New American Masters Marathon Record Holders<p><b>February 4, 2024. </b>At the Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando on Saturday, two Masters runners turned in amazing performances in their quest to join Team USA in Paris. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN'S RACE </span></b><b>Sara Hall</b>, has had a long and decorated career, augmented by recent runner-up finishes at the London Marathon in 2020 with a 2:22:01 and a 5th place finish, and first American, at the 2022 World Championships Marathon in Eugene. Hall, who turned 40 last spring, had never been on an Olympic team. This looked to be her last chance but, perhaps one of the best. She could build confidence from those successes at London and Eugene; her training had gone well. She was prepared, but the field was deep and strong. Veterans like <b>Keira D'Amato, Lindsay Flanagan, Caroline Rotich, </b><b>Betsy Saina, </b><b>Emily Sisson, </b>and<b> Aliphine Tuliamuk </b>were known competitors, but relative newcomers could surprise. <b>Molly Seidel</b> qualifying in her debut marathon at the 2020 trials in Atlanta is an example.</p><p>Everyone who is a serious fan of the sport now knows the name of <b>Fiona O'Keefe</b>, who startled many in the running community when she surged away from the lead pack during mile 20 and then extended the lead from Mile 20 to Mile 21. Sisson was the only runner in the lead pack who could try to go with her. And then, all of a sudden, instead of Hall vying with 4 other women for the win, it was O'Keefe going for the win, with Sisson in pursuit and Hall battling for the final spot with three other women. O'Keefe got the win in 2:22:10, with Sisson about a half minute back in 2nd. </p><p>Rotich and Saina, the pre-race favorite of many, had been in that lead pack the whole race. <b>Dakotah Lindwurm</b>, who was not one of the favorites, but had been there as well, had started to struggle and drifted back. Twelve seconds behind the lead group at Mile 19, Lindwurm was, seemingly, out of the hunt. Her 5:30's had not been matching the 5:27's the lead group had imposed on them by O'Keefe. But once O'Keefe and Sisson left them behind, the trio of Hall, Rotich and Saina found their pace at 5:38 for Mile 20 and slowed to 5:48 for Mile 21. The combination of a warm day and too hot a pace had worn on them. Lindwurm's 5:35 for Mile 20 brought her slightly closer to the trio and then her 5:39 in Mile 21 brought her to the front of that 3-athlete pack, as they slowed to that 5:48 split. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBGwmPnGmRQ-u8PygvtNZRZLANYcSEbVwdlpg3VEjIWBEKp3oeW1-gU252fCOBSWkyBPCrQK36a_0d0yJbdDUJlI1MrKlPq17i0ee_eZYrfqwDxpwf2KjZHB8955gqsq4BXVfoAM0XkQQOFcFPbJvN1M-xwZe9o6UkEVLTuJgbgwTlmus5jPzfNNoDx_a/s1346/Hall_Sara-Loop2%20maybeMiScott.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBGwmPnGmRQ-u8PygvtNZRZLANYcSEbVwdlpg3VEjIWBEKp3oeW1-gU252fCOBSWkyBPCrQK36a_0d0yJbdDUJlI1MrKlPq17i0ee_eZYrfqwDxpwf2KjZHB8955gqsq4BXVfoAM0XkQQOFcFPbJvN1M-xwZe9o6UkEVLTuJgbgwTlmus5jPzfNNoDx_a/w640-h426/Hall_Sara-Loop2%20maybeMiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sara Hall</b>, between <b>Dakotah Lindwurm </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span>and <b>Fiona O'Keefe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right</span> firmly in the hunt for the win on the 2nd loop of the 2024 Olympic Trials course <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit:</i> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Hall fared better than Saina and Rotich. Both had to retire from the race between miles 21 and 22--such disappointment! Saina may have another good chance; she will be 39 for the 2028 Trials. But for Rotich, only one year younger than Hall, this was probably her last chance to make Team USA for the Olympics. Rotich is a two-time winner of the UA NYC Half, winner of the 2015 Boston Marathon and member of Kenya's marathon team for the 2011 World Championships. Rotich switched her residency for international competitions from Kenya to the US last October to be able to represent the country she has lived in since 2006. Hall battled on. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcscQHeLFiwrjGM1-oeWMTAaWQb7RUVqjvhhNsiAfj0O3-fgvhQRwlAaFkTSj2Xr7_S3Af8gUmBDWnTnG2NY_UcSKdox7ZEiN2JW_Ojp0ElhGck93NtIod8t2PKA68BgmC-dYLssxmec4wGbqviofDZIvol-c1XItv7AZlTnH0CXgZ79Tb2MRqa3VX5KI8/s1346/Hall&Sisson-2-Loop3maybe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcscQHeLFiwrjGM1-oeWMTAaWQb7RUVqjvhhNsiAfj0O3-fgvhQRwlAaFkTSj2Xr7_S3Af8gUmBDWnTnG2NY_UcSKdox7ZEiN2JW_Ojp0ElhGck93NtIod8t2PKA68BgmC-dYLssxmec4wGbqviofDZIvol-c1XItv7AZlTnH0CXgZ79Tb2MRqa3VX5KI8/w640-h426/Hall&Sisson-2-Loop3maybe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sara Hall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right </span>and <b>Emily Sisson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span>on the third loop, trying to stay in touch with O'Keefe at the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit:</i><span> Michael Scott</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But her legs and lungs, which had been carrying her to sub 5:30 miles from Mile 14 to Mile 19 could no longer do it. Mile 22 was 5:47, as she lost another 7 seconds to Lindwurm. When her pace slowed again and Lindwurm gained another 7 seconds, Hall must have realized the dream was gone. But you finish the race. Hall finished 5th in 2:26:06 as <b>Jessica McClain</b> sped by her in the last 385 yards.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnCV4P3xVaDLQdZcUDPPtRvKKHLWYBN-EZCu1SmofnUz4ebCK8W0Ss1mkntQgYYWyqTz9jUxfXiwlvf1YgR3jdF840u-Yk1vQYi1c55NwFu03dDLFqTdwF9C2OjiY1uQtZTHp2ezjxfs9WXX0DNwK9bmemQ4LX64JWXRCx18vNqOlqK6xNWgMxKcqM806/s1578/Sara%20Hall-FB%20post-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1578" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnCV4P3xVaDLQdZcUDPPtRvKKHLWYBN-EZCu1SmofnUz4ebCK8W0Ss1mkntQgYYWyqTz9jUxfXiwlvf1YgR3jdF840u-Yk1vQYi1c55NwFu03dDLFqTdwF9C2OjiY1uQtZTHp2ezjxfs9WXX0DNwK9bmemQ4LX64JWXRCx18vNqOlqK6xNWgMxKcqM806/w365-h400/Sara%20Hall-FB%20post-1.jpg" width="365" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sara Hall </b>finishing her 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials Race <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Posted by</i> S Hall on Facebook</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>Hall posted after the race on Instagram: <span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white;">My heart is broken, but my love for this sport is unchanged. Man, I missed doing that and loved every moment of being out there again flying along, flanked by an incredible group of women I love and respect so much. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Even when you come up short, there’s no better feeling than going all-in and all-out on something you love.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Congratulations to our amazing team </span><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz notranslate _a6hd" href="https://www.instagram.com/fiona_okeeffe/" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">@fiona_okeeffe</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz notranslate _a6hd" href="https://www.instagram.com/em_sisson_/" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">@em_sisson_</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz notranslate _a6hd" href="https://www.instagram.com/dakotahlindwurm/" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">@dakotahlindwurm</a><span style="background-color: white;"> who are going to represent so amazingly in Paris!"</span></span><p>It was not the ending Hall wished for, and the fast time unimportant. But it will be important to many athletes as they enter their 40's. That 2:26:06 smashed <b>Des Linden's</b> mark of 2:27:35 set just a few months ago in Chicago. If neither <b>Steph Bruce</b>, D'Amato, nor Rotich break it next year when they pass 40, it could stand for a long time. The 3-way Masters attempt, or 5-way if Hall and Linden joined in, might be a nice story line for Chicago next year!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN'S RACE</span> </b>It was a different story in the men's race. <b>Elkanah Kibet</b> enjoys less fame than Hall. But he has had a distinguished career in international competition for the US. He has run the marathon for Team USA in three World Championships, London in 2017, Doha in 2019 and Eugene in 2022. His best World's finish was 1st American and 16th overall in London. He was 2nd American and 9th overall at the Boston Marathon in 2:09:07. He turned 40 last summer. Not listed as one of the prerace favorites, you can bet that the other prime contenders knew he was there. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4otaYFWiXElm0RdKvIVqPMau_0Cif6sjqY5QATp4yDAHRHJkTFConjCmjVHnjZPuPIYlOYBFv0xLaYcKdiTm0JxZLJFn-hWdb9LfqOLw4rqbzgtN08LGRfrFrb7g34CADfSLO-FcSp3dLvZJnnvnpv8BY4ralY9EZKU9mvx7n-N01qjfoO8WiL-AB0dNA/s960/Kibet-US%20Army%20WCAP-posted%20by%20US%20Army%20WCAP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4otaYFWiXElm0RdKvIVqPMau_0Cif6sjqY5QATp4yDAHRHJkTFConjCmjVHnjZPuPIYlOYBFv0xLaYcKdiTm0JxZLJFn-hWdb9LfqOLw4rqbzgtN08LGRfrFrb7g34CADfSLO-FcSp3dLvZJnnvnpv8BY4ralY9EZKU9mvx7n-N01qjfoO8WiL-AB0dNA/w309-h400/Kibet-US%20Army%20WCAP-posted%20by%20US%20Army%20WCAP.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elkanah Kibet</b> US Army World Class Athlete Program <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Posted on Facebook</i> by US Army WCAP</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The men's race unfolded differently. After the first two miles, <b>Zach Panning</b>, one of the pre-race favorites, asserted control of the race by moving to the front and setting a pace that would, if held to the end, result in a time that would qualify for the Olympic Games. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-4DFFtxdgPz0pym37t8UX8_ssQk6AkSDJ_cRtN1yf9F-VxIf-dieCwQzs3NDUqNxmv3Z2wYie1qfZ5zUa-ajpt178eeV5Twy08Q-G7vJtZq09RRbPb17RkYbL_upK-ViO5zMn8vEB_HfcX4XTJomGWEV8j7g75LtTjNPuXRKoy3p9ujNnKVX7Nl-yv0-/s1346/Kibet-Korir-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-4DFFtxdgPz0pym37t8UX8_ssQk6AkSDJ_cRtN1yf9F-VxIf-dieCwQzs3NDUqNxmv3Z2wYie1qfZ5zUa-ajpt178eeV5Twy08Q-G7vJtZq09RRbPb17RkYbL_upK-ViO5zMn8vEB_HfcX4XTJomGWEV8j7g75LtTjNPuXRKoy3p9ujNnKVX7Nl-yv0-/w640-h426/Kibet-Korir-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elkanah Kibet </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left</span> running in the lead pack on the 2nd loop, with <b>Leonard Korir</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">far left</span>, his rival for the final spot, a few meters behind at the 2024 Olympic Trials <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit:</i><span> Michael Scott</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>As was announced shortly before the Trials, the US was only guaranteed two spots in the Olympic Marathon in Paris. By running very fast times at Chicago last October, <b>Connor Mantz</b> and <b>Clayton Young</b> opened up two slots. But no other American had run under the 2:08:10 needed to unlock a third spot. If anyone other than Mantz or Young had run under 2:08:10 in the trials that would have unlocked a third spot. Panning, with Mantz and Young running comfortably in 2nd and 3rd, brought the lead pack through the half marathon in 1:04:07. </p><p>Kibet, and one of his rivals, <b>Leonard Korir</b>, a youngster at 37, who finished 4th in the 2020 Trials, were in that pack. Panning kept hammering as Miles 15 through 19 went by in 4:51, 4:48, 4:44, 4:51, and 4:53. In Miles 18 and 19, Kibet and Korir allowed a 7 second gap to open up between them and the leading trio. Mile 20 saw Kibet's split rise just above 5:00 for the first time; he suddenly found himself in 5th, 7 seconds behind Korir and 16 behind Panning. Even though Kibet lost another 9 seconds to Korir in the next mile, with a 5:15 split, the veteran did not panic. He found a way to settle into a slightly more productive rhythm. Kibet closed up with Korir by Mile 23. </p><p>By Mile 23, the lead trio was tired; all three had splits of 5:06 or 5:07. Mile 24 saw Panning start to struggle. Mantz and Young's splits climbed from 5:07 to 5:10 but Panning's split for Mile 24 was 5:29. All of a sudden, Panning was 3rd, in 'No Man's Land', twenty seconds behind the lead duo of training partners, Mantz and Young. At that point he had a 24 second lead on Kibet. Korir had hit another bad patch and trailed Kibet by 12 seconds. With 3rd place coming back to him, Kibet found a way to lower his split for Mile 25 to 5:07. With just 1.2 miles to go, he was only 3 seconds out of 3rd place and closing fast, with a 14 second lead on Korir, in 5th. After that disastrous 24th mile for Korir, the warrior inside him awakened and saw that if he could find a better rhythm with his stride, he had a chance at the prize that eluded him in 2020. He was not able to lower his pace by as much as Kibet in Mile 25, but almost. Korir's 25th mile split was 5:09 to Kibet's 5:07. Kibet continued to close on Panning, but it was because Panning had nothing left. Kibet's pace rose to over 5:20 per mile as Korir was able to keep his under 5:10. Kibet passed Panning shortly after they passed the 25 Mile mark. But right before they hit the 26 Mile mat, Korir had passed Kibet with a head of steam. Korir claimed third in 2:09:57, five seconds ahead of Kibet. Korir was elated, Kibet downhearted. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9nuzOOM7cCtDG8xRa_fXNaAB5gIe-WvmsG2cPFe9lTtjXzcwizYyad8ZfOSSWVLSV8kB7eo3t479okjWmA3SjOjE5cBi3gK-3psh6jsNsP_86ONVCTisPcTq1fX_0_Nr6KQNkLSEeFWwjw7CRipNLFpWCzd3KyJ62OIpaf2f2NdKiUgEiQyOh_4pKGAW/s897/kibet-finish-miscott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="717" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9nuzOOM7cCtDG8xRa_fXNaAB5gIe-WvmsG2cPFe9lTtjXzcwizYyad8ZfOSSWVLSV8kB7eo3t479okjWmA3SjOjE5cBi3gK-3psh6jsNsP_86ONVCTisPcTq1fX_0_Nr6KQNkLSEeFWwjw7CRipNLFpWCzd3KyJ62OIpaf2f2NdKiUgEiQyOh_4pKGAW/w512-h640/kibet-finish-miscott.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elkanah Kibet, </b>after finishing the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials in 4th Place <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit:</i><span> Michael Scott</span></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>But Kibet had battled hard; it was not in the cards for him on this day. </p><p>The consolation prize, if you will, is that he lowered Abdi Abdirahman's American Masters Marathon Record by one second. At the 2020 trials, Abdi ran 2:10:03; that had stood as the American 40+ record since then. Once the new record is ratified, it will read, Kibet 2:10:02.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">OTHER MASTERS RUNNERS</span></b></p><p><b>WOMEN </b>The other headliners were <b>Steph Bruce</b> and<b> Des Linden</b>. Bruce had qualified for the trials and would run them. Bruce gave birth to her third child, a daughter, Sophia, to join sons Riley and Hudson, just 4 months before the trials. At the beginning of 2022, after being diagnosed with a congenital heart condition, Bruce had started a 'Farewell Tour'. After some really strong performances, she called it off and said she would be pointing toward the 2024 Trials. Bruce had finished sixth at the 2020 Marathon trials in Atlanta. And here she was, four years later, probably not the fittest she had ever been for a Marathon. But she was showing up and would enjoy every minute! Bruce ran her first mile in 5:53 and ran all of her splits for the first 12 miles of the race in the 5:51 to 6:01 range. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovK9wDHO56wvCeUs1ocB1WnEMnC3OaiYcBqRm4eQ0XanXXMk2CD4cZGUZc_O2Pof16NHPjn0RbfHrWJML2uft6kbeg50tZ7qO0lwrrBfwi1ujSvQnRVxPbTaUi-Aj4-1t-oEOngI7SB6eUMRsce15vlTfBrZQeSH6t4Xd4sPkggmbiBp3zkxfhwsa_vmM/s1346/Bruce_Steph-2-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovK9wDHO56wvCeUs1ocB1WnEMnC3OaiYcBqRm4eQ0XanXXMk2CD4cZGUZc_O2Pof16NHPjn0RbfHrWJML2uft6kbeg50tZ7qO0lwrrBfwi1ujSvQnRVxPbTaUi-Aj4-1t-oEOngI7SB6eUMRsce15vlTfBrZQeSH6t4Xd4sPkggmbiBp3zkxfhwsa_vmM/w640-h426/Bruce_Steph-2-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Stephanie Bruce </b>keeping it going through the 2nd Loop of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit:</i><span> Michael Scott</span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>After that her splits climbed up further into the low 6's and eventually climbed above 7. But she had enough left at the end for a strong finish. She had every reason to be proud of her 2:47:42, finishing just outside the top 100. Her Strava post: "On paper rough, in real life, after giving birth to Sophia over 4 months ago, super proud."</p><p>Linden, the winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, was relishing her role as the underdog and the one runner who knew how to run well in disastrous conditions. If the weather was too hot, would the favorites fade back? Would we see Linden calmly moving to the front? That was the speculation. In the end it was not to be. Linden came in with the Masters Record she set last October in Chicago. She left with a fine 11th place finish, but no Masters record any more. Linden must have been thinking a 5:30 pace would bring her home in a little over 2:26 and that might be good enough to win on a warm day in Orlando. She started out at that pace and was comfortably in the middle of the lead pack. When Hall and the others lowered the pace to 5:17 in the 2nd mile, Linden's response was to run a 5:28 mile. Her third mile was 5:34. By then she was a half-minute behind the leaders. Linden, no doubt, felt that everything was okay. You never knew what might happen to those going out fast on a warm day. She wished them well but knew she had to be ready to move should things open up later in the race. But with O'Keefe applying pressure at the front, Linden fell further and further behind with her 5:30-ish pace that grew closer to 5:40 after Mile 14. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_MiuriRjLE9Zd5HAhl1MKBfcasTLfqM4uIP8FGcb8OLcCS5envwzLgXIH__cSrTjoV5uQvZ9hlRSWl8XoRhAjBz-fw-QWthRR-zJar9tFR7BL9GrZBXEa_IztxEdbcE6NLKSE5WHEX93D8q4HIQMm5uSwvbyLaiuLWj_V1wm7uNP_QffCKKahTOqOGqc/s1346/Linden_Des-3_Loop2MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_MiuriRjLE9Zd5HAhl1MKBfcasTLfqM4uIP8FGcb8OLcCS5envwzLgXIH__cSrTjoV5uQvZ9hlRSWl8XoRhAjBz-fw-QWthRR-zJar9tFR7BL9GrZBXEa_IztxEdbcE6NLKSE5WHEX93D8q4HIQMm5uSwvbyLaiuLWj_V1wm7uNP_QffCKKahTOqOGqc/w640-h426/Linden_Des-3_Loop2MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Des Linden</b>, running with plenty of bounce in her stride-Third Loop of 2024 Olympic Trials Marathon <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>By Mile 22, she was 3 minutes behind Hall and 4 minutes behind O'Keefe. Her gamble did not pay off. but it had been her best bet. She did take over a minute out of Hall's lead in the last 4 miles. Linden was right that the fast pace and warm weather would favor a more reasonable pace. But she needed another mile or two of racecourse for it to pay off. In the end, Linden had another fine run, stopping the clock at 2:28:04, in 11th place.</p><p><b>Roberta Groner</b> does not have quite the celebrity status of Bruce and Linden. Although it was close after the Doha World Championships in 2019. She finished as the #1 American in the Marathon and 6th overall that year. The time was slow, due to the inferno like conditions in Doha. They ran the race in the middle of the night and the conditions were still so hot they had a huge number of DNF's. Groner ran her qualifying 2:31:37 at Copenhagen in 2023. Her PR was set at Rotterdam 4 years earlier in 2:29:06! Unlike Linden, Groner had no real likelihood of finishing top 3. But she would run the race, compete, and see what happened. Her plan was to run at 5:45-5:50 pace. That would, if all went well, bring her in with a 2:32 Marathon, very respectable on a warm day in Orlando. Running part of the way with <b>Katie Kellner</b>, Groner appeared to have a fun day as well as a good one. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmviy6zqp846I9YtLBo7xGVGCkQu2aITvtAchJIp-4rWBOZfUg7my_pY9aOhCeOXJhGY-4zdlXnXtghQxEFVfdl9vfhhqug_SwGzKgurL-kfewWSnxk_poVDKEnhxFmaLwzebRLlG-k-A5l4ljNE5eLE6YtAMMVUdqeQ4MjGUE21TfJ4HVzNpoubAzGQiL/s1600/Groner%20&%20Kellner.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmviy6zqp846I9YtLBo7xGVGCkQu2aITvtAchJIp-4rWBOZfUg7my_pY9aOhCeOXJhGY-4zdlXnXtghQxEFVfdl9vfhhqug_SwGzKgurL-kfewWSnxk_poVDKEnhxFmaLwzebRLlG-k-A5l4ljNE5eLE6YtAMMVUdqeQ4MjGUE21TfJ4HVzNpoubAzGQiL/w480-h640/Groner%20&%20Kellner.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roberta Groner </b>gives a Thumbs Up while racing in the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials alongside <b>Katie Kellner</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo posted on Facebook</i> by R Groner</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>She passed the Half Marathon mark in 1:16:01 and slowed only slightly over the last 13.1 miles, finishing 24th in 2:33:33. <b>Marybeth Chelanga</b>, in her debut marathon apparently,<b> </b>had a lead of a minute over Groner with 3 miles to go. Groner caught Chelanga with 200 meters to go and edged ahead. But Chelanga did not give up as they sprinted the final meters to the finish line. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiuis_0xQ2vreZ8IuCKyEYlrIrkIfhxJW5FnmUaXam5Zuu96WHNjEyQeVzCnGoeLXpDyMXbo0a3t4hJAwg35jgAEQrsv3TkTxXmunpEVTQs88xxO2-68QnlehqPn7J-8tuJDRMFtVf0WQUQWkOnS2Vj2YDwokTNtGGmCCvIg0p7uqtL3w_VU5HqFrjlcl/s1600/Groner%20&%20Chelanga%20at%20the%20finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiuis_0xQ2vreZ8IuCKyEYlrIrkIfhxJW5FnmUaXam5Zuu96WHNjEyQeVzCnGoeLXpDyMXbo0a3t4hJAwg35jgAEQrsv3TkTxXmunpEVTQs88xxO2-68QnlehqPn7J-8tuJDRMFtVf0WQUQWkOnS2Vj2YDwokTNtGGmCCvIg0p7uqtL3w_VU5HqFrjlcl/w640-h426/Groner%20&%20Chelanga%20at%20the%20finish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roberta Groner</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right</span> and <b>Marybeth Chelanga</b> both finish in 24th place at 2:33:33 <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo posted on Facebook</i> by R Groner</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>They wound up with the same time to the second! Such a fun way for a veteran and a rookie to end the race!<b> </b></p><p><b>Andrea Pomaranski</b> is the American Masters (40+) Record Holder for the 1 Mile (Road) at 4:47 and the 50 Km at 3:07:49. She is also the 2023 50K US Champion and the Silver Medalist from the 2023 World 50K Championships. Her plan was much like Groner's. Pomaranski carried a faster pace through the halfway point, running the first half marathon in 1:15:12 compared to Groner's 1:16:01. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifShZl6ygc2OyJLDJzHVh7yB0H4wh3frR4NC1lls8O1TnV3ZvsSW6eLixg08gTRsG8vlf7-xWK2fi3acG7FiwkWlNVsyRSfHLH6kdG5_KsPRFk5ddvQZwF75CC2a8D-aWPUfLgFnqBzZexmXLz9Px_svrW0Z3OsXMYxmrgDowSo4g8v8BGAMRhBzjT5q14/s1346/Pomaranski_Loop2maybeMiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifShZl6ygc2OyJLDJzHVh7yB0H4wh3frR4NC1lls8O1TnV3ZvsSW6eLixg08gTRsG8vlf7-xWK2fi3acG7FiwkWlNVsyRSfHLH6kdG5_KsPRFk5ddvQZwF75CC2a8D-aWPUfLgFnqBzZexmXLz9Px_svrW0Z3OsXMYxmrgDowSo4g8v8BGAMRhBzjT5q14/w640-h426/Pomaranski_Loop2maybeMiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andrea Pomaranski</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>found something too smile about on Loop2 of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit:</i><span> Michael Scott</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But over the second half, Groner was able to keep her splits about 5 to 10 seconds faster than Pomaranski. By Mile 23, Pomaranski was no longer ahead of Groner. But she kept her pace going, finishing 27th of 116 in 2:34:35. That was a Trials Marathon to be proud of!</p><p><b>Meriah Earle</b>, who won the Masters Overall Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships, ran in her first Trials Marathon in 2020. This would be her second. She hoped to improve on her 136th place finish in 2:45:46. Earle knew that an average pace of 6:00 per mile would allow her to finish under 2:40, giving her some slack should she slow over the last few miles. She ticked off sub-6's through Mile 11. Even though she had not kept the sub-6's going through the entire first half, she gained confidence, no doubt, by seeing the halfway split of 1:18:00. Except for her Mile 17 split, which was 6:06, she was running at 6:15 pace from Mile 16 to 21. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-6SBqzbjMIBhQ1xhyphenhyphenNNgnfUcywi2oX1tYrz8_pf5-6bZXmtaGJo1FYe_OQRB3lvq6PTE-5NXLgsBkeNBVl177Clw_miJASGvNAy2KM802DYmhegPVUViXnzWbcxCRcFlK66Kglx-qsl-RSZPS5xZsO-VRx-SDtFI9_mnNUNOaBc2auP9SbzDcNZRzFVd/s1346/Earle_BehindBruce-Loop2-MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-6SBqzbjMIBhQ1xhyphenhyphenNNgnfUcywi2oX1tYrz8_pf5-6bZXmtaGJo1FYe_OQRB3lvq6PTE-5NXLgsBkeNBVl177Clw_miJASGvNAy2KM802DYmhegPVUViXnzWbcxCRcFlK66Kglx-qsl-RSZPS5xZsO-VRx-SDtFI9_mnNUNOaBc2auP9SbzDcNZRzFVd/w640-h426/Earle_BehindBruce-Loop2-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Meriah Earle</b> running comfortably right behind Bruce on the 2nd Loop of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials course in Orlando FL <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>From Mile 22 to 24, Earle's pace rose to 6:25 per mile, but it never shot up like it did for some who had been less cautious in the early miles. Earle hit her 25th mile split in 6:02 and kept it going for a 6:08 in the last full mile. Finally she was across the finish line, one objective achieved. She finished 61st in 2:39:46!</p><p><b>MEN </b>Apart from Kibet, none of the other Masters athletes in the Men's race had a realistic shot at qualifying. The list, in alphabetical order, included: <b>Riley Cook</b>, <b>Ben Payne,</b> <b>Jesse Davis, Prescott Leach, </b><b>Sergio Garcia</b>, <b>Malcolm Richards, Alex Taylor.</b></p><p><b>Ben Payne </b>had the best day. He ran the first mile in 5:18 but followed that with a 5:07. Once he got into his rhythm, he was running at about 5:15/mile pace through the Half Marathon. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJFa_L0HvjaTnU_JDH8mT0qjPV6jLlJGRoaLsbYQcIVf-hT-76mdfZqA4_t8KxZq5yQUQyz5ZyJLxZkQ0cavM5yuMwOnnLPTySrXLXPWMy1YR-dyWMpRgi3tNWjI7dVskf0VOT-51LKDNcTUAGudPX5T8zFqypIitWoxJX7dXVDjCBQyBs0xlMPBAnSio/s1346/Payne_Ben-Mi%20Scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJFa_L0HvjaTnU_JDH8mT0qjPV6jLlJGRoaLsbYQcIVf-hT-76mdfZqA4_t8KxZq5yQUQyz5ZyJLxZkQ0cavM5yuMwOnnLPTySrXLXPWMy1YR-dyWMpRgi3tNWjI7dVskf0VOT-51LKDNcTUAGudPX5T8zFqypIitWoxJX7dXVDjCBQyBs0xlMPBAnSio/w640-h426/Payne_Ben-Mi%20Scott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ben Payne </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">far right </span>striding along at 5:15 pace in the first loop of the 2024 Olympic Trials Marathon <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Payne passed the halfway point at 1:08:55. Payne kept that up the rest of the way, his slowest at 5:19 and his fastest at 5:09 over those miles. He finished strong to post a 2:17:05, finishing 34th of 150. Kudos to Payne! Not many handled the Orlando warm as well as he did.</p><p><b>Malcolm Richards</b> had a good day as well. The first half marathon was smooth. Like Payne and much of the field, Richards ran his first mile slower than his second, 5:13 and 5:06 and then settled into a pace that was just under 5:10. Richards rolled through the half at 1:07:44 and kept that sub-5:10 pace going through mile 17. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2nCgNq0H2Y6QfLnZwrtqt9ZKUDc_YLv8ABiU7-bl1UM6vG0as5tzuM4V170AWM6rk_Qc40F5xx6d89eqoE-aiWJzaugwzVqUdbSwRJbQ87NY2Pidt1Ojd84au52GaWaW9QSX-tQONEG4UhCl3sVT5LGnzRC0HQMDDITY3WW55DTcUMP1nLsO7fcnRL4_/s1346/Richards_Malcolm_Mi%20Scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2nCgNq0H2Y6QfLnZwrtqt9ZKUDc_YLv8ABiU7-bl1UM6vG0as5tzuM4V170AWM6rk_Qc40F5xx6d89eqoE-aiWJzaugwzVqUdbSwRJbQ87NY2Pidt1Ojd84au52GaWaW9QSX-tQONEG4UhCl3sVT5LGnzRC0HQMDDITY3WW55DTcUMP1nLsO7fcnRL4_/w640-h426/Richards_Malcolm_Mi%20Scott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Center-white cap </span>rips off another sub-5:10 Mile on Loop 2 of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>After Mile 17, the next few miles were at 5:18/mile. After Mile 20 things fell apart a little more; the splits rose closer to 5:30, and then 5:45. Richards's 2:18:32 had him in 44th of 150. Richards was mildly dismissive of his effort on his Strava post, titled, "Yeah, on second thought, I don't know about this whole marathon thing." But Richards had a pretty good result on the day. Many folks struggled to finish. That often happens with a marathon on a warm day. Of course, it was not as fast a Trials marathon as his 2:17:13 in Atlanta nor as fast as his 2:15:10 on the fast course in Berlin in 2016. But it was 8 seconds faster than his Trials marathon in LA in 2016, and 43 seconds faster than his Trials debut marathon in 2012.</p><p><b>Prescott Leach</b> ran a pretty even race, although slower than the races of Payne and Richards. His first mile was 5:30 and he dropped to 5:21 for the 2nd. He hit the splits from Mile 3 to Mile 21 between 5:21 and 5:26, crossing the halfway point in 1:10:06. His pace was closer to 5:30 for the last 5 miles but it does not appear that he experienced as much variation as Richards. His 2:21:07 left him in 71st place out of 150--top half!</p><p><b>Riley Cook </b>was unusual in that his second mile was not faster than his first, hitting both at 5:21. But thereafter Cook settled into 5:20/mile pace through the 17-mile mark, crossing the half at 1:09:33. After Mile 17, his pace climbed above 5:30/mile, and then after Mile 20, above 5:45. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5HqQrwa8s0RrbwaA3b4y-tTUqZzCQm6epa7HdrbsHq9emIe6utA_WbChmGfxQHcQJK1o7KefPViio-VDXJZsAYv5M_mZ1C9cg9wLcBx97fwm69VbdydflNqq4GoEY9a_mA9cBnslSJVI0Gf4ySndV-cRrdjGzsmjmPP8R2wS_gTJHU5vpNK8ljcEjXn4/s1346/Cook_Riley-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5HqQrwa8s0RrbwaA3b4y-tTUqZzCQm6epa7HdrbsHq9emIe6utA_WbChmGfxQHcQJK1o7KefPViio-VDXJZsAYv5M_mZ1C9cg9wLcBx97fwm69VbdydflNqq4GoEY9a_mA9cBnslSJVI0Gf4ySndV-cRrdjGzsmjmPP8R2wS_gTJHU5vpNK8ljcEjXn4/w640-h426/Cook_Riley-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Riley Cook</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right</span> cranking out the 5:20 miles on Loop 2 of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>He found his legs could handle a sub-5:30 pace for the final couple of hundred meters, getting him across the finish line in 2:22:53, 90th of 150. Cook noted on Strava, "...not what I hoped for or felt like I trained for, but I gave it everything I had. The third loop was a death march." and "...it was really cool to have family here supporting me. I hope it inspired my kids to chase their dreams."</p><p><b>Jesse Davis </b>started with a 5:26 and dropped it to 5:14 for the 2nd mile. He then kept it around 5:20 pace through Mile 17, crossing the halfway point at 1:09:34. </p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP-YcFcWsW3CHf1WBLSeJTXeUEDstX-dZEmN2d9p4quz_MI2xHbzfPk9NGTB0B3gUpVZxgEDR9-LacRsT3O8xeUiw_RQ0Xn-e9GG75SzTO1-PUhSHQh4UB3-pc8KFVfD90M-5WIxph4oyAabQ0M62A8TbaICrF6sJppKSbQ27RknOip3YYXnkpPes5skF/s1346/Davis_Jesse_Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP-YcFcWsW3CHf1WBLSeJTXeUEDstX-dZEmN2d9p4quz_MI2xHbzfPk9NGTB0B3gUpVZxgEDR9-LacRsT3O8xeUiw_RQ0Xn-e9GG75SzTO1-PUhSHQh4UB3-pc8KFVfD90M-5WIxph4oyAabQ0M62A8TbaICrF6sJppKSbQ27RknOip3YYXnkpPes5skF/w640-h426/Davis_Jesse_Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jesse Davis </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span>gives a 'Thums Up' to a fan as he keeps his 5:20 pace going through the 2nd loop of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />He and Cook must have been running in a group at that point. Davis commented on Cook's post that he was right behind him much of the way. Davis's splits rose to 5:40 pace for miles 18-20 and then to just under 6:00/mile for the final 6 miles. His 2:24:17 left him 108th of 150, another fine effort! His Strava post echoed Cook's, "That was tough. Started cramping with 8 or 9 to go, so went into survival pace. Not my worst race ever and given the heat, I'll take it."</p><p><b>Alex Taylor </b>reported on Strava, after the race, that: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;">Nauseated and couldn’t take in more fluids and was getting cramps so pulled the plug. Physically fine. Respect to all the finishers today." Taylor was running steady before Mile 18. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU9sqgY_0fDuONwtnEqSnM-EZUMIKmNNMGQhjJ5f0m_v77bsLgUIBqCeIe3IgiwANXtRG_GUsjPP11moFjUL8JPwt9aJyClm35S-o1Wd8tkMdUlo92JAmtzlhcEAgMCQOU0t_J6D08TcV-QGfWEMmmvwRa7UieWehkQ4iXk9n9j_gT5A5TLxyzJS3Y97I/s859/Taylor&Taylor-2-Loop02maybe-MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="859" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU9sqgY_0fDuONwtnEqSnM-EZUMIKmNNMGQhjJ5f0m_v77bsLgUIBqCeIe3IgiwANXtRG_GUsjPP11moFjUL8JPwt9aJyClm35S-o1Wd8tkMdUlo92JAmtzlhcEAgMCQOU0t_J6D08TcV-QGfWEMmmvwRa7UieWehkQ4iXk9n9j_gT5A5TLxyzJS3Y97I/w640-h536/Taylor&Taylor-2-Loop02maybe-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alex Taylor</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right </span>laying down a steady 5:40 pace as he runs, by chance, next to <b>Bradley Taylor </b>on Loop 2 of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;">He passed the halfway point in 1:12:23 and continued to carry a 5:40 pace through Mile 18. That was when he made the sound decision to 'pull the plug' and live to race another day.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><b>Sergio Reyes </b>won the 2010 USATF Marathon Championship, hosted by the Twin Cities Marathon in 2:14:02. He also ran in the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, finishing 25th in 2:15:41. Reyes's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;">experience this year was similar to Taylor. His splits fell into the 5:52 to 5:58 range up through Mile 16. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b;">He had hit the halfway point in 1:11:55. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70dhPfvVZ93JmC-zoHF1myJJV7yCjJmO4PH2NJ0Fb8WvNknESCVxalQ9pi-FLz4J9Q4TPzzkjh3ucwqhnGA8kqKlYGii02KmBPfkwNxuEDLAfdRNGAUf73buudlPuZlA65UcHF7VpggYSXgFh5FDEV_hRRrY3M1UKFgooTOZ0JJyeLOiWkMAZ5AlpNZYO/s1346/Reyes_Sergio-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70dhPfvVZ93JmC-zoHF1myJJV7yCjJmO4PH2NJ0Fb8WvNknESCVxalQ9pi-FLz4J9Q4TPzzkjh3ucwqhnGA8kqKlYGii02KmBPfkwNxuEDLAfdRNGAUf73buudlPuZlA65UcHF7VpggYSXgFh5FDEV_hRRrY3M1UKFgooTOZ0JJyeLOiWkMAZ5AlpNZYO/w640-h426/Reyes_Sergio-Loop2maybe-MiScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sergio Reyes </b>running strong on the 2nd Loop at the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials <i style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit:</i><span style="font-size: small;"> Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;">He lowered his pace to 5:47 for Mile 17. I do not know if that was an experiment to see if he could carry a faster pace or simply because he was suddenly running more smoothly, as sometimes happens in a marathon. His pace rose back up to 6:03 for Mile 18. That was his last split. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"> It had been a warm marathon day in Orlando, not a day for PR's or to get the third qualifying spot for the Olympic Men's Marathon. But it was not the health risk that many worried about, and it may turn out to be as warm or warmer in Paris in the summer. So it was a good selection site for that reason.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b2b2b;">Certainly,</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"> hats off to all of the runners who qualified and, </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b;">especially</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"> so, to those who were able to compete, in an event that only comes around once every four years. Next Marathon Trials up, 2028!</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p>Sources: Runners World, Wikipedia, World Athletics, www.orlando2024trials.com, www.usatf.org/events/</p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-30860589931223135212024-02-03T00:07:00.000-05:002024-02-03T00:07:32.837-05:00Masters Athletes Qualified and Entered for the Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando this Saturday<p><b> February 2, 2024</b>. The 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials have arrived. In Orlando, this Saturday morning just after 10 AM, the best marathoners in America will hit the streets of Orlando, FL with the top three women and the top two, or three, men going to the Olympic Marathon in Paris France this summer to compete for Team USA. The men start at 10:10 AM with the Women at 10:20 AM. A few top marathoners have had to withdraw, the most notable being <b>Molly Seidel</b>, the Bronze Medalist from the Tokyo Olympics. But most of the favorites are in. Everyone has their favorites. The weather was a big topic early on with worries about the heat. Once the start time was moved back to 10 AM, the complaints largely stopped and the planning for how to optimize preparation for a warm and humid marathon trials began. </p><p>The weather forecast, as of now, calls for sunny skies at the start, 60F with relative humidity in the mid to low 60% range as well. Temperatures should top off at upper 60's to low 70's. The dewpoint should be below 50 for the entire race. No one would call those ideal conditions for a marathon but the worries about the weather being dangerous for the athletes have faded away. Clearly being able to deal with warm conditions will be an advantage. But even more important is having the confidence that you can handle the conditions. The athlete's mindset at the start of this marathon should be essentially the same as at all other marathons. The focus is on how the race unfolds, sticking to your planned pace but be ready to adapt as the race changes and the strategies of significant rivals start to play out. Anyone worried about the weather is at a disadvantage. Most, if not all, of the major training groups are in Florida or Arizona or other warm weather locations at low elevations. Mimicking Trials conditions is considered important. Athletes without substantial sponsors will do the best they can to mimic training in warm conditions.</p><p>This blog focuses on Masters LDR so it is natural to find a list of the Masters Marathon Trialists (40 and over) here. Most of the Masters Men who have qualified would be described as journeymen marathoners. The one exception is <b>Elkanah Kibet</b>. It would be no more shocking to see him qualify than it was to see <b>Abdi Abdirahman</b> qualify, as a Masters marathoner, at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. On the Women's side of the Trials there are several Masters women qualifiers who are household names, at least among those who follow LDR: <b>Sara Hall, Des Linden,</b> and <b>Steph Bruce</b>.</p><p>A complete set of bios for all qualifiers can be found at: </p><p><a href="https://www.orlando2024trials.com/athletes/">Athlete Bios - 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon (orlando2024trials.com)</a> </p><p><b style="font-size: large;">WOMEN</b></p><p><b>Sara Hall </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">40 Flagstaff, AZ; Affiliation-Asics; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:22:10 WA Marathon Championship Eugene OR</b>. Hall, a Stanford graduate, owns one of the most recognizable names in road racing. This is due both to success and longevity. A 2011 Pan American Games Gold medalist in the 3000M Steeplechase, she moved up to the marathon with success many years later. Hall was first American and 2nd overall at the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon in 2:22:01. Two years later she finished 5th at the WA Marathon Championships in Eugene OR in an almost identical 2:22:10. With Emma Bates and Molly Seidel both having withdrawn from the Trials, Hall, despite her 40 years, is one of the favorites to make the team.</p><p><b>Des Linden </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">40 Charlevoix, MI; Affiliation - Brooks; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:27:18 Boston 2023. </b>Linden is known as a Marathoner. A huge crowd favorite since her win in the wind and the rain at the 2018 Boston Marathon, Linden will definitely be on the lists of many fans who hope she makes Team USA for the marathon. If it is simply a fast race, that is not a race many would expect Linden to win. Her 2:27:35 at Chicago last October was fast enough to take the Masters marathon record away from Deena Kastor. Her Trials qualifying time is 18th on the list. If there is anything quirky about the race, Linden moves up as a favorite, because of her resiliency and her experience. She is known for her racing savvy, not to mention her views on whiskey. In the late twenty-teens, Linden was a perennial on the podium at Boston and New York. Her 4th place finish at Boston in 2:25:06 in 2017 set the stage for her remarkable win the next year, when she ran almost 14 minutes slower. But if everyone else runs 15 minutes or more slower, 14 minutes slower is good for the win! Linden showed her speed and racing ability again the following year, when she was 5th at Boston in 2:27:00. She ran 2:26:46 at New York that year to finish as first American and 6th overall. If she can hang in the lead pack for much of the race or make a move to pull away from the lead pack, the crowds will be cheering for her!</p><p><b>Steph(anie) Bruce</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">40 Flagstaff AZ; Affiliation: HOKA Naz Elite </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT: 2:28:02 Boston. </b>This will be Bruce's 5th Olympic Trials appearance, either on the track or in the marathon. Bruce was a bronze medalist in the 10,000M at the 2018 USATF National Outdoor TF Championships. She has won national road championships in the 10K and Half Marathon. Bruce finished 6th in 2:29:11 at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. Bruce knows how to compete! After giving birth to her 3rd child 4 months ago, Bruce has worked her way back into condition to compete at the Trials along with her Naz Elite teammates. As a footnote, she competed in the Open field at the 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond; her husband, Ben, won the Masters race. Perhaps she will compete in the Masters Race at the Cross Country championships next year.</p><p><b>Andrea Pomaranski </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">41 Wolverine Lake, MI; Coach and Mom; <b>QT: 2:31:06 Houston 2023.</b> </span>A three-time All American at Miami of Ohio, Pomaranski has found success at distances from the 1 Mile to the 50K. She was the 2023 50K US Champion and finished 2nd in the World 50K Championships. In 2022, she set the Masters record in the 1 Mile at Pittsburgh's Liberty Mile, with a 4:47. She qualified for both the 2012 and the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Her most recent marathon is the 2024 Chevron Houston Marathon where she finished 2nd Masters in 2:36:41. It will be interesting to see if Pomaranski was running that as a workout, as it was less than two months before the Trials, or if it is an accurate gauge of her current fitness.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFVq3ozM-Rdw7CbFT2pAir4LqC2kCiGlt5LRnvhWpSwpylUucLe50P2lOh4l3fSstqhGGcuMNaHNT5-9OkBgA49juhHGPNd6qREemNmp87527JLeu7mvv7mb0C37jQ6-bpOEIxYVtMs2sQEm5WJ-h2ZeUaLf_T139rxoH5RpzL0cLXOMIWuyKigbzRfMh/s480/Pomaranski-50K%20Champion-Photo%20by%20Meghan%20Canfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="386" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFVq3ozM-Rdw7CbFT2pAir4LqC2kCiGlt5LRnvhWpSwpylUucLe50P2lOh4l3fSstqhGGcuMNaHNT5-9OkBgA49juhHGPNd6qREemNmp87527JLeu7mvv7mb0C37jQ6-bpOEIxYVtMs2sQEm5WJ-h2ZeUaLf_T139rxoH5RpzL0cLXOMIWuyKigbzRfMh/w321-h400/Pomaranski-50K%20Champion-Photo%20by%20Meghan%20Canfield.jpg" width="321" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andrea Pomaranski</b> winning her USATF 50K Championship <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Meghan Canfield</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Roberta Groner</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">46 Ledgewood, NJ; Registered Nurse [RN] & Coach for Central Park TC; Affiliation: CPTC Tracksmith; <b>QT: 2:31:37 Copenhagen 2023.</b> </span>Groner did not run for ten years after leaving college. After starting up again simply for exercise, Groner's love of the discipline and challenge of the Marathon led her to remarkable accomplishments. Groner first qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2011. By 2017 she finished 16th at Boston. The next year she finished 12th at New York and in 2019 finished 5th at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:29:06, her PR. Her fame as a distance runner came from the Doha World Championships in 2019. The weather was so hot that they ran the Marathon in the middle of the night, and it was a marathon of attrition. The heat forced many marathoners to withdraw from the race; Groner was the first American to finish, garnering 6th place overall! Groner won the Women's Overall Championship at the 2021 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_j0ioWFS-Mx9Tp6FZu6pM3Tfs8A5iHmribMfUIb-UCDn4E1nOaf-4cGXsDL_F6XuVnSSbjfrYDxVdYLzvuzQvTupXko7kRei05MibwUdqBfBd5yNODbkJl4O_Z_1J7FZQTz6nMuIaEhkeY5v4GX-7LsxwRGho9VJL12F9unC2LF2Lz8VbOakhU6GxWpZ/s2048/Roberta%20Groner%20breaks%20the%20tape-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_j0ioWFS-Mx9Tp6FZu6pM3Tfs8A5iHmribMfUIb-UCDn4E1nOaf-4cGXsDL_F6XuVnSSbjfrYDxVdYLzvuzQvTupXko7kRei05MibwUdqBfBd5yNODbkJl4O_Z_1J7FZQTz6nMuIaEhkeY5v4GX-7LsxwRGho9VJL12F9unC2LF2Lz8VbOakhU6GxWpZ/w400-h266/Roberta%20Groner%20breaks%20the%20tape-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roberta Groner</b> takes the win at the 2021 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Meriah Earle</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">45 Escondido, CA; Assistant Coach, UC-SD; Affiliation: rabbit & San Diego TC; <b>QT: 2:34:19 Grandma's 2022.</b> </span>Earle's 2022 qualifier at Grandma's was a top ten finish. She finished 3rd at CIM in 2019 with a 2:34:34. Earle has competed for her SDTC in USATF Masters Cross Country competitions, winning the overall women's race at the 2019 5 km Cross Country Championships in San Diego and the 2022 Club Cross Country Championships on a wild, wet and windy day at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. She finished 6th overall on a frigid day at the 2018 Club Cross Country Championships in Spokane WA.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaaDRDuQgdONHGv2iNWyanW-bVA00p7-w_ZDUj20a1_7Zs6UqUUvQ5t0vNTLxPVGmB5_Q8JgEGbL-M34q7xINS2FMItjxk0FFW9SS-qNPQOtCA0jwcwABeWebjNFy3OBpLCee3J83tQxqumOW9Iv60GxyaANQ32EzcwMTp4i_u4yoFt4ESt2ujjPigeST/s1282/Women-LeadPack-40Plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1282" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaaDRDuQgdONHGv2iNWyanW-bVA00p7-w_ZDUj20a1_7Zs6UqUUvQ5t0vNTLxPVGmB5_Q8JgEGbL-M34q7xINS2FMItjxk0FFW9SS-qNPQOtCA0jwcwABeWebjNFy3OBpLCee3J83tQxqumOW9Iv60GxyaANQ32EzcwMTp4i_u4yoFt4ESt2ujjPigeST/w640-h428/Women-LeadPack-40Plus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Meriah Earle</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Far Left</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>At the Front of the Lead Pack in the Masters Women's Race at the 2018 Club Cross Country Championships in Spokane WA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>MEN</b></span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">Elkanah Kibet </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">40 Colorado Springs, CO; U.S. Army; Affiliation-ASICS; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:09:07 Boston 2022</b>. Kibet is the Masters athlete with the strongest resume. Originally from Kenya, Kibet ran at Auburn University. After being deployed to Kuwait in 2013, an Army Colonel helped Kibet enter the Army's World Class Athlete program. A few years later, Kibet finished as top American when he claimed 16th at the 2017 World Athletics Marathon Championships in London with a 2:15:14. At the Doha World Championships in 2019, he was 2nd American in hot conditions when the Marathon was held in the middle of the night. He finished 38th in 2:19:38. The second American for Team USA at Eugene, OR in 2022, Kibet finished 24th in 2:11:20. His most recent WA Marathon Championships effort was at Budapest last year. He hit the half marathon mark in 1:05:03, part of a large lead pack of about 30. By 30K he was dropping back and had to withdraw from the race shortly after. </p><p>Just a few months later, however, Kibet showed he was back on track; he finished 11th overall and 2nd American, 14 seconds behind Futsum Zienasellassie.<b> </b>Kibet is also a veteran of the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Kibet turned 40 last June. Qualifying for Team USA would be considered an upset, but it would be no more shocking, perhaps less, than Abdirahman qualifying in 2020.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzl7cJLCJCVa4XLMrkbQJ5nxhR9BgYwzF5L-rysk5n8pqgQZ6KBZ05UqBhmHDwx3ZmSQN13I20zU2z2LQDDxjh75Ra0qflTxbqFA0xi7Rhb7vdgZislik1NhkDZL9ovv83NeJLmQx0EDdGJ-Sb12o1-mjU9blngdQttU6fBM5Xl09z_r8928CpTWR7pD4k/s630/Elkanah%20Kibet%20orlando2024trialsdotcom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzl7cJLCJCVa4XLMrkbQJ5nxhR9BgYwzF5L-rysk5n8pqgQZ6KBZ05UqBhmHDwx3ZmSQN13I20zU2z2LQDDxjh75Ra0qflTxbqFA0xi7Rhb7vdgZislik1NhkDZL9ovv83NeJLmQx0EDdGJ-Sb12o1-mjU9blngdQttU6fBM5Xl09z_r8928CpTWR7pD4k/w400-h400/Elkanah%20Kibet%20orlando2024trialsdotcom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Elkanah Kibet from orlando2024trials.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>Malcolm Richards</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">41 Sacramento, CA; K-8 Teacher; Affiliation- West Valley Track Club; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:16:15 Grandma's 2022</b><span style="font-size: small;">. </span>Richards<b style="font-size: small;"> </b>is one of the Masters Marathoners who has participated in one or more USATF Masters LDR Championships. Richards finished 2nd, behind Fernando Cabada, at the 2023 Masters Ten Mile Championships in 49:39. He finished 3rd for his West Valley TC team in 2022 in the Masters 40 & up race at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco, CA. The following year, Richards finished first in the Masters 40 and up race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL, leading his West Valley Track club to victory in the team competition as well. A Division III Cross Country All American at St. Olaf's in Minnesota, Richards has now qualified for his 4th Olympic Marathon Trials. His best Trials finish was in 2016, when he finished 18th in 2:18:40, 3 seconds behind <b>Ben Payne</b> (see below) and 90 seconds ahead of Elkanah Kibet. He ran 2:13:28 to finish 6th at the 2017 USATF Marathon Championships, held at the CIM in Sacramento. At his qualifier at Grandma's in 2022, Richards finished 21st, a half minute ahead of Fernando Cabada. He has not run a marathon since then, but he has been logging the miles in Sacramento this past fall and winter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRZ1jV8Pf8Wg_XetE3AIgYTDcuzfIb2uB7XlGjwwgyPOg7ona9EkIoOjvCYLNP4EhCy3WQnBGrSO5KuBHW_xrQA-fas48oY1ENF7O5a7UKK8UNXfH5FnCccy3W6Eo61_PKoPjFm9Bp6SgZnAAnsIyzbeLSixu8vIHpTesT5Txn9lqMbj-cRshL2hQ8oiU/s1346/Malcolm%20Richards%20firing%20on%20all%20cylinders-2%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRZ1jV8Pf8Wg_XetE3AIgYTDcuzfIb2uB7XlGjwwgyPOg7ona9EkIoOjvCYLNP4EhCy3WQnBGrSO5KuBHW_xrQA-fas48oY1ENF7O5a7UKK8UNXfH5FnCccy3W6Eo61_PKoPjFm9Bp6SgZnAAnsIyzbeLSixu8vIHpTesT5Txn9lqMbj-cRshL2hQ8oiU/w400-h266/Malcolm%20Richards%20firing%20on%20all%20cylinders-2%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards</b> enjoys a large lead as he surges to victory in the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>Ben Payne </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">42 Colorado Springs, CO; Pilot-Commercial & National Guard; Affiliation-rabbitELITE; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:17:15 Chicago 2023</b><span style="font-size: small;">. </span>A US Air Force Academy graduate and US Air Force Officer for 19 years with multiple overseas deployments. Payne has qualified for the Olympic Trials marathon in 2016 and 2020, finishing in 17th and 31st. In 2016, Payne also competed in the NYC Marathon, finishing 9th overall and 4th American, in 2:15:46, behind Abdi, Shadrack Biwott and Tyler Pennel.</p><p><b>Riley Cook</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">42 South Weber, UT; Operations Research Analyst; Affiliation-Tracksmith; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:17:23 California International Marathon [CIM] 2022. </b>A runner at Weber State, Cook was burned out after college and did not run again for several years. Over the last ten years he has trained and run well, winning nine marathons. His best finishes in headline marathons, apart from CIM, appears to be Houston in 2018 when he ran 2:23:40 to finish 13th, and Boston the following spring, when he finished 29th in 2:20:43. Like Richards, Cook has competed in the USATF Masters National Grand Prix series, winning the Masters 10 Mile Championships in 2022 in 50:00, finishing a half minute ahead of Sergio Reyes. Cook also bested Ben Bruce that year in the Masters 12 Km Championships, clocking 38:20. Cook's most recent marathon effort was a 6th place finish in the St George Marathon in 2:21:13.</p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6jWtESccpXhfxDVvK29QrVPYyBC70P_KUKoxjlLlMzlx4aTi7vIJVjidU44XGdwG2J0srx9fdYumJy8NESk1tphsuTvpsrETcbwjiQfyMVSWgJdRFAuyh2P_IoUzLjKLWNbkLKZo7I2ytIyFza1FYPh7W7My7rcAsO0YgOsRqh-AigzTtT-yhr9Yo8Jc/s1139/CookLeadsOutBruce-Davis-Recap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="980" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6jWtESccpXhfxDVvK29QrVPYyBC70P_KUKoxjlLlMzlx4aTi7vIJVjidU44XGdwG2J0srx9fdYumJy8NESk1tphsuTvpsrETcbwjiQfyMVSWgJdRFAuyh2P_IoUzLjKLWNbkLKZo7I2ytIyFza1FYPh7W7My7rcAsO0YgOsRqh-AigzTtT-yhr9Yo8Jc/w550-h640/CookLeadsOutBruce-Davis-Recap2.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Riley Cook </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#335 </span>leads the field out along with <b>Ben Bruce </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#321 </span>at the 2022 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b>Prescott Leach</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">41 Waltham, MA; Principal Scientist at a therapeutics company; Affiliation-Cambridge Sports Union; <b>QT 2:17:29 CIM 2023.</b> </span>A top 8 finisher for Michigan in the 3000M Steeplechase at the 2003 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Leach also felt burned out after college. He took time away from running from 2004 until 2017. After resuming training, his racing improved rapidly. In December of 2019 he ran 2:19:34 at the CIM. The following spring as he was approaching his transition to Masters status, Leach ran 2:24:15 to finish in the top 45 at Boston. He was first Masters and among the top 40 men with his 2:19:57 at Chicago. Leach's 2:22:08 at the 2023 NYC marathon allowed him to finish in the top 25, but it was not an Oly Trials qualifying time. He got that one month later at CIM, with 28 seconds to spare. That is quite a turnaround. He has now had over two months to recover from CIM. Who knows what he can do in Orlando?!</p><p><b>Jesse Davis </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">42 Omaha, NB; Running Shoe Store Training Manager; Affiliation-Indiana Elite Athletics [IEA]-Personal Best Training; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:17:30 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon 2023. </b>Davis competed for Ball State and Southern Indiana and was a 2006 Division II All American at the 800M Indoor. This is Davis's third Olympic Trials. Davis has found greater success at Ultra distances. He finished 5th at the 2015 World 50K Championships, won the 2017 USATF National 100K championships, and finished 24th at the 2018 World 100K Championships. Since he became a Masters athlete, Davis helped his teammates to wins at the 2021 and 2022 Masters team titles at the USATF Club Cross Championships. He also won masters road titles at the 10K and Half Marathon distances while leading IEA to the 2022 Masters National Grand Prix team title, taking the individual 40-44 Grand Prix title as well. From a quick scan, Davis is also the only 2024 Qualifier to choose a quotation from Ahab in Moby Dick as his favorite motivational quote, starting, "Swerve me? ...The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails..."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbe_StdzPjjxvK-bmYqv9YvzMgvV2RjvqsaTYl14KhvZh58UTxev02ETcxV8sPJC7APMU0wq1e1MnTLjdpV4ODKsSons92cjlylUPY4cms_SKTMJvh-13EQZAEtT2mB7Ff9DAkrSIrBN3BgT-iaH-5gUUKkEBb7-P3c3CW_yR9h6Um-GlZJcubs_ayoDK/s1257/Winner%20Pic%202-J%20Davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbe_StdzPjjxvK-bmYqv9YvzMgvV2RjvqsaTYl14KhvZh58UTxev02ETcxV8sPJC7APMU0wq1e1MnTLjdpV4ODKsSons92cjlylUPY4cms_SKTMJvh-13EQZAEtT2mB7Ff9DAkrSIrBN3BgT-iaH-5gUUKkEBb7-P3c3CW_yR9h6Um-GlZJcubs_ayoDK/w400-h268/Winner%20Pic%202-J%20Davis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jesse Davis</b> taking the win at the 2022 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Alex Taylor </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">44 Lincoln MA; Principal Software Engineer; Affiliation-Boston Tracksmith Hares; </span><b style="font-size: small;">QT 2:17:32 Grandma's 2023</b>. In 2019, Taylor finished 11th overall at Grandma's in 2:17:06, qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Four years later, he qualified for the 2024 Trials at the same race, finishing 24th in 2:17:32. Although not a major part of his resume, Taylor ran for the Boston Athletic Association's Masters team, finishing 6th overall at the 2022 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EBoTzIlg5iJ4oFDukDhV4V36Ptcy7AGBQZxv0kd9vJYJt22fO8fXWt9TtzkIbOnaUYH-Q_-ipKfoQcFiQeL9wAxXSQQ9XXJvvat37dCWj_zUE-MRTYUE1tY5hht9U_rd1L6B25az3AnztoQK82f6Byg9wehem824Rp3GvyamuvlO5e-1vkowX_aIgW2F/s1275/Taylor%206th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1275" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EBoTzIlg5iJ4oFDukDhV4V36Ptcy7AGBQZxv0kd9vJYJt22fO8fXWt9TtzkIbOnaUYH-Q_-ipKfoQcFiQeL9wAxXSQQ9XXJvvat37dCWj_zUE-MRTYUE1tY5hht9U_rd1L6B25az3AnztoQK82f6Byg9wehem824Rp3GvyamuvlO5e-1vkowX_aIgW2F/w400-h268/Taylor%206th.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alex Taylor </b>finishing sixth in the Masters 40+ Race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Notes: A </span><i style="font-size: small;">Runners World </i><span style="font-size: small;">article says Abdi Abdirahman, 47, is running in the Marathon Trials but he is not among the athletes with bios at orlando2024trials.com. Abdi received an automatic invitation as one of the qualifiers at the Trials in 2020 in Atlanta. If he should run, he would be the oldest competitor and, as a 5-time Olympian, the athlete with the most World Class experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Sources: </span><span style="font-size: small;">https://www.orlando2024trials.com/' athlinks.com/wikipedia//worldathletics.com/www.runningprof.com</span></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-10680589349219975752024-02-01T21:05:00.003-05:002024-02-04T23:16:43.436-05:00Masters Team and Age Grading Recap for the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships<p><b>January 30, 2024.</b> As noted in the earlier recap, it was a cold, cold day at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, just outside of Richmond VA. Temperatures were in the upper 20's with winds at 13-16 mph, gusting to 26! That made the pre-race warmups important as well as the transition from the finish line to either the heated tent or a car in the nearby parking area! The earlier recap focused on Overall and Age Division individual championships. This recap focuses first on teams and then highlights the fastest Masters runners overall across all age divisions, based upon Age Grading. Scoring in the Men's 40+ and 50+ is based on the first 5 athletes to finish. Sum up their finishing places and the team with the low score wins. Only runners from complete teams are scored in the team competition. It is vital that the team get 5 runners across the finish line. Otherwise, they not only do not win team medals, they do not even earn Grand Prix points. For Men 60+ and 70+, and for all Women's teams only three are scored.</p><p><b>TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS</b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Men</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">40+ </span>The Virginia, DC and Maryland teams showed up in force to compete for bragging rights in the region. They also aimed to repel the attempts of the two outside teams, from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The teams from the region included the <i>Blacksburg Striders </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blacksburg VA (home of VA Tech); </span><i>Colonial Road Runners</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Williamsburg VA</span>; <i>Dojo Racing</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Washington DC</span>; <i>Endorphin Fitness</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Richmond VA</span>; and <i>Ragged Mountain Racing</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Charlottesville VA</span>. The <i>Greater Philadelphia Track Club</i> and the <i>Shore Athletic Club </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">New Jersey </span>were the two Mid-Atlantic teams who hoped to steal away one of the podium spots. The lead runners from the Colonial RR were brooking no opposition. <b>Forest Braden</b> and <b>Adam Otstot</b> were in the lead group throughout and finished 1-2 in the team competition. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VjgyFaB5scc07NV3YOJzGi6xd3UaUe8YlqFKFPG7gBn2_ZslaCosDX5sprWAC1W6znSKT_GYv3VdPe6FBEhrqzJ8S_nRnXH9gvMrBqgKKjmh54PGfsWWQ5GOrdruV24cuxUwVcH1OIXjgzBGDsccLbcVYoETTGS-K8V2TVd6tuYROWNJC3ldT6wC3wnV/s1346/Braden_Flynn_Otstot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VjgyFaB5scc07NV3YOJzGi6xd3UaUe8YlqFKFPG7gBn2_ZslaCosDX5sprWAC1W6znSKT_GYv3VdPe6FBEhrqzJ8S_nRnXH9gvMrBqgKKjmh54PGfsWWQ5GOrdruV24cuxUwVcH1OIXjgzBGDsccLbcVYoETTGS-K8V2TVd6tuYROWNJC3ldT6wC3wnV/w640-h426/Braden_Flynn_Otstot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Forest Braden </b>and his <i>Colonial RR</i> teammate, <b>Adam Otstot</b>, shown here in 1st and 3rd, went 1-2 in the Masters 40+ Team race--At the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Brian Flynn</b>, running in 2nd, is affiliated with the <i>Garden State TC</i>, which did not declare a complete team for the Men 40+ division. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Braden, head coach at William & Mary, knows how to motivate and, no doubt, encouraged his teammates. But after those two athletes went 1-2, their rivals from Charlottesville took 3rd and 5th with <b>Matt Baresi </b>and <b>Chris Pirch</b>, sandwiching Blacksburg's <b>David Angell</b>, 5th, between them. Colonial got another link in the chain when<b> William Christian</b> edged Dojo's <b>Jeremy Redfern</b> for 6th. That gave Colonial 9 points from their top 3. After <b>John Becker</b> claimed 8th for GPTC, Ragged Mountain got going again with <b>William Palmer</b> and <b>Charlie Hurt</b> finishing 9th and 10th within a second of one another. That gave ragged Mountain the edge; they had 4 runners finished, compared to three for Colonial. With a total of 27 points from their 4 finishers, Ragged Mountain was now in the driver's seat. Who would finish next? <b>Derek Reinhold</b> and <b>John Gagliardi</b> of GPTC delayed the resolution by taking 11th and 12th. Greater Philly had 31 points from their top 3. Once the first Endorphin runner was heard from, <b>Michael Harlow</b> in 13th, Colonial's <b>Scott Ickes</b> delivered an important 14th place, to bring Colonial even with Ragged Mountain on number of finishers, 4. That put them in the lead again with 23 points on 4 athletes to 27 on 4 athletes for Ragged Mountain. It could still go either way!</p><p>After Dojo's <b>Bradley Klapper</b> and Shore's <b>Edward Ross </b>finished 15th and 16th, <b>Mark Tompkins</b> closed off the scoring for Colonial, scoring 17 points as their fifth runner and delivering the victory. With a final total of 40 points, no one could catch them. <b>Bert Jacoby</b> closed off the scoring for Ragged Mountain with his 26th place, delivering the silver medal team finish. </p><p>What about the bronze medals? Would either of the Mid-Atlantic teams mount the podium? Where we left off was Greater Philly with 31 points from 3 scoring runners and with Dojo Racing at 22 from 2 scoring runners. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3c6YrvbLgkB6B77Ms00aIj3MSABgTuyCtjG_r-RdPiUzCBDga9fAHwUlFxc97H_nQRC8X_jrACeiM0FPErnMBTF_OOJlN_XoRhxo95NYF7vzDNM75kQ7hKqU69JT-St2ymz7ylgRRKh-AHZ4GGjVzk2Wc5NjQvPLikgM9su-4Ph7xmpkISBPQtUa3DyQl/s1346/Christian%20et%20al-Team.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3c6YrvbLgkB6B77Ms00aIj3MSABgTuyCtjG_r-RdPiUzCBDga9fAHwUlFxc97H_nQRC8X_jrACeiM0FPErnMBTF_OOJlN_XoRhxo95NYF7vzDNM75kQ7hKqU69JT-St2ymz7ylgRRKh-AHZ4GGjVzk2Wc5NjQvPLikgM9su-4Ph7xmpkISBPQtUa3DyQl/w640-h426/Christian%20et%20al-Team.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Battle for the M40+ Team Title: <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Front From Left: </span><b>William Christian</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colonial RR</span>, <b>Matthew Barresi</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ragged Mountain</span>, and <b>Christopher Pirch</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ragged Mountain</span>, running just ahead of <b>Edward Ross </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC-white singlet </span>and <b>John Gagliardi</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia-white headband.</span> At the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Dojo tightened things up considerably and moved into the lead when their 3rd and 4th runners, <b>Jason Dwyer</b> and <b>Timothy Greszler</b> finished 18th and 21st. Now Dojo had 61 points from 4 scoring athletes. When would the next Philly runner score? Would he be ahead of the 5th Dojo?! <b>Joshua Sohn</b> answered that by finishing ten seconds ahead of GPTC's <b>Matthew DiPretore</b> in 23rd. That gave Dojo 84 points from their top 5. But, wait a minute! DiPretore finished 24th; that still only raised GPTC's 4-runner total to 55. They could still climb onto the podium! When Greater Philly's <b>Marten Beels</b> finished 28th, he delivered the goods! Greater Philadelphia edged Dojo by a single point to take 3rd, 83 to 84, and claim the bronze medals. Blacksburg was fifth at 111 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[D Angell, M Wisnioski, D Kolasa, K Byrd, D Paye] </span>, with Endorphin 6th at 118 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[M Harlow, J Dowdy, A Addison, J Sharp, D Goode] </span>and Shore 7th at 168 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[E Ross, J Maranzani, H Leddy, G Wiesinger, P Nowicki]</span>. Shore had entered a hodge podge team of 40+, 60+ and one 70+ athletes when a number of runners had to scratch. It can be a tough decision, but team unity is important. There were two runners in their 40's and three runners above age 65. Those three older runners could have formed a 60+ team and been more competitive. But then the two younger runners would have been competing with no team. The five joined together and had five scoring members. They finished 7th as a team!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Colonial Road Runners</i> 40 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ragged Mountain Racing</i> 53 <b><i>Greater Philadelphia Track Club</i> </b>83</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50+ </span>The Blacksburg Striders and Colonial Road Runners showed up for the 50+ team competition but none of the other regional clubs were represented. Greater Philadelphia and Shore competed as did the <i>Atlanta Track Club</i> from Georgia and the <i>Santa Barbara Running and Racing </i>team from California. Santa Barbara had competed well in these championships ten years ago. They were hungry for national competition again. In <b>Rusty Snow </b>and <b>Marcelo Mejia Perez</b>, Santa Barbara had two of the top 50+ runners. They did not disappoint, taking 1st and 3rd. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbLXrMf4wCGnp62bWpWRtnJmyFXyY4HM3kdb7XBMc0Qc-iGBgcK3RYo2IySTvGYxBDZKlxwPffKmVHA4AzxMRkpjDQirt2KjsvmUoQBoPSC_VHbf5cGF-LyVCzK848MjmGD6MkhCw-4Ah5RDBr8TyTfZKmmjubJSwA0rZi0KD7AVxQOSGoGrE_yQukNm5/s1346/Snow_Hurt_Rolly%20in%20background.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbLXrMf4wCGnp62bWpWRtnJmyFXyY4HM3kdb7XBMc0Qc-iGBgcK3RYo2IySTvGYxBDZKlxwPffKmVHA4AzxMRkpjDQirt2KjsvmUoQBoPSC_VHbf5cGF-LyVCzK848MjmGD6MkhCw-4Ah5RDBr8TyTfZKmmjubJSwA0rZi0KD7AVxQOSGoGrE_yQukNm5/w640-h426/Snow_Hurt_Rolly%20in%20background.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rusty Snow</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#490</span> leads the way for <i>Santa Barbara Running and Racing </i>in the M50+ Team Competition. Snow's teammate, M<b>arcelo Mejia Perez</b> can be made out in the background with the bright blue shoes. They finished 2nd in the Team M50+ Competition. At the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Tim Harte</b> finished third for GPTC. Then it was Blacksburg's <b>Anderson Norton </b>in 4th, followed by Atlanta's <b>Frederick Dolan </b>in 5th. Santa Barbara was still in the driver's seat. Blacksburg's <b>Ignacio Moore</b> altered that calculation by finishing 6th and giving Blacksburg two scoring runners in. They trailed Santa Barbara 4-10 but they were in the game with two scoring athletes. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqVRg1RFRVAvS4A9GtPUzZVtOSzDoSDm4yb_hHgq2im5i_KLKTwctYQhoAt-SgTBuEpSMfe-FUQwGsKOQDy88MU8A6EzNINM9flT2sZqgKgwvVJwKKmdTv1CWhnw9v8jCSZlqHEZydm1Axnxdm6j4hhNZ9I2IULl7LSJi8cYThq-C7jj5g_fU225u3wSE/s1346/Norton%20et%20al-Team%20M50+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqVRg1RFRVAvS4A9GtPUzZVtOSzDoSDm4yb_hHgq2im5i_KLKTwctYQhoAt-SgTBuEpSMfe-FUQwGsKOQDy88MU8A6EzNINM9flT2sZqgKgwvVJwKKmdTv1CWhnw9v8jCSZlqHEZydm1Axnxdm6j4hhNZ9I2IULl7LSJi8cYThq-C7jj5g_fU225u3wSE/w640-h426/Norton%20et%20al-Team%20M50+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Anderson Norton</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#379 Blacksburg Striders</span> leads <b>Keith Schumann</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Orange singlet-Colonial RR</span>, with <b>Todd Booth</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> just visible behind #419 Santa Barbara Running and Racing</span> compete for the M50+ Team Championships at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>But <b>Todd Booth</b> scored 7th just six seconds behind Moore. That put Santa Barabara at 11 points on three runners. Blacksburg would have to bunch up its 3rd through 5th runners to have a chance. </p><p>After <b>Jeffrey Conston</b> gave Shore its first score, Blacksburg did what it had to do. First, <b>Kevin McGuire</b> and <b>Durelle Scott</b> finished in a 6-second span, claiming 9th and 11th for Blacksburg. They now had 30 points from 4 runners; Santa Barbara had 11 from three athletes. Colonial did some of its own bunching; <b>Timothy Suhr</b> and <b>Keith Schumann</b> finished 10th and 12th to give Colonial its first two scores. After <b>Fred Weir </b>and <b>Bryan Sydow</b> finished 4 seconds apart in 13th and 14th to give Atlanta 32 points from three scored runners, Colonial got its third score from <b>Robert McBee </b>in 15th. That gave Colonial 37 points from three runners, just 6 points back from Atlanta. The focus on who was going to win the team championship returned when Blacksburg's <b>Michael Stowe</b> edged Santa Barbara's <b>Michael Swan</b> for 16th by a mere 4 seconds. That gave the Striders 46 points. But Santa Barbara still had a chance! Swan's 17th place gave them 28 points. They could tie Blacksburg if their 5th runner finished next. But it was not to be. <b>Toby Worm</b> of Colonial and <b>Matt Cutrona</b> of Greater Philly finished in 18th and 19th just ahead of Santa Barbara's #5, <b>Joe DeVreese</b>. DeVreese could not deliver the team win but he did deliver the team silver position! Santa Barabara had 48 points and no other team was close! Worm gave Colonial 55 points from 4 runners while Cutrona gave Philly their 2nd scoring runner. Could anyone steal the team bronze medals from Colonial? GPTC got their 3rd runner into the scoring column when <b>Michael Flanagan</b> finished 321st. But Colonial's <b>Steven Kast </b>ended all doubt when he finished 23rd, 8 seconds ahead of his teammate, Colonial's #6, <b>Joe Calkins</b>. Colonial claimed the final podium spot with 78 points. Atlanta finished 4th at 90 points <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[F Dolan, F Weir, B Sydow, M Strickland, M Pedersen]. </span>GPTC took 5th with 98 points <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[T Harte, M Cutrona, M Flanagan, J Hollenbeck, J Shearer]</span>, while Shore's 120 points <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[J Conston, J Demetrick, K Dollard, E Puma, M DiLeva] </span>gave them 6th place. </p><p> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Blacksburg Striders</i> 46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Santa Barbara Running & Racing</i> 48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Colonial Road Runners</i> 78</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">M60+ </span>Six teams were in the hunt for the podium. Colonial was defending the region's honor against Atlanta, Greater Philadelphia, Shore AC against clubs showing up for the first time in this recap, <i>Ann Arbor Track Club</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Michigan</span><i> </i>and <i>Pike Creek Valley Running Club</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Wilmington DE]. </span>But Shore was the heavy favorite and they delivered. <b>Mark Zamek </b>and <b>Henry Notaro</b> claimed 1-2 in the team competition.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAjCAysU_Th9jzU-6lVHI77wmWIgiPx00IQcCqQEdTnE5Xc-WTaq5mWrwDcotKgkcWxHvHIg85_cwQ55MgKeRIS8VG75PXN6gjd3CNxWd5ehQjJmC0V7lJllLjVnsF1nIzF0xNv-vJZe2bqZNClwfKzvrEFswlGWxNQHssWHVZDSMuCQewdSiUNPkWi-t/s1346/Zamek%20Et%20Al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAjCAysU_Th9jzU-6lVHI77wmWIgiPx00IQcCqQEdTnE5Xc-WTaq5mWrwDcotKgkcWxHvHIg85_cwQ55MgKeRIS8VG75PXN6gjd3CNxWd5ehQjJmC0V7lJllLjVnsF1nIzF0xNv-vJZe2bqZNClwfKzvrEFswlGWxNQHssWHVZDSMuCQewdSiUNPkWi-t/w640-h426/Zamek%20Et%20Al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Zamek</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#512</span> led the way for Shore AC's winning M60+ Team at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Atlanta's <b>Lester Dragstedt</b> claimed 3rd, but then Greater Philly's <b>Larry Rechtin</b> and <b>Timothy Conheady </b>finished 4th and 5th, just ahead of Shore's <b>Michael Salamone</b>, who delivered 6th place and the M60+ victory <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[M Zamek, H Notaro, M Salamone, M Hersey] </span>at 9 points! When <b>Ken Youngers</b>, suffering from his lower back stiffening up during the race, nonetheless finished in 7th it looked like Atlanta might be able to pull out 2nd place. But GPTC's <b>Scott Armstrong</b> ended that dream by finishing in 8th to give GPTC 17 points and 2nd place <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[L Rechtin, T Conheady, S Armstrong, K Davies, C Shields]</span>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYI3aAgoSuHoYo5X7_FV_R7fpDrGymb6OMwkyZIY07-RFYyrSqwE9_2rTXTCpD0hyphenhyphenyU1mYFeLNg4ShLsQHh6npsAkGclOoaUDp341HVbt3Eu0juctWr2A1Y915FXgjL5WuPKHg9Du9UmV4sySKCsorBgDJFEoP8dAWKqmMdggfIc0kb7HnEQGWCHyZm2EN/s1346/Davies_Conheady_Black-M60+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYI3aAgoSuHoYo5X7_FV_R7fpDrGymb6OMwkyZIY07-RFYyrSqwE9_2rTXTCpD0hyphenhyphenyU1mYFeLNg4ShLsQHh6npsAkGclOoaUDp341HVbt3Eu0juctWr2A1Y915FXgjL5WuPKHg9Du9UmV4sySKCsorBgDJFEoP8dAWKqmMdggfIc0kb7HnEQGWCHyZm2EN/w640-h426/Davies_Conheady_Black-M60+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Keith Davies</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#453 center </span>& <b>Timothy Conheady </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">blue shirt, red shorts, partially obscured by #493 </span>working together for Greater Philadelphia with <b>David Black </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white headband, background </span>striving to move up for Atlanta TC in the M60+ Team Race at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The efforts of Youngers and Dragstedt were not in vain; <b>David Black </b>finished 11th to give Atlanta 21 points and 3rd place <span style="font-size: xx-small;">L Dragstedt, K Youngers, D Black, S Lucking, M Spencer</span>.<i> Pike Creek Valley</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[D Wiechecki, G Cauller, W Rose] </span>finished 4th with 50 points, a single point ahead of <i>Ann Arbor</i> in 5th <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[L Sak, A Pratt, W Freeman, P Carlin, M Mester]. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_ziVkkNsTUuXPgM_lyTV6OZ9aNolLCreCry5poMH50tPuOMSl0SRYZU3FmWoBNQac-YQYowojmIvaseRZz-8Afjp8O4KqWkfOaAwwOekT2jqmZuLjU-kadYVl8Wry99eQEeKWR3bFDMMSpp3SlpmOhfsr0rNuOD9iiD1_0XzlP4YOc-aZ6ylr_FpYwPX/s1346/Hersey%20&%20Sak-M60+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_ziVkkNsTUuXPgM_lyTV6OZ9aNolLCreCry5poMH50tPuOMSl0SRYZU3FmWoBNQac-YQYowojmIvaseRZz-8Afjp8O4KqWkfOaAwwOekT2jqmZuLjU-kadYVl8Wry99eQEeKWR3bFDMMSpp3SlpmOhfsr0rNuOD9iiD1_0XzlP4YOc-aZ6ylr_FpYwPX/w640-h426/Hersey%20&%20Sak-M60+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Miles Hersey</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> #511 Shore AC </span>and <b>Larry Sak</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#350 Ann Arbor TC </span>battling for points in the M60+ Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Colonial was 6th at 54 points <span style="font-size: xx-small;">R Whitaker, A Cutler, O Perez, T Robinson, J Duffy].</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore Athletic Club</i> 9 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Greater Philadelphia Track Club</i> 17 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i> 21</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span>This division featured a dogfight between the <i>Boulder Road Runners</i> and the <i>Greater Philadelphia TC</i>. <b>Don Morrison </b>took top Team honors for Philly. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfHh_OwqQAlE8Y0fDKZyfYyWWttwxm9BtauIlvNS8q2F7bM2w3xhSFY3-wZs6fu0_id911ILVdBxP3IUy3L6d8RrxOU7Ss1s9QvDlC78ijBP_5_ufsMjHZsN6nbN9F_iORFLIv5WJheRsSU5lnqaHogqY3IVbxieN9azw4lyxAMDyg6eqLQ5Pn0VEpX_D/s1346/Morrison-leading%20Team%20M70.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfHh_OwqQAlE8Y0fDKZyfYyWWttwxm9BtauIlvNS8q2F7bM2w3xhSFY3-wZs6fu0_id911ILVdBxP3IUy3L6d8RrxOU7Ss1s9QvDlC78ijBP_5_ufsMjHZsN6nbN9F_iORFLIv5WJheRsSU5lnqaHogqY3IVbxieN9azw4lyxAMDyg6eqLQ5Pn0VEpX_D/w640-h426/Morrison-leading%20Team%20M70.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Don Morrison</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#458</span>, who finished first int eh Men's 70+ Team Competition led the way for Greater Philadelphia's Silver medal team effort at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>But <b>Doug Bell</b> answered at 2nd for Boulder. <b>Gene Dykes</b> took 3rd for Greater Philadelphia, followed by Boulder's <b>Gary Ostwald</b> in 4th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwY-QzO6btQDCapSY5-sDVKCw5vBIEUof9KHLWe2h8vtL8ZPIshjK3lvKq-IBv3yKvCs4nbOPCKkIdIh2ZSVekTyRY_N58vGQVmCtYptPDhJs-NcY4wv6joZunAwGdfuIrb8t_sKANKwZ0Uw6Nt0ON8I7R80uyq7d7Uy8NpS1_-xXZMt-j5jv1j4gWS8o/s1346/Dykes_Bell.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwY-QzO6btQDCapSY5-sDVKCw5vBIEUof9KHLWe2h8vtL8ZPIshjK3lvKq-IBv3yKvCs4nbOPCKkIdIh2ZSVekTyRY_N58vGQVmCtYptPDhJs-NcY4wv6joZunAwGdfuIrb8t_sKANKwZ0Uw6Nt0ON8I7R80uyq7d7Uy8NpS1_-xXZMt-j5jv1j4gWS8o/w640-h426/Dykes_Bell.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#459 </span>running in 2nd for Greater Philadelphia, with <b>Doug Bell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">background, white singlet over blue shirt </span>of the Boulder Road Runners looking to move up in the men's 70+ Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Philly led 4-6 but Boulder was still in the mix. Atlanta's <b>Ward Irvin</b> put his <i>Atlanta TC </i>team on the board with his 5th place finish. <b>Rick Katz</b> gave Boulder its 3rd scoring runner at 6th. If Philly's 3rd scoring runner finished 9th or higher, Boulder had the win! <b>Jerry Learned</b> finished 7th for Atlanta. But then 2 seconds later, <b>Steve McCormick </b>gave GPTC the 8th place finish they needed for a 12-12 tie. But the tie-breaking rule is whichever team's final scoring runner (#3 for 70+) has the better finishing place. Boulder got the win on the tie-breaker <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[D Bell, G Ostwald, R Katz, J Frisby]</span>. Philly took 2nd, also with 12 points <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[D Morrison, G Dykes, S McCormick, J Assal]</span> and, when <b>Allen Joyce</b> finished 10th, Atlanta had 3rd place with 22 points <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[W Irvin, J Learned, A Joyce, P Taylor]</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder Road Runners</i> 12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Greater Philadelphia Track Club</i> 12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i> 22</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Women</b> 40+ </span><i>Team red Lizard</i> had no problem in this division, going 1-2-3 with <b>Renee Metivier </b>leading the way, followed by <b>Chelsea Lenge Warren</b> and <b>Kristin Shaw</b>. Once that was settled, the battle for second got under way between the <i>Impala Racing Team</i> and <i>Pike Creek Valley</i>. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFjQD6ziK61i1yWy7QEirQ-P37TBYcw4_kjOklPc7pReBB26w0A4kn7vCf4U7IFoFdlnAE_mSgeK463StgkgGTFcEmaFwIdgzEF13Tde_DfoJYoMikQwA9qBDCou5WrZqWYNLj7bjP_yxFA6bEKS7raOxwYTviihqncBjz8r8RogfDIgqhiYfnZu7qNwK/s1346/Metivier&Lenge%20Warren-1-2%20for%20Team%20Red%20Liz%20W40+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFjQD6ziK61i1yWy7QEirQ-P37TBYcw4_kjOklPc7pReBB26w0A4kn7vCf4U7IFoFdlnAE_mSgeK463StgkgGTFcEmaFwIdgzEF13Tde_DfoJYoMikQwA9qBDCou5WrZqWYNLj7bjP_yxFA6bEKS7raOxwYTviihqncBjz8r8RogfDIgqhiYfnZu7qNwK/w640-h426/Metivier&Lenge%20Warren-1-2%20for%20Team%20Red%20Liz%20W40+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Renee Metivier </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#628 center </span>and <b>Chelsea Lenge Warren </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white & red singlet, background </span>running 1-2 for team Red Lizard's winning effort in the Women's 40+ Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Jacqueline Cooke </b>put Impala on the board first with her 4th place finish but <b>Sarah Rusk</b> answered for Pike at 5th. <b>Samantha Forde </b>took 6th for Impala giving them 10 points from their top 2 runners. They just needed one more good score! Colonial's <b>Tamara Pelletier</b> claimed 7th. But a minute later, Pike Creek Valley's <b>Brenda Hodge</b> and <b>Katrina Holloway</b> finished just 4 seconds apart in 8th and 9th. That put a cap on it for Pike Creek at 22 points. But Impala could still claim 2nd if their third runner finished 11th or better. Unfortunately, Colonial had a solid pack of runners in their #2 through #4 slots and they took 10th through 12th with <b>Deelyn Robinson, Megan Schulze</b>, and <b>Aimee Gianoukos</b>. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g7WJt8wX7ZWpuAGQN9E0dnDAEuur124Xwtq-PSzNugfgJSNrfxAmTe7cwJiGzhyXlLej8_qo4PWGRZ5-lRj0FcvCehQpf2pY8VpWxmn10QDb99Ur66HSnth7gVcV3A5v_Vh5mRJ8KcjOrC-zXxpC8tuF8wa9YIqP-FN9Adv2GyubdcS7RUN_anwDajG7/s1346/Robinson-Schulze-Cary.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g7WJt8wX7ZWpuAGQN9E0dnDAEuur124Xwtq-PSzNugfgJSNrfxAmTe7cwJiGzhyXlLej8_qo4PWGRZ5-lRj0FcvCehQpf2pY8VpWxmn10QDb99Ur66HSnth7gVcV3A5v_Vh5mRJ8KcjOrC-zXxpC8tuF8wa9YIqP-FN9Adv2GyubdcS7RUN_anwDajG7/w640-h426/Robinson-Schulze-Cary.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Deelynn Robinson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#579 </span>running in the #2 slot for the Colonial RR ahead of teammate, <b>Megan Schulze </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#582, lime cap, orange singlet, backgrtound </span>as they strive for points in the Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Jessica Anderson</b> provided extra insurance with her 14th place finish for Colonial. When <b>Alexandra Newman</b> finished 13th, that allowed Pike Creek to claim the silver medals. It is always disappointing to lose the silver medal position by a single point. But Newman's 13th gave Impala a total of 23 and ensured them a podium finish at third. Colonial did not make the podium but they made a difference in the podium outcome.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Team Red Lizard</i> 6 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Pike Creek Valley Running Club</i> 22 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Impala Racing</i> 23</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50+ </span>This division featured <i>Greater Philadelphia</i> vs. <i>Shore</i>. The final score was close but Greater Philadelphia had the win once <b>Amy Gannon</b> and <b>Abby Dean</b> delivered the 1-2 punch. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7rVfXAQ8aNoQGc2qFtNXEQZ049qrDgwwXkh1ry07dpbu4cMEvru5ncb7hdK0ZM1wTCqoehjD8wRP22Y-qK2fuhjgkHqTDNuZE6iCpNDu50EVfqOtdZHlI6JheZrjg9-TsnOYDCoMcv_CmU0QK7aLwZEA_ak3lwgq9vnp2XoJkFqP7IGoeWb4Ii_pkKck/s1346/Gannon%20%231%20Team%20W50+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7rVfXAQ8aNoQGc2qFtNXEQZ049qrDgwwXkh1ry07dpbu4cMEvru5ncb7hdK0ZM1wTCqoehjD8wRP22Y-qK2fuhjgkHqTDNuZE6iCpNDu50EVfqOtdZHlI6JheZrjg9-TsnOYDCoMcv_CmU0QK7aLwZEA_ak3lwgq9vnp2XoJkFqP7IGoeWb4Ii_pkKck/w640-h426/Gannon%20%231%20Team%20W50+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Amy Gannon</b> #592 leads the way for Greater Philadelphia at the front of the Women's 50+ Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Even if Shore had declared five runners, the maximum allowed, and all five had come in before GPTC's #3, they would still have finished 2nd in the team race. GPTC's #3 has to finish but her place would not matter. </p><p>Shore put up a good fight; <b>Laura Delea,</b> <b>Alexandra Marzulla</b>, <b>Maureen Massell</b>, and <b>Alysia Puma </b>finished 3-4-5-6.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb_Be2dESbTLg1yapTzsz_y0OndKUg9cxOVWGuQQ1Trn_qoTS0HG8l5Ugj09E_Q5AKJWpPA6SS_FloEq7OcZOQZhrxd2nXmx0jkIeOvV7m2QGWmKhNaJnT-nl7g0YueAb9rejBswH_52Hvaa_WDuODBpq4rm-y1-EJ8xKOl8BuYunBCx__XPJId7Z78Zi/s1346/DeLea%20&%20Marzulla.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb_Be2dESbTLg1yapTzsz_y0OndKUg9cxOVWGuQQ1Trn_qoTS0HG8l5Ugj09E_Q5AKJWpPA6SS_FloEq7OcZOQZhrxd2nXmx0jkIeOvV7m2QGWmKhNaJnT-nl7g0YueAb9rejBswH_52Hvaa_WDuODBpq4rm-y1-EJ8xKOl8BuYunBCx__XPJId7Z78Zi/w640-h426/DeLea%20&%20Marzulla.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura De Lea</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#616 </span>and <b>Alexandra Marzulla </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#618 </span>working together as Shore AC's top two runners in the Women's 50+ team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> When <b>Louise Kelley</b> closed off the scoring for Greater Philly at 7, that gave GPTC the win, 10-12. That 1-2 dynamic is only present if it is a two-team race. If there are a number of teams, the third runner on the 1-2 team can get moved down by runners on multiple other teams.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Greater Philadelphia Track Club</i> 10 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore Athletic Club</i> 12</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span><i>Liberty Athletic Club</i> managed the same trick as GPTC in 50+. <b>Mary Cass</b> and <b>Amanda King</b> finished 1-2. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Yn0jCOpegfygNLTWcOzYOjMnhvvFHes94VUucFmcNfNvmLnYSYKWOTX2UsogSIlllSRFXlU1JoifBgiDeA613XrrUg9gZfl1CB5Liq_wYB1Fjm3QURgD9VSh-W10nVOue8_wVstxQyz9J5FdXYWMEuXR03r4dvisz5YTnG7-G-JDt_NFYMTY3dKPKgHE/s1346/Cass-King-1-2-W60+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Yn0jCOpegfygNLTWcOzYOjMnhvvFHes94VUucFmcNfNvmLnYSYKWOTX2UsogSIlllSRFXlU1JoifBgiDeA613XrrUg9gZfl1CB5Liq_wYB1Fjm3QURgD9VSh-W10nVOue8_wVstxQyz9J5FdXYWMEuXR03r4dvisz5YTnG7-G-JDt_NFYMTY3dKPKgHE/w640-h426/Cass-King-1-2-W60+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mary Cass </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#601 </span>and her Liberty AC teammate, <b>Amanda King</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">light blue cap, background</span>, running 1-2 for their team at the front of the Women's 60+ Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>But that did not put 1st out of reach because three complete teams were entered. <b>Nora Cary</b> claimed 3rd for Shore and then <b>Kris Huff</b> put <i>Atlanta </i>on the board at 4th. Even though the 1-2 finish had not guaranteed the victory, that is still a heck of a way to start off. When <b>Victoria Bok</b> finished 5th, it was all over. Liberty had the win with 7 points. Neither Shore nor Atlanta could match that. But which team would nail the silver medals? <b>Michelle Allen</b> delivered 6th for Atlanta but then <b>Debbie Brathwaite </b>answered a half minute later with 7th place for Shore. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzcur5oeDRgpVVY9hT2MRozT9XlACa1ks48xuWjtlcbJGyimukFJtGQobes0wtM1ttsVzKJV-lDsYBsuwswdTi1MQ5W2jO65UPpfrTMNuZyKgX3mPXsmmRI8H8C9li1Nng9tvzP2K-IjmyiRmsZ5Fv32132_wpd2WYTcHT-2TcPXLPN2cw5KbJrVysTJq/s1346/Brathwaite%20-Shoore%20AC%20-W60+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzcur5oeDRgpVVY9hT2MRozT9XlACa1ks48xuWjtlcbJGyimukFJtGQobes0wtM1ttsVzKJV-lDsYBsuwswdTi1MQ5W2jO65UPpfrTMNuZyKgX3mPXsmmRI8H8C9li1Nng9tvzP2K-IjmyiRmsZ5Fv32132_wpd2WYTcHT-2TcPXLPN2cw5KbJrVysTJq/w400-h266/Brathwaite%20-Shoore%20AC%20-W60+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Debbie Brathwaite </b>rounds a turn as Shore AC's crucial # 3 scorer in the Women's 60+ Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>It was tied at 10. Who had the faster #3? This time it was Atlanta's <b>Robin Tanner</b> who claimed 8th to give her team 18 points and the 1-point win when <b>Susan Stirrat</b> closed off the scoring for Shore; her 9th place gave them 19 points. <b>Leslie Nowicki</b> provided good insurance by finishing 10th for Shore.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Liberty AC</i> 7 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i> 18 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i>19</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span>The <i>Atlanta TC</i> was the only complete team entered in this division. <b>Cindy Lucking, Andrea McCarter</b>, and <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> went 1-2-3 to claim the gold medal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i> 6</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GgD7ssx6S8FOXlcw0JvePkT-udiHfC6toTycGYKMHGS8x5wHiOp35NKK7Xrpg7t5C_Mvy_tB61EVd2ZkVqmQ-7KNMOEQv_6UUT8QhXapt8pPey4MKyZkoja9fEKSdLBCnn6Mn6az6dLWS4Z2WkgOsFnOQK_2kAjSwS7U6hz16KW3AR562gF8RK8Pp7FS/s1346/Lucking.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GgD7ssx6S8FOXlcw0JvePkT-udiHfC6toTycGYKMHGS8x5wHiOp35NKK7Xrpg7t5C_Mvy_tB61EVd2ZkVqmQ-7KNMOEQv_6UUT8QhXapt8pPey4MKyZkoja9fEKSdLBCnn6Mn6az6dLWS4Z2WkgOsFnOQK_2kAjSwS7U6hz16KW3AR562gF8RK8Pp7FS/w400-h266/Lucking.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cindy Lucking </b>leading her Atlanta Track Club teammate to victory in the Women's 70+ Team Competition Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b>AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Background Information </i>Age Grading was developed by Alan Jones, who also invented the Jones Calculator for bikes which allows for the accurate measurement of road courses. The idea is to have a system that allows the comparison of every athlete to his single age best possibility. Worldwide data on the fastest time run at every single year of age over four distances, the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon are utilized. Curves are fitted to each of these sets of data and that curve generates a 'best possible time' for every age. Separate data are used for Women and Men. Then for any given individual, their time is compared to this 'best possible time.' If your time is 20:00 for a 5k and the 'best possible time' for a person of your sex and age is 18:00, then your age grade is roughly =18/20 x 100 or 90%; if you run 22:00 instead, your age grade would be about 18/22 x100 or 81.8%. These percentages can be referred to as Performance Level Percentages or PLP's. The higher the PLP the better. But the easiest way to calculate a PLP is to go to the Age Grading calculator maintained by Howard Grubb at: <a href="http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/mldrroad20.html">MLDR Road age-grading calculator (howardgrubb.co.uk)</a>. Make sure you are using the 2020 tables. It should say: "<span face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15.936px; text-align: justify;">USATF MLDR Road age-grading calculator 2020". </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Those are the most recent. We expect they will be updated this year to take effect no later than </span>January<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2025. If a timing company's software uses these </span>tables,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the age grade PLP generated from the overall results should match </span>pretty<span style="font-family: inherit;"> closely to the ones you would get from that calculator. Because of rounding errors within the software program, they can be off slightly. Technically these PLP's should only be applied to road races because the data come from road races. But, for </span>convenience's<span style="font-family: inherit;"> sake, the USATF Masters LDR Committee has decided to apply them to Masters Cross Country Championships. It is the best way to make awards that entrants across all ages can aspire to win. based on their relative competitiveness. Because Cross Country races are on terrain that is less </span>forgiving<span style="font-family: inherit;"> than roads, times tend to be slower. That means that, on accurately measured cross country </span>courses,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the age grade PLP's will tend to be lower. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">WOMEN </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Nora Cary </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">68</span>, who won the 65-69 age division and was the first woman in the 60+ team competition, at age 68, with a 27:07, achieved the highest PLP at 91.3%. This was actually Cary's second age grade win in a row. Because of unanticipated difficulties with the timing software, the wrong PLP's were used at Club Cross in Tallahassee. Cary finished 2nd last year to Masters Hall of Famer, <b>Kathy Martin</b>, with a 26:22 for a 92.7% PLP. Cary broke her foot in late February, had surgery in March and did not compete nationally again until the 12 Km in Mid-September. She ran 52:33 to finish second to another legend, marathoner <b>Jeannie Rice.</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckLm3aCDFYTNAu4O-wKIhnc8H1-vnSiynR7Ujk81Yqh1_4BY-IptZ5SkOu2QnDWZyMegqGhTwvX-L5_yZjl6En4ler2AxiQapEyUbXyDl2UPuEmYSqsHYILyPDRuAgHH6Xqj7f4p5BG-BQTd2-wtwVUf0fcnNo3qO_HYEyWVjVrP9IgltPsPXux4bswLt/s822/Cary_Nora_%23622%20Crop%20Age%20Grade%20Win.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckLm3aCDFYTNAu4O-wKIhnc8H1-vnSiynR7Ujk81Yqh1_4BY-IptZ5SkOu2QnDWZyMegqGhTwvX-L5_yZjl6En4ler2AxiQapEyUbXyDl2UPuEmYSqsHYILyPDRuAgHH6Xqj7f4p5BG-BQTd2-wtwVUf0fcnNo3qO_HYEyWVjVrP9IgltPsPXux4bswLt/w323-h400/Cary_Nora_%23622%20Crop%20Age%20Grade%20Win.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nora Cary's </b>tour around the Cross Country course at Richmond VA earned her the Overall Age Grade Win, identifying her performance as the best across all age divisions in the Masters race at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Second place went to <b>Mary Cass</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62</span>; her 25:38 merited an 89.3%. Third place was a tie at 85.8% between <b>Carrie Dimoff</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">40</span>, the overall winner at 21:16, and <b>Amanda King</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62</span>, the 2nd place finisher in 60-64 at 26:41. <b>Renee Metivier</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">42</span>, 2nd place overall, and <b>Kasie Enman </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">44</span>, fifth overall in 22:06, tied for age grading 5th place at 84.8%.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nora Cary</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">68 27:07 </span>91.3% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62 25:38 </span>89.3% Tie: <i style="font-weight: bold;">Carrie Dimoff</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">40 21:16 </span>85.8% & <i style="font-weight: bold;">Amanda King</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62 26:41 </span>85.8%</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">MEN </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Nat Larson</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">61</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> who came in three seconds ahead</span><b style="font-family: inherit;"> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">of</span><b style="font-family: inherit;"> </b><b style="font-family: inherit;">Mark Zamek</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">60</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to win the 60-64 division, also took first in age grading ahead of his </span>60-year-old<span style="font-family: inherit;"> rival. Larson's 28:52 earned a 90.2% PLP while Zamek's 28:55, at age 60, earned an 89.3%. Larson, who owns the Men's 60-64 American Records for distances from the 1 Mile (4:49) to the Half Marathon (1:15:27) is a perennial favorite for the Age Grading podium at National Championships. He was the defending champion, winning here in 2023 with a time of 28:33 and a PLP of 90.4%. He then won the age grading championship at each of the national championship road races he entered, the 10Mile, Half Marathon, 10 Km, and 12 Km. The only contest he lost was at Club Cross at Tallahassee FL, where he finished 2nd to Rick Becker.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnfNIGuX63IDvN66k74snowNHmeXD-HChKnlz_UAPvW0f17W_21B010rjijWAW5EY-uCZwC9N8E_2DbceYC7Xff6lW4X8u_xzLJWCuuhe0dTNAlBPpXMfkAWWTCfmR-JE5KfwkQFCPvsIoTs7uvXJ1v_lTn-tLZbJGMsW4bTHPAzJaki51CpBcY2L3Qw5/s852/Larson_Nat_Age%20Grade%20Winner.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="817" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnfNIGuX63IDvN66k74snowNHmeXD-HChKnlz_UAPvW0f17W_21B010rjijWAW5EY-uCZwC9N8E_2DbceYC7Xff6lW4X8u_xzLJWCuuhe0dTNAlBPpXMfkAWWTCfmR-JE5KfwkQFCPvsIoTs7uvXJ1v_lTn-tLZbJGMsW4bTHPAzJaki51CpBcY2L3Qw5/w614-h640/Larson_Nat_Age%20Grade%20Winner.jpg" width="614" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson's </b>race, at age 61, earned the highest age grade score, designating his as the top Men's performance, across all ages, in the Masters race at the Team Competition at the 2024 USATF Masters Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Third place went to <b>Rusty Snow </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">54</span>, who took top honors in 50-54 in his last year in the division; his 27:29 merited an 89.1%. <b>Pete Gibson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">67</span>, who has seen a resurgence in his running recently, finished 4th; his 31:25 earned an 87.7% PLP. <b>David Westenberg</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">66</span>, who took the win in 65-69 at 31:18 scored an 87.2% PLP for 5th in age grading.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">61 28:52 </span>90.2% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Zamek</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">60 28:55 </span>89.3% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rusty Snow</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">54 27:29 </span>89.1%</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hat's off to these incredible athletes for these amazing performances!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That concludes the recap of the Masters Championships at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships. Next up on the USATF Masters National Grand Prix is the first road championship of 2024, the Masters 5 Km in Atlanta GA on Saturday, February 24th. There is a new course and a new staging area for the race. Check out the details at: </span></span><a href="https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-usatf-masters-5-km-championships" style="text-align: left;">2024 USATF Masters 5 km Championships | USA Track & Field</a>.</p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-25186652660930059902024-01-29T00:37:00.002-05:002024-01-29T10:14:30.731-05:00Masters Athletes Braved the Cold in Richmond: Recap of USATF Cross Nationals -Overall & Age Division<p><b>January 24, 2023 </b>It was a sunny, brisk day for the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships. The flagpole by the course was straight out; the wind whipped across the open country of the upper field of the Pole Green Park Cross Country course. Sub-freezing temperatures felt even colder with the northwesterly 13-16 mph winds, gusting to 26! The Local Organizing Committee provided a large, heated tent within a short walk of the start area and finish line. The officials also encouraged athletes to keep their outer layers on until just a few minutes before the gun would sound. Any items left there would be there after the race; unclaimed items would be moved by volunteers into the heated tent.</p><p>The Masters Women were the first race of the day, over three 2 Km loops for 6 Km, at 10:30AM. The Masters Men raced at 11:30AM over four of the same 2 Km loops for 8 Km. In the afternoon the races went off to select U20 and Open teams for the upcoming WA Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. An interesting wrinkle of those races were hay bales and logs as obstacles to require some hurdling. At the Technical meeting the evening before, Race Officials made it clear those would not be in play for the Masters races and that competitors in those races could simply run around them.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Women</span></b> The favorites were <b>Carrie Dimoff</b>, overall winner at Club Cross in Tallahassee last month; <b>Kasie Enman</b>, 2021 USATF Masters 5 Km overall champion; <b>April Lund</b>, defending champion; and <b>Renee Metivier</b>, silver medalist at Tallahassee. Two regional stars, <b>Julia Siegel Breton</b> and <b>Mindy Mammen</b> were also expected to compete for the podium.</p><p>The gun sounded and Metivier ran with clear purpose, taking the lead in the downhill section towards the first turn. But Dimoff and Lund were on her heels, with Mammen next and then a small gap to a foursome including Enman, Breton, <b>Ashley Palmer-Thomasey</b>, and Metivier's teammate, <b>Chelsea Lenge Warren</b>. Metivier dictated the pace for the first kilometer, but Dimoff was often right up on Metivier's elbow. Lund was content to run a stride back in 3rd between the two leaders. Either Dimoff did not get the information about the logs or chose to hurdle them anyway as the others ran around. The straight line can be the fastest and Dimoff neatly strode over the logs and actually gained a small edge on Metivier, which was quickly closed down. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpoghdxN3Dz29ocuQYxF7aQlk9nCrxxMeGtAV7KiFYsvQw6C4scA9svxxKLMPl3k1e2UtcXoAlTqSm7ur6FUeDtTqQznOhMYmnUA1Mytj2tcJw2B6oQc6bRgBDM7YSoSZ3wVHOa0WEs01UyDRy_x5T8sDvH3bfab5Gtfn6D3Uyn5w2379k4qAxLRVeWtQ/s1346/Dimoff_Metivier_Lund_Mammen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpoghdxN3Dz29ocuQYxF7aQlk9nCrxxMeGtAV7KiFYsvQw6C4scA9svxxKLMPl3k1e2UtcXoAlTqSm7ur6FUeDtTqQznOhMYmnUA1Mytj2tcJw2B6oQc6bRgBDM7YSoSZ3wVHOa0WEs01UyDRy_x5T8sDvH3bfab5Gtfn6D3Uyn5w2379k4qAxLRVeWtQ/w640-h426/Dimoff_Metivier_Lund_Mammen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carrie Dimoff </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left front</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>and <b>Renee Metivier</b> lead <b>April Lund </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">black singlet </span>and <b>Mindy Mammen</b> at the end of the first 2K loop at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships Photo Credit: Mike Scott</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As they finished up the first loop, Dimoff was pressing the pace, with Metivier matching the acceleration. It put some pressure on Lund and Mammen, establishing 5 meters of daylight between those two and the leaders. Dimoff and Metivier continued to pull away; Lund, despite her best efforts, could not prevent the gap from growing. At the 3K mark, where Dimoff started dictating the pace to Metivier, Lund was 25 meters back, followed closely by Mammen and Lenge Warren. There was a 15-meter gap back to Enman. Breton who had started more conservatively, was a hundred meters behind Enman in 7th. Once they passed the 3 K timing mat, Dimoff accelerated. Metivier tried to answer but could not close down the gap. Metivier followed a few strides back. By the end of that loop, Dimoff had carved out a 30-meter lead. Metivier, in trying, unsuccessfully, to match Dimoff's acceleration, did succeed in leaving the rest of the field well back. Lund and Warren were now about 70 meters behind Metivier., followed by Enman and Mammen another 20 meters back. There was no drama the rest of the way. Dimoff pulled further ahead, winning in 21:16, with Metivier in 2nd a half minute back. Lund ran strong the whole way Lund took 8 seconds out of Metivier's lead in the last kilometer but finished 40 meters back in 3rd. Warren was three seconds behind Lund, 4th in 21:59. Enman was 5th in 22:06, with Mammen 6th and Breton 7th. That gave Dimoff two overall wins in two tries for this Cross Country season! Metivier enjoyed her second straight silver medal. Lund could not repeat her 2023 win but ran well and enjoyed her first national championship podium finish of 2024.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Carrie Dimoff</i> 21:16 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Renee Metivier</i> 21:47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">April Lund</i> 21:57</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9i-14nk-3KiTM97ZxWBzy3alKNFQYgplC9YsexFAXfZWEQ4Jd3R2L3Zgg5Ek0Ss0MKHpQvHnV5uS4VQMVkrmqQwcPyPkp7fvfE-lsOd7HXRFkMYTmgidzmMkgClsRNuqg8CLUR3QMunoYIaa4HAnYXXe3-t4F9kHFaAHwWsS29k7tN08vKu6kb3fmdPzD/s1346/Masters%20Women-Podium.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9i-14nk-3KiTM97ZxWBzy3alKNFQYgplC9YsexFAXfZWEQ4Jd3R2L3Zgg5Ek0Ss0MKHpQvHnV5uS4VQMVkrmqQwcPyPkp7fvfE-lsOd7HXRFkMYTmgidzmMkgClsRNuqg8CLUR3QMunoYIaa4HAnYXXe3-t4F9kHFaAHwWsS29k7tN08vKu6kb3fmdPzD/w640-h426/Masters%20Women-Podium.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>April Lund, Carrie Dimoff, Renee Metivier </b>- Masters Women - Overall Podium -2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Men</span> </b>The strong favorite for the race, <b>Fernando Cabada</b>, and the favorite for second, <b>Neil McDonagh</b>, were both scratches. That left <b>Brian Flynn, Adam Otstot</b>, and <b>Jeremy Redfern</b> as favorites for the podium. <b>Forest Braden</b> was also thought to have a shot at the podium. Others who might have been mentioned included <b>David Angell</b>, who finished 7th last year, and had been running well last fall until he struggled at Clubs in Tallahassee. <b>Charlie Ban</b>, who finished 6th here last year, also struggled at Clubs finishing just outside the top 30 overall. <b>Matthew Barresi</b>, <b>Peter Derby</b>,<b> </b>and<b> Christopher Pirch</b> had some solid road races, but no recent Cross Country outings nor entries at national Masters championships. </p><p>None of that mattered when the gun sounded. The runners took off along the flat and down the slope to the first turn. Flynn, Braden, Otstot and Redfern moved to the front of the field. By the 500-meter mark there was already a small gap from that foursome back to the rest of the field. At the 1K timing mat, Braden and Flynn were dictating the pace at the front, with Otstot and Redfern tucked in behind in 3rd and 4th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWlRka6XPKybwBzB5JB43uQhjaT1H41R4-nZMjpsH93i61yro1YKN1ln6JgL7_LHSsJjjZQSzf9UgRLTlFb27DN25nfv6OXgb0XNzzA23yIjKBsqG1fEaB5nxJRWFCEV3PcwSMdJ4c9SfxU99-pnHZIOxp2l2ROVa3NuUzl4joCdwhlxDCc79aXNnffc-/s1346/Braden_Flynn_Otstot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWlRka6XPKybwBzB5JB43uQhjaT1H41R4-nZMjpsH93i61yro1YKN1ln6JgL7_LHSsJjjZQSzf9UgRLTlFb27DN25nfv6OXgb0XNzzA23yIjKBsqG1fEaB5nxJRWFCEV3PcwSMdJ4c9SfxU99-pnHZIOxp2l2ROVa3NuUzl4joCdwhlxDCc79aXNnffc-/w640-h426/Braden_Flynn_Otstot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Forest Braden</b> leads <b>Brian Flynn</b> and <b>Adam Otstot</b> at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>There was a 25-meter gap back to the rest of the field where Barresi, Ban and Pirch were running. Angell and Derby had started more conservatively and were another 20 meters deeper in that group. Braden started to push the pace over the final 500 meters of the first loop. Flynn stayed within a few strides; Otstot allowed a ten-meter gap, up to Flynn, to develop as Redfern fell further back. When they finished the first 2 Km loop, Braden was the clear leader, but Flynn was hanging on gamely just a few meters back. Otstot was another 15 meters back from Flynn. There was now a 50-meter gap between Otstot and Redfern. Redfern still had 25 meters on the Ban-Barresi-Pirch chase group, with Angell a few strides back. Braden kept the pressure on for the 2nd loop. By halfway through that loop, Braden had increased the gap on Flynn to over 15 meters. Otstot was hanging in twenty meters further back. Redfern had paid the price for the early pace and was about to be caught by Ban and Barresi. Braden kept grinding; by the 4 km mat at the end of the second loop, there was a 40-meter gap on Flynn, who had, in turn, a 30-meter gap on Otstot. It was well over a hundred meters from Otstot back to the chase group of Ban, Barresi and Redfern, with Angell and Pirch 30 meters further back in 7th and 8th. It is never easy running alone at the front. But Braden had no trouble; he added a few seconds to his lead on each loop, taking the win in 25:35. Flynn never gave in, claiming second, 17 seconds back. Otstot was never challenged, finishing third in 26:19, over half a minute ahead of the remaining athletes. Barresi moved away from the chase pack over the second half of the third loop but could make no progress in trying to catch Otstot. He took 4th in 26:55. Angell kept moving up and was able to catch and pass Ban in the last kilometer, and then held off Pirch at the finish line. His 5th place finish in 27:05 represented a nice recovery after this Tallahassee experience. Pirch was 6th, with the same 27:05 time; Ban finished 7th in 27:10, just ahead of Derby, in 8th. For Braden it was a tour de force, leading all the way and finishing well ahead of the field. It was Flynn's first national masters Cross Country podium. Otstot moved up from 4th last year onto the podium. Angell and Ban recovered nicely from their Tallahassee outings, finishing in the top five and top ten respectively.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Forest Braden</i> 25:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brian Flynn</i> 25:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Otstot</i> 26:19</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMrsqfISXulgHUtHol55Crqambbo3_NFF4T64f4m5NoYwoYFRbv8xX-Gf4pyMKA3-53mkJFxkwCkfQLcXMpMzlxc1byooKE0_BgFtpIkPfAAP4idPxCqh6QUyfT0KMxv_2vm-zx4KwUcWxzi2IRmI2clXjLYMA0egjsNpP5nq0LOnPiNKyInRExso6bvg/s1346/Men-Podium-Flynn_Bfraden_Otstot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMrsqfISXulgHUtHol55Crqambbo3_NFF4T64f4m5NoYwoYFRbv8xX-Gf4pyMKA3-53mkJFxkwCkfQLcXMpMzlxc1byooKE0_BgFtpIkPfAAP4idPxCqh6QUyfT0KMxv_2vm-zx4KwUcWxzi2IRmI2clXjLYMA0egjsNpP5nq0LOnPiNKyInRExso6bvg/w640-h426/Men-Podium-Flynn_Bfraden_Otstot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Brian Flynn, Forest Braden, Adam Otstot</b> - Masters Men - Overall Podium-2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">AGE DIVISION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Men</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44 </span>All of the top contenders for the Overall Championship were from the 40-44 division. Hence that coverage above works for this division as well. Braden collected the 40-44 division championship as well as the Overall Masters Championship.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Forest Braden</i> 25:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brian Flynn</i> 25:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Otstot</i> 26:19</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><span><b>David Angell</b>, competed in his first Cross Nationals as a Masters athlete in 2017 at the Bend OR course, arguably the most challenging Cross Country course that Masters athletes have encountered in the last ten years. Angell finished 4th overall. In subsequent years he finished 4th and 2nd overall at Tallahassee in 2018 and 2019, and 3rd overall at the Mission Bay course in San Diego in 2020. There was no race in 2020 and he did not make it to the starting line in 2022. In 2023 after rehabbing some chronic issues, he was faced with his first Cross Nationals event as a 45-49 athlete. He finished 7th overall and 2nd in his division behind <b>Jacques Sallberg</b> [not entered this year, but Sallberg had won the overall Masters Cross Country championship every time he competed between 2015 and 2020]. Angell had done well on the roads this year, finishing 3rd overall in April at the 10 Km championships in Dedham in 33:15. On November 11th, he clocked a 1:12:47 Half Marathon in Richmond. At Boca Raton in early October, Angell finished 5th overall in 16:47. So it was a surprise when he struggled at Tallahassee. The fields there are typically deeper and stronger than at Cross Nationals but still, for Angell to finish 42nd overall and 13th in his division was a shock. Which Angell would show up at this event? His main competition would come from <b>William Palmer</b>, who ran a 4:29.04 Mile in June and a 34:43 at the Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond. <b>Jason Abbot </b>had run a 17:00 5K in 2021. <b>Edward Ross</b> ran 1:02:31 in the Blue Cross Broad Street Run in May. <b>Mark Tompkins</b> ran a 35:41 10K and a 1:16:43 Half Marathon. Those three would likely duke it out for the final podium spot. Ross and Palmer were most aggressive, hitting the 1 Km mat in 3:12, with Angell about 20 meters back in 3rd, followed by Abbot, over 50 meters back and Tompkins another 35 meter behind Abbot. By the end of the 2 Km loop, Angell had pulled even with Palmer and Ross. By the halfway mark of the second 2 Km loop, Angell had a small gap on the two; he grew that gap to almost 50 meters by the end of the 2nd loop. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmqxQymRmKWVkHRhSvCQ_TiVFoQu_7h01pJk5dZu_7nr2kAvpD1AZcb_PdMOyjobeEwu7d4buIxKNqTYwR6WmQ7gJtORjq5RaqE7mXGLscGelXikc2LWV4gW6HvMANYDSb45MvlE-oUKMgLvHlaa6cgJMI42c1QfvmKMmdM3-vf840mQFxaNc2ez_vY6E/s1346/Angell%20and%20M40's-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmqxQymRmKWVkHRhSvCQ_TiVFoQu_7h01pJk5dZu_7nr2kAvpD1AZcb_PdMOyjobeEwu7d4buIxKNqTYwR6WmQ7gJtORjq5RaqE7mXGLscGelXikc2LWV4gW6HvMANYDSb45MvlE-oUKMgLvHlaa6cgJMI42c1QfvmKMmdM3-vf840mQFxaNc2ez_vY6E/w640-h426/Angell%20and%20M40's-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#368, solid black cap</span>, swings wide to pass M40 runners, <b>Michael Harlow</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#425</span> and <b>John Becker</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#440</span>, and <b>Dickson Mercer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#470</span> at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>Angell was never headed after that, winning the division by well over 150 meters in 27:05. In that same latter half of the second loop, Palmer pulled away from Ross, enjoying a lead of almost 25 meters. Palmer held onto his position all the way to the finish, taking second with over 200 meters to spare. Ross was not able to keep pace with Palmer but kept the other two well behind him. Ross claimed the final podium spot in 28:44. Tompkins had closed on Abbot by the 4-kilometer mark and ran just off the pace for the next two kilometers before pulling in front at 7 Km and edging Abbot for 4th, by 4 seconds, in 29:04. Angell's performance netted him his first <i>age division</i> gold medal. True, it was not an Overall medal. But if one recalls those early 40-44 age division podiums he was on, Angell was on the second and third step of the podium. This time he was on top! </span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 27:05 <i style="font-weight: bold;">William Palmer</i> 27:43 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Edward Ross</i> 28:44</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><span><b>Phillippe Rolly </b>finished 2nd in this division last year, losing by just a single second. He has been in fine form on the roads with a 55:32 at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in April, a 1:13:17 half marathon in September and a 2:35:45 at the Chicago Marathon. </span><b>Rusty Snow</b> was a top ten finisher overall at the 2015 and 2016 edition of these championships but has been absent since then. He ran a 16:09 5K in 2022 and in February hustled to a fast 1:13:23 at the Ventura HM. The trio battling for the final podium spot included <b>Anderson Norton</b>, who finished 8th in the division here last year and ran a 1:21:58 at the Hokie HM; and <b>Christopher Wolf</b> who ran a 17:00 5K on the roads and a 16:47 3 Mile Fasttrack Cross Country Championship. <b>Marcelo Mejia Perez</b>, like his teammate, Snow, has been absent from these championships for several years. In 2015 he finished 16th in M40 and in 2016, 8th. When the gun sounded, Snow pushed toward the front with Rolly a bit more restrained. They went through the 1 Km mark 1st and 2nd in the division at 3:19 and 3:23. Perez was even with Rolly while Wolfe was 5-8 meters back, followed by Norton another ten meters to the rear. Rolly closed up on Snow by the end of the first loop but it was transitory.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwBDr3qnh-bhyphenhyphenE-YLDRcognmXCRV_7lOOrLObwqmtfirU-UtZ_3rKUBcuCZqAYj422SjGRab0VPtS-A3WWB0F6jOIaWVquTp9sF2OxnYHavJ5_fdylUNkvD100YA3CHBcMvFjRUHyms-GQu6ZCbCgND-iRr6h7OdVRUN6E3K89s3U1LTj7S1QY04GODch/s1346/Snow_Hurt_Rolly%20in%20background.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwBDr3qnh-bhyphenhyphenE-YLDRcognmXCRV_7lOOrLObwqmtfirU-UtZ_3rKUBcuCZqAYj422SjGRab0VPtS-A3WWB0F6jOIaWVquTp9sF2OxnYHavJ5_fdylUNkvD100YA3CHBcMvFjRUHyms-GQu6ZCbCgND-iRr6h7OdVRUN6E3K89s3U1LTj7S1QY04GODch/w640-h426/Snow_Hurt_Rolly%20in%20background.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rusty Snow </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#490 </span>battling with M40 runner, <b>Charlie Hurt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#486</span>, as <b>Phillippe Rolly </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">sunglasses </span>tracks Snow a couple of strides behind-at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>By the 3 Km mat, Snow was again 15 to 20 meters ahead of Rolly. By the end of the 2nd 2 Km loop, Snow had increased the gap to over 40 meters; this would not be Rolly's year to take the division win. Snow won the division in 27:29, with well over a hundred meters to spare. Rolly was never pressed, however, claiming second in 27:56. Mejia Perez stayed close to Wolf over the 2nd kilometer. But by 3 Kilometers, Wolf had a gap of over 30 meters on Mejia Perez. The gap grew the rest of the way. Wolf enjoyed third place in 28:16, with Mejia Perez finishing 38 seconds later. Norton was fifth in 29:07.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rusty Snow</i> 27:29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Phillippe Rolly</i> 27:56 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Wolf</i> 28:16</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Tim Harte</b> finished 3rd last year in 50-54 in 28:07. This year he ran 35:16 to take the 55-59 title at the Cooper Norcross Bridge 10K, and 27:40 for the 8K at the Philadelphia Marathon the weekend before Thanksgiving. <b>Michael Nahom</b> won the 55-59 division last year in 28:29. Nahom was a scratch at Club Cross, which could be due to an injury or a health issue but could also be unrelated to fitness. <b>Shane Anthony</b> has no recent results I can find but he ran a 57:31 10 Miler in 2021 and a 17:10 5K in August of 2022. If Nahom is not at top fitness, he and Anthony could be battling for 2nd. <b>Jeff Conston</b>, who finished 11th in 50-54 last year in 30:13, and <b>Kevin McGuire</b>, who finished 8th in 55-59 in 30:40 are closely matched but not quite as fast as the other three entrants. When the gun sounded, Harte quickly put distance between himself and the rest of the field. None of his division rivals were within 50 meters at the 1-kilometer timing mat. By the end of the first 2 Km loop, Harte was a hundred meters ahead of Anthony, McGuire and Nahom, all of whom were within 2 seconds of one another. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJuGrZbGCpZnrPpPbqVl-ciR9xoOG83AZmkqy5Bd9L5PfAat1IOaYW-bU_MkiEZreq2HslLZzRrQmgBhrHOUwq6HS9-Yghjn7fQS4AHQZsSc-R_pZzTzKKtyw3Nx7llJfQWubRJ3-aR-dygIJc544G5s-avSFzW3Q2zcRr5Qc8Uu5ZRVLZUssXKSbwP70/s1346/Harte-Wolf-Mejia-Perez.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJuGrZbGCpZnrPpPbqVl-ciR9xoOG83AZmkqy5Bd9L5PfAat1IOaYW-bU_MkiEZreq2HslLZzRrQmgBhrHOUwq6HS9-Yghjn7fQS4AHQZsSc-R_pZzTzKKtyw3Nx7llJfQWubRJ3-aR-dygIJc544G5s-avSFzW3Q2zcRr5Qc8Uu5ZRVLZUssXKSbwP70/w640-h426/Harte-Wolf-Mejia-Perez.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Tim Harte</b> leading M50 runners, <b>Christopher Wolf</b> and <b>Marcelo Mejia-Perez</b>, on his way to M55 victory at the<b> </b>2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Conston was 25 meters further back. Harte grew his lead throughout the race, finishing 1st in 28:35 with over 200 meters on his closest division rival. Over the 2nd loop, Anthony opened a 30-meter lead over Nahom who had left McGuire 60 meters back. McGuire now had Conston running stride for stride with him. Anthony took 2nd in 29:29 as Nahom finished 3rd. Conston and McGuire battled over the second half of the race. Conston edged ahead with a kilometer to go and was able to hold off McGuire, finishing 4th in 30:31 with three seconds to spare.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Harte</i> 28:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Shane Anthony</i> 29:29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Nahom</i> 30:02</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Nat Larson</b> has been unbeatable since turning 60 in 2022. Dominant on the roads, he now owns all 60-64 American records from the 1 Mile to the Half Marathon. Larson has also taken the division title at the last two Club Cross Championships in San Francisco and Tallahassee and at last year's Cross National Championships on this Pole Green Park course. <b>Mark Zamek</b> returned from a lengthy rehab to start winning division medals again. He finished 3rd at the 10 Km Masters Championships in Dedham MA in April with a 36:12. In October he won the Masters 5 Km XC title in Boca Raton (Larson was not entered) at 18:13. Zamek gave it everything he had to stay with Larson at Clubs in Tallahassee this past December. He stayed with Larson for the first 4 Km of their 8 Km race. After that, Larson pulled steadily away, winning by 19 seconds. The second place for Zamek showed that his training was on the right track, but he wants to win. With neither <b>Rick Lee</b>, <b>Steve Schmidt</b> nor <b>John Van Danacker</b> entered, those two would surely battle for the win again. <b>Lester Dragstedt, Mark Neff</b>, and <b>Henry Notaro</b> would battle for the final podium spot. All three are strong runners and one could argue for any order. It was a dandy matchup! </p><p>Zamek apparently decided to change his strategy. Rather than let Larson dictate the pace, Zamek took the division lead, opening a 30-meter lead over Larson in the first kilometer. Larson was able to reduce it to about 25 meters over the second half of the first 2 Km loop but did not eliminate it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIVWP1A55UkUP5JT76GU3COSxJ6A3RlCk1mmr4WTnQBbG3dPxG0PeRl-Qlk7uVcTjiyJr0MYdNtvRX4VlAcNuvLaVk811LM4XKFCuVAYNLqJEn5diRl67PvGu1b3gU8Z6Mk6sQNXQkkMZL5GUchkZ88e6YWxiFu7pXIPcmJ0tQwebT7VlDFF-NSIgEVfP/s1346/Zamek%20Et%20Al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIVWP1A55UkUP5JT76GU3COSxJ6A3RlCk1mmr4WTnQBbG3dPxG0PeRl-Qlk7uVcTjiyJr0MYdNtvRX4VlAcNuvLaVk811LM4XKFCuVAYNLqJEn5diRl67PvGu1b3gU8Z6Mk6sQNXQkkMZL5GUchkZ88e6YWxiFu7pXIPcmJ0tQwebT7VlDFF-NSIgEVfP/w640-h426/Zamek%20Et%20Al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Zamek</b> leading the M60 field among runners, <b>Jason Abbot </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#496 M45</span>, <b>John Sharp</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#424 M45</span>, <b>Bert Jacoby</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#485 M40</span>, and <b>Jason Dwyer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#416 M40 </span>at the<b> </b>2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Zamek pressed the pace over the first half of the 3rd loop, running his fastest kilometer so far at 3:33. As a result the gap grew to almost 40 meters. Zamek and Larson had given their all; both were tired. Both ran their slowest kilometer to finish off the 3rd loop. But Larson drew back 1 second from Zamek's lead. With the downhill stretch before him, Larson accelerated over the 1st half of that last loop, running his fastest kilometer, 3:31, carving 5 seconds out of Zamek's lead. Larson was within striking distance, less than 15 meters back at the 7 km mark. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK92unZjHNuyrOh1IfNfglfGNsct2Cpk89ynJ5z_qdHiq6YMsHE7XM4BjsFEipNdjTDaqKilSvAz-vBU_c84mxJw6pYCX0LqvuGJ1Yyzdw7s_gsy-4lYT2jhfjcPrm4cRLGxumLg_m5fGHTkKtv6CDPucq55WjX1j2HJbOfbK8IA938G8ivZ4AVpGoele/s1346/Larson_Nat_mong%20M50%20runners.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK92unZjHNuyrOh1IfNfglfGNsct2Cpk89ynJ5z_qdHiq6YMsHE7XM4BjsFEipNdjTDaqKilSvAz-vBU_c84mxJw6pYCX0LqvuGJ1Yyzdw7s_gsy-4lYT2jhfjcPrm4cRLGxumLg_m5fGHTkKtv6CDPucq55WjX1j2HJbOfbK8IA938G8ivZ4AVpGoele/w640-h426/Larson_Nat_mong%20M50%20runners.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#461, </span>running 2nd in M60 but on his way to victory, with <b>Bronson Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#557 M50</span>, <b>Timothy Greszler </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#420 M45</span>, and <b>Matthew Wisnioski</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#369 M45 </span>at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Larson's drive to the front was inexorable; he caught Zamek on that last kilometer and over the final stretch was able to break away for a three second victory in 28:52! Wow! That was the closest call Larson has had in the last two years of Cross Country championships! It looked like he loved the competition! Zamek is now going back to the drawing board. His strategy of matching Larson's pace for as long as possible did not work at Tallahassee. Getting out ahead of Larson to make Larson do the chasing came closer but was still unsuccessful. </p><p>What about the bronze medal? Notaro got out fast, covering the first two kilometers in 7:26; he was 60 meters ahead of Dragstedt and Neff who were running in tandem in 4th and 5th. The margin stayed there through three kilometers but over the 4th kilometer, Dragstedt started to cut gradually into Notaro's lead. Neff kept pace with Dragstedt a couple of strides back. The lead was down under 40 meters by the halfway point of the third loop and lowered further to less than 15 meters by the end of that loop. Notaro hung tough; Dragstedt could not catch him. Neff was able to swing past Dragstedt in the final kilometer and make a run for Notaro. Notaro held on to claim the bronze medal; he finished in 30:44, a single second ahead of Neff. Dragstedt finished 5th a mere 4 seconds later.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson</i> 28:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Zamek</i> 28:55 <b style="font-style: italic;">Henry Notaro</b> 30:44</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span>At both Boca Raton and Tallahassee, the order of finish in 65-69 was <b>Rick Becker, Ken Youngers</b>, and <b>David Westenberg</b>. The same trio was expected to vie for the championship this time. But Becker had to scratch due to a strained tendon. I expected Westenberg to fare better than in those last two contests because he would have an extra 4 to 5 weeks to get the fall marathon out of his legs and because cold suits him better than warm and humid. There were other worthy challengers as well. <b>Timothy Conheady</b> finished 3rd here last year behind Westenberg and Youngers. Youngers ran 12 seconds faster. <b>Pete Gibson</b> finished 4th here last year, over a minute behind Conheady. But Gibson has been running faster this year. He ran a 1:03:57 10 Miler, a 30:48 at the Surf'N'Santa 8K, and a 42:06 10K. <b>Roger Sayre</b> has also had an excellent year on the roads; he set the American 65-69 Record for the 25K with his division winning 1:40:41. Sayre also took the win at the 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento with a 1:01:09. When the gun sounded, Gibson set off with the confidence of an athlete who expects to run well. Gibson hit the 1-kilometer timing mat in 3:40, a good 15 meters ahead of Westenberg, trailed closely by Youngers. Sayre and Conheady were 25 meters back. Gibson kept up the pressure through the remainder of that loop and halfway into the next. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E82WSMu4jXoLpI8mresCxWiKUFFmvwkyWoDCnRByeH4DBuwWMalrPT0yT_sP1-_Y7FEdE5z3dRUGPwhLA5XUbgfoltKcOMbL1KaZPmQr2tRb-rgwaAm-EinV2hnlfAvSvmMoGjw1PMAsFCQ9dLw4HQI4qx7v0wkut2W-vH3BQMbLXYG3gxg0KcdqNrQe/s1346/Gibson%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E82WSMu4jXoLpI8mresCxWiKUFFmvwkyWoDCnRByeH4DBuwWMalrPT0yT_sP1-_Y7FEdE5z3dRUGPwhLA5XUbgfoltKcOMbL1KaZPmQr2tRb-rgwaAm-EinV2hnlfAvSvmMoGjw1PMAsFCQ9dLw4HQI4qx7v0wkut2W-vH3BQMbLXYG3gxg0KcdqNrQe/w640-h426/Gibson%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pete Gibson</b> leading the M65 field, and being chased by <b>Michael Hiller </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#482 M45</span>, <b>Adam Nuckols</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#522 M40</span>, <b>Timothy Suhr</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#404 M50</span>, and <b>Robert Dinterman</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#542 M50 </span>at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Westenberg limited the damage, holding Gibson's lead at 25-30 meters. At the 3 Km mark, Youngers had fallen over 40 meters behind Westenberg but had an 80-meter lead on Conheady and Sayre. Westenberg finally began to cut into his deficit up to Gibson in the 2nd kilometer of the 2nd loop; the lead fell to less than 15 meters. Youngers, meanwhile, was motoring well, in 3rd, 20 meters behind Westenberg but nearly a hundred meters ahead of Conheady. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaJrLW0AO2VzOy6Ek6ZgGeanJjzZFoiLV5zNhG0z_PDarhfwXCw1C_q0QCLXQ_OdPryzppgnDRgyLu85DpMvdS2EjUDCwDWOmUk59fdYnArWW8k6fXHPJJwgMkVeLs7hObL0YIo1UlwSe5npV_4lMA10nEhGNQuaFF91ZdtsJjytoGU2ipAvsWE4BoOdW/s1346/Westenberg-Youngers%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaJrLW0AO2VzOy6Ek6ZgGeanJjzZFoiLV5zNhG0z_PDarhfwXCw1C_q0QCLXQ_OdPryzppgnDRgyLu85DpMvdS2EjUDCwDWOmUk59fdYnArWW8k6fXHPJJwgMkVeLs7hObL0YIo1UlwSe5npV_4lMA10nEhGNQuaFF91ZdtsJjytoGU2ipAvsWE4BoOdW/w640-h426/Westenberg-Youngers%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Westenberg</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#436</span>, running 2nd in M65 ahead of <b>Ken Youngers</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> #359</span>. Westenberg won in the end. Accompanying Westenberg & Youngers are two M50 athletes, <b>Michael Swan</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#492 </span>and <b>Michael Stowe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#374 </span>at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sayre was suffering a rare off day; he had fallen over 40 meters back from Conheady. Over the 3rd loop, Gibson maintained the lead but Westenberg was right on his heels for the whole loop. Westenberg took the lead in the first kilometer of the final loop but Gibson stayed within 15 meters. Westenberg stretched the lead a bit in the last kilometer, winning the M65 championship for he second consecutive year, this time in 31:18. His winning time was 9 seconds faster despite the temperature being twenty degrees colder! Most who ran in 2023 and 2024 ran slower this year. Gibson took second 7 seconds behind the winner.</p><p>It looked like Youngers had the bronze medal sown up. He hit the 7 Km timing mat in 27:57 with a lead of over 150 meters on Conheady. But then things started to fall apart. Not only did Youngers lose that lead, but Sayre reports that he was only able to pass for 4th when Youngers fell on the final run to the finish. Youngers is an experienced long-distance runner. That kind of collapse is a sign that something went seriously wrong. Youngers had no explanation for it; he noted that his lower back tightened up, possibly due to dehydration, He could not run without severe pain. Youngers had been running pretty steady 4:07's for the second kilometer on each loop. That last one ballooned to 4:48! That is not to take anything away from Conheady, who ran a super race, taking ten seconds off his 2023 time on this course. Credit the M65 competition for the faster times!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Westenberg</i> 31:18 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Pete Gibson</i> 31:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Timothy Conheady</i> 32:31</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Robert Qualls</b> has been the 'top gun' in this division since summer of 2022 when he turned 70. In 2023, he won the 5 Km Championships in 20:02, the 10 Km Championships in 41:38 and set a new M70 American Record in the Mile with a 5:33. He has also been unbeaten on the turf, winning Club Cross at San Francisco in 34:39, here in Richmond last year in 34:08, and at Boca Raton over 5 Km in 20:28. The main contenders for the other podium spots included: <b>Doug Bell</b>, <b>James Linn</b>, <b>Don Morrison</b>, and <b>Eugene Myers</b>. Bell is a perpetual contender for the podium, finishing 2nd here last year in 35:46. But he has finished 6th in the last two cross country championships. In 2022, Linn finished a minute and change behind Bell at the 5 Km Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO. Of course, Bell had the advantage of altitude, training in Greeley CO. Linn trains in New Jersey. Linn enjoyed a fine M70 win at the 12 Km Championships in September, clocking 51:44. Morrison finished 11th here last year but likely was off his best. Morrison ran three 8K's in November and December in times ranging from 34:27 to 36:05. Those equate, roughly, to 21:15 to 22:15 5K's. He validated that fitness with a 21:37 5K on New Year's Day this year. Myers is a tough competitor, but an injury slowed him in the second half of 2023. He finally started to be competitive again at Tallahassee but still finished 1:40 behind Bell in 12th position.</p><p>As he has done all year and longer, now, Qualls went to the front of the M70 field, hitting the 1 Km timing mat in 3:52, with a 20-meter lead on Linn. Morrison was running in third, 40 meters behind Linn. Myers had started conservatively and was 20 meters behind Morrison in 4th. Bell was already 50 meters behind Myers. This would clearly be an off day for Bell, who is not known as a 'come from behind' winner. Despite Linn running strongly in second, Qualls had no trouble building the lead. Qualls hit the 5th kilometer timing mat in 21:12 with a lead of well over a hundred meters. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdZV-UDreTEezq05zkfey6hzW8BATlP6lbItuVkvr3T9UjL0mirSPI3FHdmxMLxcgDXXXCo_12xATROwoYg02wtGIr9K6Opu5VjVo6iC0PX8v3JOQF1XtKFGry88o77kvb00t3jEx5sPZQnIa8Z2d8_9aWxJNKJaqSTKQpQ_7rdAAV55nhmUAacULbWJ2/s1346/Qualls%20with%20a%20big%20lead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdZV-UDreTEezq05zkfey6hzW8BATlP6lbItuVkvr3T9UjL0mirSPI3FHdmxMLxcgDXXXCo_12xATROwoYg02wtGIr9K6Opu5VjVo6iC0PX8v3JOQF1XtKFGry88o77kvb00t3jEx5sPZQnIa8Z2d8_9aWxJNKJaqSTKQpQ_7rdAAV55nhmUAacULbWJ2/w400-h266/Qualls%20with%20a%20big%20lead.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls</b> with a big lead in M70 at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Linn led Morrison by more than 200 meters. Morrison had an 11 second lead on Myers by the end of the first loop but took 6 seconds out of that lead in the first kilometer of the 2nd loop. But that was as close as Myers would get. Qualls won his second straight championship here in Richmond, clocking 34:25. Linn was 23 seconds back in 2nd place. Morrison rebuilt his lead over Myers back up to 11 seconds by the end of the third loop. Despite a strong effort by Myers, Morrison was too tough; he took 3rd in 36:33, with Myers 18 seconds back in 4th. Bell finished 5th.</p><p>Qualls continues to ride the top of the wave in the 70-74 division. Linn showed he can run a strong Cross Country race and Morrison cemented his return to fitness by holding off a good effort by Myers.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> 34:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">James Linn</i> 34:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Don Morrison</i> 36:33</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Gary Ostwald</b> won the two prestige cross country events last year, edging past <b>Ron Wells </b>(not entered in Richmond this year) for the win at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and kicking away from <b>Dave Glass</b> (not entered this year either-rehabbing after heart surgery) to win here in Richmond. That should have made him the favorite. But <b>Gene Dykes</b> has moved up from 70-74. Dykes finished 3rd last year in that division. But his 35:49 in M70 was over two minutes faster than Ostwald's winning M75 time. At that time last year, Dykes had just started to make progress on a white blood cell problem. By the middle of 2023 he had that problem behind him. In October he claimed the M75 American Marathon Record with a 3:17:01 at Chicago. Since then he has run two 1:35 and change half marathons. Those efforts signal that Dykes actually entered as the favorite, with Ostwald favored for 2nd. <b>Rick Katz</b> and <b>Jerry Learned</b> would likely battle for third. Learned had some health issues in the first part of 2023 but has put those behind him. But Katz has come in ahead of Learned both at Boca Raton in the Masters 5 Km and at Tallahassee at Clubs over 8 Km. But Learned was much closer at Tallahassee in December, a 9-second gap, than at Boca Raton in early October, where the gap was well over a minute. Perhaps Learned's fitness is improving? Once the athletes got to the 1-kilometer timing mat, most of the uncertainties were resolved. Dykes clocked 4:25 for that first kilometer. Ostwald was 50 meters behind in 2nd. Katz trailed Ostwald 25 meters back, with Learned another 20 minutes further back. There were no surprises the rest of the way; the gaps just grew bigger. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-CqgWtdx6oAiqWPyeeZ0FdZnSPDTc5uYfu_fCiYgNo8nPCoAFUyhqZqp4W47JhyphenhyphenBme_qCx25GMRyXoo-7sQXPKUMMqFMfUjqy-RqGkr8HgFJuMIGXBvduBRZ3fTPIf3AawrEyzltAYHETZ0qgUhk44bDCPI_-9sa_e-ym-SAuQ-ujyM1_E3KT0-UE3t9/s1346/Dykes%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-CqgWtdx6oAiqWPyeeZ0FdZnSPDTc5uYfu_fCiYgNo8nPCoAFUyhqZqp4W47JhyphenhyphenBme_qCx25GMRyXoo-7sQXPKUMMqFMfUjqy-RqGkr8HgFJuMIGXBvduBRZ3fTPIf3AawrEyzltAYHETZ0qgUhk44bDCPI_-9sa_e-ym-SAuQ-ujyM1_E3KT0-UE3t9/w640-h426/Dykes%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#459</span>, with a sizable lead on the M75 field, running with M60 athletes, <b>Andrew Shearer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#446 </span>and <b>William Rose </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#476</span>, and <b>Eric Puma</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#504 M50 </span>at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Dykes won in 37:39. Ostwald finished 2nd 55 seconds later. Katz was third in 39:43, a minute and 34 seconds ahead of Learned. <b>Jan Frisby</b> showed that his efforts to return to fitness are paying dividends, finishing 5th in 43:08. He will enter the 80-84 division in April just before the 10 Km championships. Dykes ran almost two minutes slower this year. I learned after the race that he had Covid in early January, making his 1:35:30 Half Marathon on January 13th more of a struggle than one might have expected. A week later it is hardly surprising that Dykes's time was off.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes</i> 37:39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Gary Ostwald</i> 38:34 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Katz</i> 39:43</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span>Two were entered but only one made it to the starting line, <b>Jim Assal</b>. He had no trouble traversing the course for four loops in 54:24. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOPhTzQ1FUuBQXeJi6HNk7QBPbg8eSwCbnDUKVXtZZ-lyEiblEQaDbc5RcfHwWqT8dj9LOLDFfbEM0AlTWPYTAP4hVQ-mJXjtPuRhDX-U9LTVcasPhKPZzfoBs7nu_gwD1GUYoq0KzClHaZ7bg3UpsSPPUa67tSCHvL7xlTtY3VmPVvANJDlSrrQH_SiI/s1346/Assal-M80.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOPhTzQ1FUuBQXeJi6HNk7QBPbg8eSwCbnDUKVXtZZ-lyEiblEQaDbc5RcfHwWqT8dj9LOLDFfbEM0AlTWPYTAP4hVQ-mJXjtPuRhDX-U9LTVcasPhKPZzfoBs7nu_gwD1GUYoq0KzClHaZ7bg3UpsSPPUa67tSCHvL7xlTtY3VmPVvANJDlSrrQH_SiI/w400-h266/Assal-M80.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jim Assal</b> on his way to victory in the Men's 80-84 division at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>He is the 2024 M80 national champion.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jim Assal</i> 54:24</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Women</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44 </span><span>As with the men, the top overall finishers all came from the 40-44 division. The description of the overall race is the description of the 40-44 division race.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Carrie Dimoff</i> 21:16 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Renee Metivier</i> 21:47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">April Lund</i> 21:57</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><span><b>Jacqueline Cooke</b> finished 4th overall at the 2022 Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento in 1:03:16. A year later she clocked 1:03:28, finishing 3rd overall. IN September of 2022, Cooke claimed 4th in W40 at the Masters 12 Km championships, with a 48:35 at Highlands NJ. <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> finished 5th in her division in the 8 Km Cross Country race at the 2023 WMA Indoor Championships in Poland last March, clocking 29:25. She finished 4th in the 10K in 39:27. She ran even faster at the Boca Raton 5 Km Cross Country Championships in October; her 19:54 took top honors overall. <b>Jodi Smith </b>finished 6th at the 2022 Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta with a 19:18. This past November she posted an 18:48 at the Des Moines Turkey Trot 5K. In the preview I guessed at an order of Cooke, Josiah-Tanner and Smith, noting that Cooke appeared to be faster than Tanner on paper. It turned out that Cooke was also faster in fact. She moved to the front and her chip recorded a 3:46 at the 1 km mat. Smith and Josiah-Tanner were running in tandem 30 meters back. <b>Tamara Pelletier</b> was 50 meters behind that duo in 4th, with <b>Katrina Holloway</b> 40 meters further back in 5th. The main drama was in the Josiah-Tanner/Smith matchup. They were essentially even at the end of the first 2 Km loop. But Smith was able to keep up her pace over the 3rd km as Josiah-Tanner started to slip back. Smith enjoyed a 30-meter lead by the time they passed the 3 Km mat. That gap grew with every passing kilometer. But Smith could not keep pace with Cooke. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkb-l_r_xaxxR1FlNJATVU5E9UBYT2nNZhYOeHpQRqyv0BcVTVek4UkQMzC4gaHrIuwGxDHnCcYUXyTfjkoC0TSIbQrU5w4ySKzJDVYuUhRrJgBbv46Ne1RqvYJK9jr0gPPYnSFuUVqAYFMMD39aeyrOWralHmluuHi3Bcej2rrnNOsgDhaIEfjfUpTCf/s1346/Cooke-1st%20W45.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkb-l_r_xaxxR1FlNJATVU5E9UBYT2nNZhYOeHpQRqyv0BcVTVek4UkQMzC4gaHrIuwGxDHnCcYUXyTfjkoC0TSIbQrU5w4ySKzJDVYuUhRrJgBbv46Ne1RqvYJK9jr0gPPYnSFuUVqAYFMMD39aeyrOWralHmluuHi3Bcej2rrnNOsgDhaIEfjfUpTCf/w400-h266/Cooke-1st%20W45.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jacqueline Cooke</b> leading the Women's 45-49 division on her way to victory at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>That gap also grew kilometer by kilometer; Smith took the division win in 23:29, nineteen seconds ahead of Smith. Josiah-Tanner was 150 meters behind Smith; she claimed third in 24:29, a minute and 17 seconds ahead of Pelletier. Holloway was a minute and change back in 5th. Perhaps faster on the roads than the turf, Cooke enjoyed a fine wire-to-wire division win, tenth overall. Smith showed she can run well on the turf. Josiah-Tanner delivered another podium finish; it is hard to deny her that even in her last year in the division. After this summer, she will be competing in 50-54.<p></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jacqueline Cooke</i> 23:29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jodi Smith</i> 23:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 24:29</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><span><b>Lorilynn Bloomer</b>, the favorite, was a scratch. The Bowerman team did not compete for the 40+ team championship after all. <b>Abby Dean</b>, perhaps a co-favorite, had surgery in November. So, for the second year in a row, she would be competing in this championship solely for team points. Last year she finished 3rd in 26:16. She would be unlikely to run any faster than that this year. With Bloomer absent and Dean at less than full fitness, <b>Samantha Forde</b> looked a good bet for the win. The defending champion won last year in 24:49. She has been a solid threat for the podium at national championships, finishing 4th in the division at the 5K masters Championships and winning the division at the 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento with a 1:06:46. Forde finished 4th at Tallahassee this past December. <b>Brenda Hodge</b> finished 4th in the division here at Richmond last year and might crack the podium. She ran a 19:49 5K in March and then clocked 1:09:21 at the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. I caught <b>Amy Gannon</b> as a late entry for Richmond but missed viewing her recent results. She would surely factor into the race for the podium. Her recent results include a 1:08:50 at the Broad Street 10 Mile Run, a 40:54 10K in Augusta, a 3:13:20 marathon at Chicago, and a 1:30:09 at the Naples Half Marathon six days before Richmond. Forde set the pace for the first kilometer, hitting the timing mat in 4:04. But Gannon was right on her heels. It was 50 meters back to Dean, with <b>Cassandra Crane</b> and <b>Brenda Hodge</b> a few meters behind Dean. Ford and Gannon remained 1-2, separated by a second, for the remainder of the first 2 Km loop and a kilometer into the 2nd loop. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB797NCW_LYBodpGRoWAlqJb4StcHosVSp5FbYqEHwSAvkpGfAjuaD2F1WHCv6iXguItilXNwCt8nImecSHKnc2ndpF-XmXfPS0anAhTo01bzkuRyHbmhSNxJRj1gvvhC4I9z_SztwFNkRNMFP13EKTUjjAVFE1IMMvwM0G4dD4QKF53RwyCJeOEyYvHtD/s1346/Ford%20&%20Gannon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB797NCW_LYBodpGRoWAlqJb4StcHosVSp5FbYqEHwSAvkpGfAjuaD2F1WHCv6iXguItilXNwCt8nImecSHKnc2ndpF-XmXfPS0anAhTo01bzkuRyHbmhSNxJRj1gvvhC4I9z_SztwFNkRNMFP13EKTUjjAVFE1IMMvwM0G4dD4QKF53RwyCJeOEyYvHtD/w640-h426/Ford%20&%20Gannon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Samantha Forde</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#508 </span>and <b>Amy Gannon </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#592</span> running 1-2 at the front of the Women's 50-54 field at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Hodge was able to stay within ten meters of Dean for the first loop but fell back, allowing a 20-meter gap by the 3rd kilometer. Gannon pressed the pace after the third kilometer and enjoyed a 20-meter lead by the end of the 2nd loop. Those gaps grew over the last kilometer. Gannon got her first Masters national championship with a fine 25:05, finishing 19 seconds ahead of Forde. Dean claimed third for her team with a 26:44, finishing nine seconds ahead of Hodge who took 4th. Crane finished 5th.<p></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Amy Gannon</i> 25:05 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Samantha Forde</i> 25:24 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i> 26:44</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><span><b>Rachel Hopkins</b>, the favorite, was a scratch. In Hopkins absence it appeared it would be a 4-woman race for the championship. <b>Kelly Brown</b> and <b>Deelyn Robinson </b>finished 7th and 8th here last year in 27:26 and 27:54 respectively. Brown ran a 45:00 10K at the Beach to Beacon in early August in Maine, adding a 22:54 5K on New Year's Day, three weeks before this race. Robinson ran a 37:17 8K at the Christmastown Dash, age grade equivalent to a 22:57 5K. <b>Melissa Chiti</b> had some good road and track results this year but no cross country I could find. Her 6:12 at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis in June had her 5th in the division. She ran a 47:41 at the AJC Peachtree Road Race. She ran a 22:00 at the Gobbler 5K at Thanksgiving. De Lea has been working her way back into competition; she ran 5K's this summer in the 21:17 to 21:59 range. That suggested she might be faster than Brown and Robinson and at least competitive with Chiti. A few days before the event, De lea posted she might be a scratch and if not would be slow. That led me to downgrade her chances. This was the tightest division through the first five runners over the first kilometer. The first five were within thirty meters of one another. Robinson led the way with a 15-meter lead on De Lea. Chiti, Brown and <b>Maureen Masseell </b>followed on De Lea's heels. Massell fell back by the end of the first loop. But Chiti and De Lea were up tight on Robinson's heels, with Brown just starting to struggle to maintain contact.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NaGZ5WOSuG3-l_ryeUpbcjqQkvfBnBcx4dLh857lV4UuiG47Pd0BaWyFMXWSKcmgwE8sIfh0lkBralLzCPCFHsKAK7Qe7ADoZc6MG0rL134KJeK8Dp8TpWt7_RbynHXRaKeW_BfOiKtx25Sq9S258wuzdQyQP7ZhgenrVESffWpXt53dMo-ejQ_IR-vk/s1346/Robinson%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NaGZ5WOSuG3-l_ryeUpbcjqQkvfBnBcx4dLh857lV4UuiG47Pd0BaWyFMXWSKcmgwE8sIfh0lkBralLzCPCFHsKAK7Qe7ADoZc6MG0rL134KJeK8Dp8TpWt7_RbynHXRaKeW_BfOiKtx25Sq9S258wuzdQyQP7ZhgenrVESffWpXt53dMo-ejQ_IR-vk/w640-h426/Robinson%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Deelyn Robinson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#582</span>, leading the Women's 55-59 division, running alongside <b>Katrina Holloway </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#607 W45 </span>t the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The third kilometer saw Brown falling 40 meters back from the lead trio; Massell was another 40 meters further back. The chips of Robinson and Chit read 13:28, with De Lea at 13:29! With Chiti dictating the pace, the next kilometer saw Robinson fall almost twenty meters off the pace. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SHGdVXnhzZCkiXj1BoRT7-9IS_K5CClCA7Z_nPWTZxD8OImoj0mZlzxo-WO3hIZE3hBUsN5v2fXr1CNsB6MwqF-AF9qhpI5_xRPE020o5O31NJ-RpkHsW4J8UcuGvCU88j5wvp8G2wztPdAA5OW5jCJ-xEusma-b-szCh6Kc-77MJVlX3QSyiBCwoGUi/s1346/De%20Lea%20&%20Chiti.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SHGdVXnhzZCkiXj1BoRT7-9IS_K5CClCA7Z_nPWTZxD8OImoj0mZlzxo-WO3hIZE3hBUsN5v2fXr1CNsB6MwqF-AF9qhpI5_xRPE020o5O31NJ-RpkHsW4J8UcuGvCU88j5wvp8G2wztPdAA5OW5jCJ-xEusma-b-szCh6Kc-77MJVlX3QSyiBCwoGUi/w640-h426/De%20Lea%20&%20Chiti.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura De Lea </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#616 </span>and <b>Melissa Chiti </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">solid lime green cap</span>, running 2-3 in Women's 55-59 here. Chiti and De lea would finish 1st and 2nd respectively at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>De Lea was still right on Chiti's heels as they clocked 18:09 and 18:10 at 4K. De Lea lost 4 seconds in the 7th kilometer, trailing Chiti's 22:36 by 5 seconds. De lea clawed back three of those seconds in the final kilometer but Chiti finished strong, claiming the win in 27:04, a mere 2 seconds ahead of a fast-closing De Lea! Chiti presumably focuses on Indoor Track now as De Lea turns to the late winter/early spring road season. Will they meet again in Atlanta? Both are already entered, along with Mimi Fallon from New England. Sparks could fly! Robinson finished 3rd, eleven seconds behind De Lea. Brown finished 4th in 27:40 with Massell 5th.</p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Melissa Chiti</i> 27:04 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Laura De Lea </i>27:06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Deelyn Robinson</i> 27:17</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Suzanne La Burt</b>, who was the favorite for the win, strained a hip flexor while preparing for a Millrose Games relay. She scratched. That left <b>Mary Cass, Kris Huff, Lorraine Jasper</b>, and <b>Amanda King </b>vying for three podium spots. Cass won the division at Clubs in Golden Gate Park in 2022 and won the 60-64 10 Km Championship in late April at Dedham with a 41:43. She lost to La Burt, finishing 2nd in 60-64 at Boca Raton over 5 Km and at Tallahassee over 8 Km. La Burt is the only one in this division that Cass has lost to in the last year and a half. When La Burt scratched, Cass became the favorite. Huff finished 3rd in 55-59 in the 5 Km in Atlanta with a 21:23 and she placed 14th in the younger division at Tallahassee with a 28:11. Jasper is returning from rehab. She won this division at Tallahassee in 2021 with a 25:50, just 6 seconds slower than Cass's 2023 time. But Jasper does not seem ready to run that fast yet; she is primarily competing for team points. King, Cass's teammate, finished 5th at Tallahassee last December, albeit a couple of minutes slower than Cass. </p><p>Cass led the way but King was determined to stay with Cass, at least for the first kilometer. They hit the 1-kilometer mark together at 4:10. Their 3rd teammate, <b>Virginia Bok</b> was 40 meters back, with Jasper a couple of strides back and Huff another 15. By the end of the first 2 Km loop, King had fallen 20 meters behind Cass but had over a hundred meters on Jasper, running in 3rd. Bok was now 15 meters behind jasper in 4th, 30 meters ahead of Huff. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenidYIwQv-oHAyjLmMeK7lqLUWLOJ4FyUgczNhyphenhypheniVRddcFTThfl_ZJBqH8M-e3OKXFGSHRJyR6VeBSA_-dgmQos288x_9EeDt4jTpc_MMzOC0eJHx7vNowfnIGVveb5JX0sz8JCF6wL3LMsRfATqO7ueR-p9bstj_Iin94MVW-vQ4yRBw-B9kuLZ0W7Et/s1346/Cass%20&%20King%20et%20al.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenidYIwQv-oHAyjLmMeK7lqLUWLOJ4FyUgczNhyphenhypheniVRddcFTThfl_ZJBqH8M-e3OKXFGSHRJyR6VeBSA_-dgmQos288x_9EeDt4jTpc_MMzOC0eJHx7vNowfnIGVveb5JX0sz8JCF6wL3LMsRfATqO7ueR-p9bstj_Iin94MVW-vQ4yRBw-B9kuLZ0W7Et/w640-h426/Cass%20&%20King%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mary Cass </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#601 </span>leads her teammate, <b>Amanda King</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#602 </span>at the front of the Women's 60-64 division, running alongside <b>Theresa Gagliardi </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#588 W40</span> at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Over the 2nd loop, the gaps between Cass, King, and Jasper all grew. Huff caught and passed Bok but was almost a hundred meters behind Jasper. Nothing changed the rest of the way except for the size of the gaps. Cass enjoyed the win at 25:28. King was a minute and 3 seconds behind her in 2nd. Jasper nailed third with a 27:29, 25 seconds ahead of Huff. Bok was 36 seconds back in 5th.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> 25:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Amanda King</i> 26:41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lorraine Jasper</i> 27:29</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Nora Cary </b>is the defending champion; she won here last year in 26:22. She had an injury she needed to rehab in the middle of the year. But by the end, she was back in the driver's seat again, winning the 65-69 division at Club Cross in Tallahassee. She defeated a strong field by two and a half minutes! <b>Deborah Snagg</b> finished 2nd here last year, 2 and a half minutes behind Cary. <b>Susan Stirrat</b>, the 2023 65-69 Masters National Grand Prix winner, finished over 3 minutes behind Snagg in third. Myers was 4th in 50:35. Nothing happened to change expectations based on the 2023 results. Cary ran the first kilometer in 4:21, enjoying a 40-meter lead on Snagg, who had a lead of over a hundred meters on Stirrat. Myers was almost 300 meters behind Stirrat. The race unfolded as expected; all of the gaps grew kilometer by kilometer. Cary won in 27:17. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJnlp9oV096-hetWj5DSIKMk2UHZDSNLdIhqqiRzWSEnbHB50cOuuCEJyrOe9GQvcgukwvYRYeGb6FAlPFWdsgKn3UaGEFlK7zP5FqRU1sjEyZ4wVT7iMU-VVCltBR6vBU_VLrrxxuy_d-2Ibldb2lIMpffcZGD_Tpgo9QJ7Cj2r6R49VU0DgDbABKmr-/s1346/Cary_Nora_%23622%20with%20Laura%20DeLea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJnlp9oV096-hetWj5DSIKMk2UHZDSNLdIhqqiRzWSEnbHB50cOuuCEJyrOe9GQvcgukwvYRYeGb6FAlPFWdsgKn3UaGEFlK7zP5FqRU1sjEyZ4wVT7iMU-VVCltBR6vBU_VLrrxxuy_d-2Ibldb2lIMpffcZGD_Tpgo9QJ7Cj2r6R49VU0DgDbABKmr-/w640-h426/Cary_Nora_%23622%20with%20Laura%20DeLea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nora Cary </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#622</span> running at the front of the Women's 65-69 division alongside teammate, <b>Laura De Lea </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">W55 </span>at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott</span><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Snagg claimed 2nd again, 2:07 behind Cary. Stirrat enjoyed the bronze medal in 33:05. Myers finished 18 minutes later in 4th place.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nora Cary </i>27:07 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Deborah Snagg</i> 29:14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Susan Stirrat</i> 33:05</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74</span> With <b>Nancy Antos</b> and <b>Kathleen Doswell</b>, both scratching, <b>Cindy Lucking </b>was left in a division by herself. After hip replacement surgery last March, Lucking finished 2nd at Tallahassee in 35:31. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rvgjG5RODonRN8zerRZlXqMY4TfAcK1p1HhqB82P5x-57xTcZaRRQwrFc25qt8TGVjtdigJqofbM8OD3CKI3ANl1eGdnLNSRf07NEq8Zr4wDaRwS2U-5JQISp-QtCsXedGo2D7wo8fTGkna4TCmp5iy4onC4QzwEaKgQ0Xp4XfVbHJSEOeI-DTmabgK8/s1346/Lucking.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rvgjG5RODonRN8zerRZlXqMY4TfAcK1p1HhqB82P5x-57xTcZaRRQwrFc25qt8TGVjtdigJqofbM8OD3CKI3ANl1eGdnLNSRf07NEq8Zr4wDaRwS2U-5JQISp-QtCsXedGo2D7wo8fTGkna4TCmp5iy4onC4QzwEaKgQ0Xp4XfVbHJSEOeI-DTmabgK8/w400-h266/Lucking.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cindy Lucking</b> on her way to victory in the Women's 70-74 division at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The team leader for her 70+ team, Lucking took care of business, running faster than at Tallahassee by more than half a minute.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Cindy Lucking</i> 34:50</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span>Running for her team, like Lucking, <b>Andrea McCarter</b> had no individual rivals to worry about. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp1dMJAhdGRqkTJJjIeRCZO3kkD52ytrFWWSESxXQx98Ax6aZIgXJh1tE3tjsURYlItWa91hJIwLtOKNaULl39mp9-GzimX3Ulkz1fAoaNyCMkOYsID9ICrtOmTnbbYLAEzdPtaLaaC0fHkhLkSy8XAK-iTEBv-KDRfJ-UlYwf_yKVmu-_Hkry0y8hHO5/s1346/McCarter-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp1dMJAhdGRqkTJJjIeRCZO3kkD52ytrFWWSESxXQx98Ax6aZIgXJh1tE3tjsURYlItWa91hJIwLtOKNaULl39mp9-GzimX3Ulkz1fAoaNyCMkOYsID9ICrtOmTnbbYLAEzdPtaLaaC0fHkhLkSy8XAK-iTEBv-KDRfJ-UlYwf_yKVmu-_Hkry0y8hHO5/w400-h266/McCarter-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andrea McCarter</b> on her way to victory in the Women's 75-79 division at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships - Pole Green Park, Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Mike Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>She set off when the gun sounded; 46 minutes and 19 second later, McCarter crossed the finish line, earning the 75-79 gold medal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 46:19</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite </b>competes. Last year she won the Masters National Grand Prix title for this age division. She won two Masters Cross Country Championships, over 5 Km and 8 Km; and four Masters Road championships, at distances from One Mile to Ten Miles. She starts calendar 2024 off with a win!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 1:04:00</p><p>That completes the recap of the Overall and Age Division Championships at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships at Pole Green Park in Richmond VA. The next event on the Masters National Grand Prix circuit is the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships over a new road course in Atlanta Georgia on PUBLIX Atlanta Marathon Weekend, Saturday, February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-37434741188696846182024-01-19T10:15:00.002-05:002024-01-19T10:15:50.903-05:00Masters Athletes Head for the Turf in Virginia on a Chilly January Day--Cross Nationals!<p> <b>January 17, 2024 </b>For Masters Athletes from the Mountains across the Plains across the Great Lakes it has been a bitterly cold week of preparation for the upcoming Masters Races at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA. Actual temperatures dipped into the negative range, often accompanied by high winds that drove the 'Feels Like' to the -30's and below! Some became treadmill trotters or swimming pool prancers at their gyms. But many just said, you know what, I can just layer up and make it work outside! Athletes in the south have had to deal with freezing or even sub-freezing temps. So we all know we can face the cold and get it done! </p><p>Temperatures at race time for the Women's race at 10:30AM are predicted to be 26 degrees F (-3C), with winds at 12 mph, gusting to 25 mph for a 'feels like' of +16F--oof! It is predicted to be 2 degrees warmer for the Men's race at 11:30. Heads and hands will need protection, not to mention layering up otherwise. There are no big snows or rain predicted heading into race day; footing should be okay.</p><p>But as cold as conditions are, the competition will be hot!</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Carrie Dimoff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Portland OR, Bowerman TC,</span> the 13<sup>th</sup> place finisher in
the Marathon at the Doha World Championships, and <b>Renée</b><b> Metivier</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Flagstaff AZ</span>, <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard, </span>a
5-time competitor for Team USA at the World Cross Country Championships and an 11-time All American at Colorado and Georgia Tech, are
vying on the turf again. At the Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee on
December 9<sup>th</sup>, they went 1-2, with Dimoff taking the honors in 21:17 and
Metivier 23 seconds behind in 2<sup>nd</sup>. Metivier was glued to Dimoff through the first half of the race. Dimoff began to pull away in the 4th kilometer and increased the gap from there to the finish. They race over the same distance, 6 Km, here at Pole Green Park, but it will be three loops instead of two. Will we get a different outcome in sub-freezing temperatures than we did in warm and humid conditions in Tallahassee? It is likely that Metivier, whose residence for Clubs was reported as Bend OR, has spent more time training in the cold than Dimoff. Will that be an edge!? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNf3JT3bGRGy-7DG4Mc2BmJiPCTqNKmKkqqGq8lRLz4yHQs1gUZF6a7qD1IMI4HgUMAtqzuqzKOq4RgGPKGX4f2nRyKsjzHOMOl_xRu9dFByL4Nsy0CV6BJYZtU1hNDrLXCqP5npiqjQqbZnc0Z0zmz_CvAqCjoGPigSrOp1oAhILFBhD1OE0FVwhem3u/s897/Dimoff-Metivier-300M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="717" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNf3JT3bGRGy-7DG4Mc2BmJiPCTqNKmKkqqGq8lRLz4yHQs1gUZF6a7qD1IMI4HgUMAtqzuqzKOq4RgGPKGX4f2nRyKsjzHOMOl_xRu9dFByL4Nsy0CV6BJYZtU1hNDrLXCqP5npiqjQqbZnc0Z0zmz_CvAqCjoGPigSrOp1oAhILFBhD1OE0FVwhem3u/w512-h640/Dimoff-Metivier-300M.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metivier and Dimoff battling in Tallahassee <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">None of the other top contenders from Tallahassee are here but there are two important rivals for the top spot to mention. </p><p class="MsoNormal">One is the
defending 2023 champion here in Richmond. <b>April Lund </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bismarck ND, GYS TC </span>took top honors last year on this course,
with two minutes to spare, on a time of 22:03. That qualified her to represent
Team USA at the first WMA Cross Country Championships in Australia. Lund won a W40 gold medal and a silver with <b>Ben Bruce</b> in the Mixed Relay. She recently challenged herself at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. Bruce ran in the elite section, clocking 2:43:35 to take the honors as first Masters woman. She also ran a 1:15:27 Half Marathon in Lead SD. That course had a significant drop but also started at 4900'. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbq3tuvWhuFtUKOZcPb_ai8EIRP34EyzKMi92A8tpKZtqkbCeQdHSTU3fpzgnzUmsRSpyzK5bl6sdxw3g2fGB3geSZuCNXBoZekjJC3wuYaJHTSuWkfTJTtr2HGEUuwL0byAqQS56GKQYoAE76YZvYBFl7G7b5HYAnhMIOIoKLErbJYIIpLbOT1ONkXhx/s1351/Lund%20heading%20downhill%20with%20Aussie%20in%20chase-WMAXC-2023-MScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1351" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbq3tuvWhuFtUKOZcPb_ai8EIRP34EyzKMi92A8tpKZtqkbCeQdHSTU3fpzgnzUmsRSpyzK5bl6sdxw3g2fGB3geSZuCNXBoZekjJC3wuYaJHTSuWkfTJTtr2HGEUuwL0byAqQS56GKQYoAE76YZvYBFl7G7b5HYAnhMIOIoKLErbJYIIpLbOT1ONkXhx/w640-h428/Lund%20heading%20downhill%20with%20Aussie%20in%20chase-WMAXC-2023-MScott.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>April Lund </b>with an Australian athlete chasing her at the WMA XC Championships in Bathhurst, Australia <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Kasie
Enman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Huntington VT, Green Mountain Athletic Association</span> will also challenge. No stranger to the turf, Enman captured the 2021 Masters
5 Km Cross Country Championship at Boston’s Franklin Park in 18:20. That is roughly equivalent to a bit over 20 minutes for a 6K. The course at Franklin Park may be more challenging than the courses in Richmond and Tallahassee. Enman, a Division III All American at Middlebury College in Vermont, claimed the 2006 US Snowshoeing Championship in 2006. She finished 11th at the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials with a 2:37 and then switched to Mountain running! It apparently suited her as she claimed the 2011 World Mountain Running championship in Tirana, Albania. She and Max King became the first duo from the US to take both Women's and Men's championships! Enman continues to race up and down mountains. At the end of April she finished 4th woman and 1st Masters woman at the Sunapee Scramble Up and Down race. In mid-June she finished 4th woman and 2nd Masters woman at the Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road race (7.6 miles) in 1:18:03. The slogan there is: "How bad can it be? There's only one hill!' [But it does keep going and going and going!] Enman finished her mountain racing summer as the first woman to finish the Loon Mountain Race in 1:02:09. No doubt Enman will be ready for the cold; she will have to look long and hard to find much of a hill on the portion of the Pole Green Park course that we run on.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Two
In-State runners could well break onto the podium. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Julia Siegel Breton</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Richmond VA, Unattached</span>, an M.D. at Virginia Commonwealth University ran here
last year as an Open runner, covering the 10 Km course in 38:31 to finish 32<sup>nd</sup>. Breton<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> also finished 11</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> overall in the Women’s division at the Ukrops
Monument Avenue 10K [Richmond VA] in 38:06. In the fall she took Masters honors in 29:29 at the 8K of the Richmond Marathon.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Mindy Mammen </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Woodbridge VA, Unattached </span>ran for the University of Tennessee, helping her Cross
Country team to SEC victories from 2003 through 2005, earning the national title in 2004. She
clocked 59:04 at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in April, and took 3rd Masters at Grandma's in Duluth in 2:44:01. In 2022 she was first Masters at the Richmond Half Marathon in 1:18:48.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtqmlZ7vGG6-dw6gFvWWY1Xq0f_LyfVYHyaprqWTposq-x4ko4FDPJw1QaO3b8yFAh6l6qkd-9rmis5WPZuPt_DFCDC_XtEoTUf1CwbFIpkFoG3eCeM24lWx1QiJtgWDCGUju9Ebe-qIbSvxk-c2NBM6-93d90j2D8wtGO79eAKGf7jHFc6Etjs5FGFKP/s1346/W40-Cal%20Coast-Red%20Lizard-GSTC-Early.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtqmlZ7vGG6-dw6gFvWWY1Xq0f_LyfVYHyaprqWTposq-x4ko4FDPJw1QaO3b8yFAh6l6qkd-9rmis5WPZuPt_DFCDC_XtEoTUf1CwbFIpkFoG3eCeM24lWx1QiJtgWDCGUju9Ebe-qIbSvxk-c2NBM6-93d90j2D8wtGO79eAKGf7jHFc6Etjs5FGFKP/w640-h426/W40-Cal%20Coast-Red%20Lizard-GSTC-Early.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athletes Taking it out hard at the start of the 2023 Club Cross Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">With these conditions and a loaded field, the podium could see one of several others standing there.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Elizabeth Camy</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Simi Valley CA, Unattached</span> finished a minute and change behind Dimoff at Tallahassee but brings solid credentials, including a 2:49 at Grandma's, a 2:46:51 at Boston, and a 1:18:39 at the Surf City Half Marathon.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Brett Ely</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Marblehead MA, Notch RC </span>finished 4th here last year in 23:42. She ran a sparkling 37:31 10K at Lone Gull this September but a month later ran a 1:27 Half Marathon. It is hard to guess her current fitness.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Allison Emmons</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Wilmington DE, Pike Creek Valley RC</span> ran 38:44 at the Cooper Norcross Bridge 10K, a 58:25 at the Delaware Distance Classic 10 Miler, and 30:29 at the Philadelphia Marathon 8K.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODQkTelJ0HtSQBt49BTGYP-HzyV518srn7TBppi0zHfJufakIIGHWk1a6OgIoPCOupj6beDS-9pM3dltW8tdfL1VKlLEpcZz8X7h2mitHoCv4kWhLAfFpgSl05V7HfLtqV12jegrnbUPWlPTUHqq2sd7gyqm_faTlAIr73qIsJ51Pdyr2YzZ_YMlhup1z/s1276/Down%20the%20hill%20to%20the%20Jumbotron-1st%20time-Leaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1276" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODQkTelJ0HtSQBt49BTGYP-HzyV518srn7TBppi0zHfJufakIIGHWk1a6OgIoPCOupj6beDS-9pM3dltW8tdfL1VKlLEpcZz8X7h2mitHoCv4kWhLAfFpgSl05V7HfLtqV12jegrnbUPWlPTUHqq2sd7gyqm_faTlAIr73qIsJ51Pdyr2YzZ_YMlhup1z/w640-h426/Down%20the%20hill%20to%20the%20Jumbotron-1st%20time-Leaders.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Women's Race at 2021 Club Cross in Tallahassee <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It will be a fascinating race to watch and I have no real idea who should win. By tradition I make a guess at the finishing order. My guess for Saturday is Dimoff, Metivier, Enman. But will I be amazed if Lund should win the race? Not at all!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Carrie Dimoff Kasie Enman Renée Métivier</i> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Men’s race may be as one sided as last year when <b>Ben
Bruce</b> broke the race up after the first 2 Km loop and strode away for a
decisive victory. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Fernando Cabada</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Aurora CO, Unattached </span>enters as a strong favorite. He
competed three times for Team USA in international competitions, twice in the
Half Marathon [2006 & 2014] and once in the Marathon [2007]. Cabada finished 7th in the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials with a 2:11:53 and 8th in the 2014 Houston Half Marathon in 1:02:00. Cabada continues to compete at a high
level, taking top Masters honors at the 2023 Houston Half Marathon in 1:04:15.
Three months later he won the USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships at the Sactown Ten in Sacramento in 49:03. Then he won the iconic Lilac Bloomsday 12K in Spokane WA with a 37:34 effort. In May he returned to Grand Rapids MI, where, in 2006, he set the American 25K record at 1:14:20. This time he took top Masters honors with a 1:22:27. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbIX40e7kIBCR-lYDBrmo4JYo_KI7UQ424sLJINWWxZ2L5_kfzaM4kxM7VcYM9qjHROTzSMBf7rFAjE4Tavqr7DPM2UThPuEZuNfFUZI8yRa42CZmDJ80OPSYUSEg3O7P0UFVfjdg8H0bDLccYA1ncysHeeIbRl8AVLy6C0tZZQIUM2ez0wLNdRQX0eyF/s3488/Cabada%20and%20Open%20runners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2842" data-original-width="3488" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbIX40e7kIBCR-lYDBrmo4JYo_KI7UQ424sLJINWWxZ2L5_kfzaM4kxM7VcYM9qjHROTzSMBf7rFAjE4Tavqr7DPM2UThPuEZuNfFUZI8yRa42CZmDJ80OPSYUSEg3O7P0UFVfjdg8H0bDLccYA1ncysHeeIbRl8AVLy6C0tZZQIUM2ez0wLNdRQX0eyF/w640-h522/Cabada%20and%20Open%20runners.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fernando Cabada </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">left </span>in a Battle with Open runners at the 10 Mile Masters Championships in Sacramento <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of Sacramento Running Association</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">If Cabada should run into any trouble, there is plenty of competition. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Neil McDonagh </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Colorado Springs CO, Square State Striders </span>finished
2<sup>nd</sup> here last year, less than half a minute behind Bruce in 25:26. McDonagh
is coming off a strong performance at the Colleen De Reuck Cross Country
Classic in Boulder where he clocked 16:56 over 5 Km at altitude. A year and a half ago he finished 4th at the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships on the same Harlow Platts course in Boulder with a 16:50. He also finished 7th in 29:39 in the wet and wild December 2022 Club Cross race at Golden Gate Park. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Forced to move onto a shorter than 10 Km course circling the Polo Grounds track. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cabada and McDonagh are
the favorites for gold and silver. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjW4w9YLmQUU4OczSYl7XRDE1sbNWVdlyfcHWQIsJyvC-37vhSflkH17CSoxqFTpOJiv7128vsfruXlQ_Ca2Rl9zE3lw9-tvsxsBYF0DgDYpKMOIBdoCVODrdQWfCDdB0DBaxBTw8_LFSCABHDoWVm9MJNPAhfmvqFMFVFrd-ogPwD7rKlYxyJ75pI5iG/s1352/BruceEtAl-Loop%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1352" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjW4w9YLmQUU4OczSYl7XRDE1sbNWVdlyfcHWQIsJyvC-37vhSflkH17CSoxqFTpOJiv7128vsfruXlQ_Ca2Rl9zE3lw9-tvsxsBYF0DgDYpKMOIBdoCVODrdQWfCDdB0DBaxBTw8_LFSCABHDoWVm9MJNPAhfmvqFMFVFrd-ogPwD7rKlYxyJ75pI5iG/w640-h426/BruceEtAl-Loop%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ben Bruce</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#435 </span>and <b>Neil McDonagh </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#455</span> dictated the pace in the first 2 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Three who should contend for the final
podium spot include <b>Brian Flynn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Holmdel NJ, Garden State TC</span>, <b>Adam Otstot</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Williamsburg VA, Colonial Road Runners</span>, and <b>Jeremy
Redfern</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Washington DC, Dojo Racing</span>. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Flynn finished 4<sup>th</sup> at Club Cross in Tallahassee in 33:54, over 10 Km, and won
the USATF Masters 12 Km Championship in Highlands NJ in 39:00. He found time this year to clock 1:10:47 at the Fredericksburg Blue Gray Half Marathon, a 15:40 5Kand a 31:43 10K.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Otstot finished
4<sup>th</sup> in this championship last year in 26:34, over 8 Km, and ran a 15:31 5K and a 32:59
10K this year. In December, Otstot ran 26:14 at the Christmastown 8K.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Redfern‘s time at the 2022 California International Marathon was
2:28:59. In March of this year he ran in the Elite section of the L.A. Marathon,
finishing at 2:34:23. He ran a 1:14 Half Marathon in February and, in November, ran a 26:41 5 miler.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Others who have earned a mention include: </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>John Becker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Berwyn PA, Greater Philadelphia TC</span> ran 33:28 at the Cooper Norcross 10K and 26:28 at the Philadelphia Marathon 8K.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Forest Braden</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Williamsburg VA Colonial RR</span> ran a 15:50 5K in October and 26:16 at the Christmastown 8K.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Chris McGough</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Alexandria VA, Unattached </span>ran 56:50 at the Army Ten Miler and 2:44:18 at the Marine Corps Marathon.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Chris Naimoli </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Philadelphia PA, Greater Philadelphia PA </span>won the 2019 USATF Masters 15K Championships on a tough course in Tulsa in 48:37. Two years later he finished 2nd at the 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ in 40:19. More recently he has been scratching his triathlon itch. He took 2nd M40 in the 2021 USA Triathlon Age Group Championships in Milwaukee WI, throwing down a 34:48 for his 10K on the third leg. The following year he ran a minute faster overall in taking first! Unfortunately, no splits were provided. My guess is that Naimoli ran faster; that is his edge in the triathlon. On the other hand, it is likely that Naimoli is simply being a good soldier for his team, as he was last year when he finished 19th here in 28:07.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Adam Schroeder </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Seattle WA, Club Northwest </span>ran for his team at Clubs in Tallahassee. It is somewhat surprising that he is coming back across the country to Richmond for this championship. Perhaps he views his 8th place finish on the Tallahassee turf as unfinished business; he finished 8th in 34:28. He clocked 1:11:40 at the Redmond Harvest Half Marathon and 2:29:04 at the Chicago Marathon in October.</p><p class="MsoNormal">There is no reason to supplant Cabada and McDonagh as my 1-2 picks. Third is trickier but I will go with Flynn. He has shown that he can run well on the turf.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Fernando Cabada Brian Flynn Neil McDonagh</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9g0fjWwTZqHzwJJhRNuvc0fZH0L27gy_6tJT3Cn64m_TZ7XMmQgpOLe2S4D0E3tNgLUJMnXyg0-xSESBJ7ERB3U4UoXoPM6kWsymf4Lt5nvj-6CKWlSKNsJO4Cxc5CNRuwA1HtiXptS_U_VoM6Cw17AbSGTOSFtgRWqCArx4raaEmQbac5LWCdxcMN1wb/s1275/Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1275" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9g0fjWwTZqHzwJJhRNuvc0fZH0L27gy_6tJT3Cn64m_TZ7XMmQgpOLe2S4D0E3tNgLUJMnXyg0-xSESBJ7ERB3U4UoXoPM6kWsymf4Lt5nvj-6CKWlSKNsJO4Cxc5CNRuwA1HtiXptS_U_VoM6Cw17AbSGTOSFtgRWqCArx4raaEmQbac5LWCdxcMN1wb/w640-h428/Start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Men's Race at 2021 Club Cross in Tallahassee <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></i></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS 40-44 through 55-59</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44 </span>See OVERALL section above. All of the main contenders come from this age division. Hence I go with Cabada, McDonagh and Flynn for the 40-44 hardware.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blue Ridge VA, Blacksburg Striders </span>had an uncharacteristic off day at Tallahassee this past December, finishing 42nd overall and 13th in this division. He finished 7th overall last year here in Richmond, leading in the division until <b>Jacques Sallberg</b> kicked past him in the final kilometer. Back in 2018 in Spokane WA, Angell finished 3rd overall at the Club Cross Championships. This past year, Angell worked his way back from injury and rehab to take 3rd overall at the USATF Masters 10 Km Championships in 33:15. He had a strong outing at the 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton, with a 16:47. He finished 3rd behind two speedy runners, neither of whom is entered this weekend. He should bounce back from Tallahassee. I would expect him to run faster this year than his 26:58 time in 2023. Unless there is some underlying problem that is affecting his running fitness it is hard to see any of the others in this division challenging him.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEDtmkfPccmXJAtPcfJQxhl0uJ4NOlUYQhb4cWESXbkCzLSo9I68E9fZHKOpPLL4oIau_3y65dYePVJPyx42qdM7b1pxR5ahxIgtQPb8g41cLLJzz8k-QUfO0_sun0bQp9oJixNnJWutcyCOavg0dGzanPV9J1eOPAsmngY-_vCwIDLSgp1ewTOnbjzQO/s1282/Angell-Maravilla-Loeffler-Gapping%20Field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1282" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEDtmkfPccmXJAtPcfJQxhl0uJ4NOlUYQhb4cWESXbkCzLSo9I68E9fZHKOpPLL4oIau_3y65dYePVJPyx42qdM7b1pxR5ahxIgtQPb8g41cLLJzz8k-QUfO0_sun0bQp9oJixNnJWutcyCOavg0dGzanPV9J1eOPAsmngY-_vCwIDLSgp1ewTOnbjzQO/w640-h428/Angell-Maravilla-Loeffler-Gapping%20Field.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leading Trio of <span style="font-size: x-small;">left to right </span><b>David Angell, Jorge Maravilla</b>, and <b>Eric Loeffler</b> at 2018 Club cross in Spokane WA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> Strong runners who will battle for a podium position include: </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Jason Dowdy</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Midlothian VA Endorphin Fitness </span>clocked 1:14:52 at the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon in 2022 and ran a 16:47 5K in December 2021. I have no recent XC efforts recorded for Dowdy.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>William Palmer</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Charlottesville VA Ragged Mountain Racing </span>ran 34:42 to take Masters honors at the 2022 Ukrops Monument Ave 10K. Palmer ran a very fast 4:29.02 at the Bruce Barnes Mile outside of Charlottesville VA. How much was that helped by the course? It is advertised as 'fast' and being downhill all the way.' But Palmer still had to run the distance. I have no recent XC efforts for Palmer.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Brian Semling</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Fountain City WI, Unattached</span> does not have the strong road credentials of the others. He ran a 17:36 5K and a 36:39 10K, finishing 2nd overall in both of them and 1st Masters. His 1:20:33 at the Lacrosse WI HM where he finished 6th overall and 2nd Masters is not as strong. But the year before he enjoyed an overall 3rd and Masters win at the Mayo Open XC race in September 2022. And he is coming all the way from Wisconsin without a team. The cold should not bother him.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Mark Tompkins </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Williamsburg VA Colonial RR </span>has a 17:24 Turkey Trot 5K to his credit, along with a 35:41 at the Elizabeth River 10K, and a 1:16:43 at the Newport News HM where he took top Masters honors, and 8th overall. But he only finished 10th here last year in 29:02.</p><p class="MsoNormal">As noted, Angell should win. I will go with Tompkins and Dowdy for 2nd and 3rd. But keep an eye on Palmer and Semling.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>David Angell Jason Dowdy Mark Tompkins</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span>Thrills and chills, but hopefully, no spills in this one. We have three tough runners locking horns.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Gregory
Putnam</span></b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Stoneham,
MA</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">; <i>Unattached</i> won three M50 road and one cross country national championships this year. He took the Half Marathon crown on an unseasonably warm day in April in Syracuse in 1:16:47. <span style="font-size: x-small;">[He ran two minutes faster later in the year at the Boston Run to Remember HM.</span>] Putnam won M50 at the 10 Km Championships at the end of April in 34:21 and the 12 km Championships in 41:12. Last October he claimed top M50 honors in 17:17 at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Boca. <b><i>Breaking News--Putnam is a scratch--out running this week he had a slip on the roads, hurting his hamstring</i>. </b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Philippe Rolly</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">McLean
VA;</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <i>Unattached </i>finished second in M50 here last year, losing by a single second to <b>Ahrlin Bauman</b>. Rolly's last Masters National Championship title came in 2018 when he won the 15K at Tulsa in 50:50. This year he took division titles at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in 55:32 and, in September, at the Philadelphia Distance Classic with a 1:13:17 half marathon. In October he enjoyed a 2:35:45 outing at the Chicago Marathon.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aIqFEANaYd4zhnJ4DpgSwwencHApGhuiLxUfC1vambOHjKWMT_pTcHyAjS7yawjcR6-SSIt4xm1advEzOZYrMCwV5QBWndkGIku9G4oxrbtkfTGBqx7MOEZkj1b2AiijN_EggZTdPrIiZ3oru0vXVyL8j5A4X463GUSPagllsBYFE66aW-X3_XJuBqPr/s1351/Rolly_Bauman_Wardian_Et%20Al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1351" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aIqFEANaYd4zhnJ4DpgSwwencHApGhuiLxUfC1vambOHjKWMT_pTcHyAjS7yawjcR6-SSIt4xm1advEzOZYrMCwV5QBWndkGIku9G4oxrbtkfTGBqx7MOEZkj1b2AiijN_EggZTdPrIiZ3oru0vXVyL8j5A4X463GUSPagllsBYFE66aW-X3_XJuBqPr/w640-h428/Rolly_Bauman_Wardian_Et%20Al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Philippe Rolly </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#485 </span>leading a group of 40's and 50's runers, including <b>Ahrlin Bauman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">red knit cap just behind Rolly </span>at 2023 Cross Nationals in Richmond <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Rusty
Snow</span></b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Santa Barbara, CA;</span></i></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Santa Barbara Running & Racing Club</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span>returns to the national circuit after a long absence. In 2015 and 2016, he and his team competed in the Boulder CO and Bend OR editions of these USATF Cross </span></span>Nationals. Snow finished 7th overall at altitude in Boulder and 5th over a Max King designed course in Bend that ran the athletes up and down a golf course situated on the side of a cinder cone. Eight years later, Snow and his team, with a largely similar roster are back to try for a podium finish. In March of 2022, Snow ran 16:09 on a 5K course over the Publix Atlanta Marathon weekend that hosted the Olympic Marathon Trials. That course is the same one used for the 2022 Masters 5 Km Championships. Had he run the same time in those 2022 championships, at the age of 52, he would have won by a half minute. In February of this year, he ran 1:13:23 at the (overall downhill) Ventura HM. A day later he ran a 2:52:40 at the Ventura Marathon.</p><p class="MsoNormal">It does not appear that any of the other entrants can stay with those three, but <b>Todd Booth </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Santa Barbara CA, Santa Barbara R&R, </span>and teammates, <b>Frederick Dolan </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marietta GA, Atlanta TC, </span>and <b>Brent Fields</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Covington GA </span>will give it their best shot.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Last year Rolly allowed Bauman to build a lead, caught him at the 7 Km mark but could not get the win. With Putnam, Rolly will need a lead heading into the final few hundred meters; Putnam is fierce at the finish! Nonetheless, I will go with an order of Rolly, Putnam and Snow. <b>Update: Rolly, Snow and Fields</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Brent Fields Philippe Rolly Rusty Snow</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Tim Harte</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Coatesville PA, Greater Philadelphia TC </span>is favored to win. He finished 3rd in 50-54 last year in 28:07. Harte ran 35:16 to take the M55 title at Cooper Norcross and clocked 27:40 for the 8K at the Philadelphia Marathon</p><p class="MsoNormal">Harte's chief rival is defending M55 champion, <b>Mike Nahom</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">New Milford CT, Greater Springfield Harriers, </span>who clocked 28:29 for the 2023 win, 22 seconds slower than Harte. Nahom is very competitive but 22 seconds is a lot to make up. Nahom keeps his <i>Athlinks</i> profile private; I have no 2023 races for him. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0NII6VxpmQGbzsPdaMnM_qFyDT9OVGL59UI3RBuMuWWyOYUqD04r0xkw7TNa__27iSASWSI4HyzJjkZA61nE4WariKc-N_debEIkjJe_qxu3lk-3d4-6YvVczyYLXkrkrMJ1xeUQ_PcjnUBH4V8VJLLmcfbsloUfkXZjml-Nb_X8QYayk9U-jJb56O_5/s1351/Nahom-Mahvera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1351" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0NII6VxpmQGbzsPdaMnM_qFyDT9OVGL59UI3RBuMuWWyOYUqD04r0xkw7TNa__27iSASWSI4HyzJjkZA61nE4WariKc-N_debEIkjJe_qxu3lk-3d4-6YvVczyYLXkrkrMJ1xeUQ_PcjnUBH4V8VJLLmcfbsloUfkXZjml-Nb_X8QYayk9U-jJb56O_5/w640-h428/Nahom-Mahvera.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid-Race at 2023 Cross Nationals-<b>Mike Nahom </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">pink shoes background </span>out ahead of the M55 field in the early going <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Those two appear solid for 1-2. Three who appear well placed to contend for the final podium spot are:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Shane Anthony</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Palmerton PA, Unattached </span>ran a 57:37 Ten-Miler at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run in 2021, and a 17:10 5K in August of 2022. The 57:37 is age grade equivalent to a 34:52 10K.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Mark Hixson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Simsbury CT, Greater Springfield Harriers </span>finished 4th here in Richmond last year in 29:52. At the end of April he finished 5th M55 at the Masters National 10 Km championships in 37:12. When he claimed 3rd at the 12 Km Masters Championship in mid-September in 44:13, it seemed like a complete return from an injury that kept him out of competition. But then at Tallahassee, Hixson finished 19th in the division in 40:57. It could be that he is more affected by warmth and humidity than others or it could be that an injury or other issue limited his training. We will know more after Saturday.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Robert McBee </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">York SC, Colonial RR </span>has no recent cross country races I can find. But he ran a 2:53:33 marathon at Chicago in October, a 17:49 Turkey Trot and 1:22:01 at the Kiawah Island HM in South Carolina. That last mark is age grade equivalent to a 37:24 10K.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Any of those three could take the 3rd spot but I will go with Anthony to follow Harte and Nahom across the finish line in that order.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Shane Anthony Tim Harte Mike Nahom</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span>At 2022 Club Cross in Golden Gate Park, when the winds howled and the rain came down by the bucketful, <b>Nat Larson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Amherst MA, Greater Springfield Harriers</span><b>, Steve Schmidt</b><b>, Rick Lee</b> and <b>John Van Danacker</b> established themselves as the top of the 60-64 division. They were joined later in the year by <b>Mark Zamek </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Minnetonka MN, Shore AC</span><b>. </b>Some of them wind up on the podium at every national championship. Only Larson and Zamek are entered in this contest.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Others could b=e added to the group on the basis of talent, Pete Magill and Kevin Ostenberg, for example. But, so far, they have not shown the commitment to USATF National Masters Championships that this group of five has.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Larson</b> is the king of the Big Five. When he has shown up, he has won. And sometimes has broken an American Record as well as won a national championship. He now owns all of the 60-64 American Road Records at distances between the 1 Mile (4:49) and the Half Marathon (1:15:27). He has won on the turf at the 2022 Club Cross Championships in San Francisco, 29:24; the 2023 Cross Nationals in Richmond, 28:33; and the 2023 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee, 29:34. He won by 19 seconds in San Francisco, by 42 seconds in Richmond last year; and by 19 seconds again in Tallahassee. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Zamek returned from a long rehab period. He still spends hours in the gym every week. But he has eased himself back into the mix. By the end of the year, he was a key member of the Big Five. His first big step was the Masters 10 Km Championships in late April when he claimed the bronze M60 medal in 36:12! He came in ahead of Schmidt to win the 5 Km XC Championship in Boca at 18:13. Zamek then glued himself to Larson for the first three kilometers of the 8 Km race at Clubs in Tallahassee. But the glue came unstuck between kilometers 3 and 4, as Larson gradually pulled away for the win. Zamek had 2nd, though, ahead of Van Danacker and Schmidt. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_d3Ri4dJCC_0b_KdAXpmnrqH_ishTawmMmYlLPmtoV2e3bLhuc75N3UhBricPxzL8Y0j5xx0Z0dRv5LyXW61U8jDPnjp5e8KSat1_RczzqgOwXbWujuGza71eUN2RdXfSRGxPZAgeeNHKzUFZz3GapftYQgag9FHrHiaqC11S0PPn2ekPme7-5qyT03vL/s1346/Larson-Zamek-3%20Km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_d3Ri4dJCC_0b_KdAXpmnrqH_ishTawmMmYlLPmtoV2e3bLhuc75N3UhBricPxzL8Y0j5xx0Z0dRv5LyXW61U8jDPnjp5e8KSat1_RczzqgOwXbWujuGza71eUN2RdXfSRGxPZAgeeNHKzUFZz3GapftYQgag9FHrHiaqC11S0PPn2ekPme7-5qyT03vL/w640-h426/Larson-Zamek-3%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson</b> with <b>Mark Zamek</b> tracking him at the 3 Km Mark at 2023 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">There is no reason to pick Zamek over Larson although it may happen one of these days. Zamek did come in ahead of Larson in a 2019 championship.</p><p class="MsoNormal">So that is my 1-2. Who shall I pick for 3rd? Some possibilities include: <b>Lester Dragstedt </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta GA, Atlanta TC</span><b>, Time Ensign</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Chattanooga TN, Chattanooga TC</span><b>, Mark Neff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Derwood MD, Shadow Project TC</span><b>, Henry Notaro</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Northfield NJ, Shore AC</span>, and <b>Tim Schuler</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Lititz PA, F & M Track Club</span>.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dragstedt was 6th here last year in 31:32 and finished 12th at Tallahassee with a 31:53, both over 8 Km.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Ensign ran 16 seconds faster than Dragstedt in Richmond, finishing 5th in 31:16. But his Tallahassee effort was not as good. Ensign gave up his opportunity to place in the M60+ race when he agreed to run for Chatanooga's M50+ team. He ran 42:14. In terms of age grading, that is equivalent to a 33:35 8K effort.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Neff finished 8th in Tallahassee, 12 seconds ahead of Dragstedt in 31:20.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Notaro ran six seconds slower than Dragstedt at Richmond last year, taking 7th in 31:38. But at San Francisco the year before, Notaro had the upper hand (or should I say foot?) with a 10th place finish in 30:40 compared to a 32:25 for Dragstedt, in 23rd place.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Schuler ran 31:24 to take 13th place in M55. In terms of the overall race, he finished in between Ensign and Dragstedt.</p><p class="MsoNormal">It seems as if most runners ran slower times at Tallahassee than at Richmond last year. That puts more weight on Neff's 8th place finish in 31:20. I will go with Neff to finish up the top 3. Larson-Zamek-Neff.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Nat Larson Mark Neff Mark Zamek</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Four of the top
M65 runners in the country</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> are entered: </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Rick Becker</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Selah, WA, Atlanta TC</span><i>; </i></span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Roger Sayre</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Golden CO, Boulder Road Runners</span><i>;</i><b> </b></span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">David Westenberg</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wellesley, MA, Greater Lowell Road
Runners</span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">; and </span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Ken Youngers</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tucker, GA; Atlanta TC</span><i>. </i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Becker strained a tendon behind his knee and
will not be running in Richmond.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Sayre</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"> has excelled on the roads this past year. He set an American 25K Record for 65-69 with his 1:40:41 at the Amway River Bank Run. He also took top honors in the 65-69 Masters National Grand Prix. That resulted from Sayre winning national championships at the Half Marathon in Syracuse and the 10 Mile in Sacramento. His winning time at the Half Marathon, 1:24:46, was on an unseasonably warm day in mid-April on a hilly course. His winning time at Sacramento was 1:01:09. He added 2nd place finishes at the Road Mile and the 5 Km in 18:25. </span><span style="line-height: 17.12px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 17.12px; text-indent: -24px;">Sayre finished 3<sup>rd</sup> in M60 at 2021 Club<b> </b>Cross, with a 30:49 over 8 Km where he helped his Boulder team to the 60+ Team gold.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyD6EK6OIAAe1AX-s0SDlgvHalyHtbJtzZnxOPM4IFo6abXxxOYLsSNRbkINK3VHNRIgWwF7PvM0fhqNT6z6YbXCbDwhVvyFSNh3Bqy0LMOzfYYL3ZJEBHiuqlwerqWgB3Da2VuyXsWxZDxrUNknGgbvmGuHYqqv8YyRxBclgkMFzYJi4vURr42WKepjp/s1346/Becker_Westenberg-3%20Km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyD6EK6OIAAe1AX-s0SDlgvHalyHtbJtzZnxOPM4IFo6abXxxOYLsSNRbkINK3VHNRIgWwF7PvM0fhqNT6z6YbXCbDwhVvyFSNh3Bqy0LMOzfYYL3ZJEBHiuqlwerqWgB3Da2VuyXsWxZDxrUNknGgbvmGuHYqqv8YyRxBclgkMFzYJi4vURr42WKepjp/w640-h426/Becker_Westenberg-3%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Westenberg </b>tracking <b>Rick Becker</b> at three kilometers in the M65 race at 2023 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="line-height: 17.12px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Westenberg f</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">inished 3</span><sup style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> behind Becker
and Youngers at the two most recent Cross Country races, the 5 Km at Boca Raton and Club
Cross over 8 Km at Tallahassee, running 20:13 and 32:53 respectively. Still, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Westenberg is the defending champion; he won here last year in 31:27,
a minute ahead of Youngers. And the only runner to best Westenberg at Club Cross at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco was the unmatchable <b>Jacob Nur </b>(not entered at Richmond). </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Westenberg also claimed gold at
the 800M, 1500M and 5000M on the track at the Masters Outdoor Championships. His 1500M time was 4:59.87! He also c</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">ruised to the road 10K championship
for M65 in 39:19 at the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Youngers, as noted, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">f</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">inished 2<sup>nd</sup> to Westenberg
here last year. He </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">bounced back, later in the year, to finish ahead of
Westenberg at both Boca Raton and Tallahassee. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Youngers has had to overcome some health challenges since he won the 2022 M65 National 10
Km Championship in 37:48 at Dedham, MA.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>It seems likely those three will go 1-2-3 but in what order? I look for Westenberg to do well again as he is in the middle of Indoor Track season, one of his great passions. He has also had time to recover fully from his marathon activity in the fall. In a pact with his daughter, they both achieved BQ's and will run together on Patriot's Day from Hopkinton to Boston. He should also find the weather more to his liking than the Florida races. He would probably have preferred something in the middle though, like last year, when it was in the upper 40's. But cold should be better than warm and humid.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>On the other hand, Sayre has shown that he is a fine runner on the roads and turf. He came in ahead of Ostenberg in 2021. Even though Sayre did not compete at Tallahassee, we can guess that he might have run in the low 30's perhaps 30:15 or so, while Youngers and Becker were well over 32 minutes. Based on that, I will go with an order of Sayre-Westenberg-Youngers. Although if Youngers is healthy and in good fitness it is entirely possible that he could be ahead of Westenberg, vying with Sayre for the win.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Roger Sayre David Westenberg Ken Youngers</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><span><b>Robert Qualls</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Reno NV, Unattached </span>continues to be the 'man of the Hour' in the 70-74 division. No one has beaten him in a national championship in quite a while. Some of his 2023 road activity incudes winning the M70 5 Km Championships in 2002, the 10 Km in 41:38 and the 1 Mile in 5:33, which broke the M70 American Record. He took first on the turf at Club Cross in San Francisco, 34:39; at Richmond in 34:08; and at Boca Raton over 5 Km in 20:28.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Ther is no reason to think he won't win on Saturday unless he has difficulty getting to the race from his home in Reno Nevada.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><b>Doug Bell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greeley CO, Boulder RR</span><b>, James Linn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Harleysville PA, Unattached</span><b>,</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>and <b>Rees Stiles</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cary NC, Bull City TC </span>are the top contenders for the other spots on the podium. <i> </i>I might mention <b>Eugene Myers </b>also, but he may need another month yet before he has recovered fully from his injury last year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Bell is a perpetual contender for the top spot. His performances over the last couple of years have been more variable than in the past. But when he is 'on' he is a fierce competitor. He finished 2ncd here last year in 35:46. But his time at Tallahassee ballooned to 37:56 as he finished 6th. He also took 6th at Boca over 5 Km in 24:05.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhobroIG4H-el7LY0CCrHmj29GlAQL0LT3YQYTd6DSI-ST2RBiZgJo3-7uOvdofAJerDgl1y5oEg63jUY1z9FcEuA9XZz9sF_R3z0vQM_fibSZLAqEZZ6msiz1K2h0KFgCMeZxCgMXVlsBMtZPyoDoDU8E61OvXAYLkVFXgM2pTrfd4YV6P3-X3qZeLK0/s778/Qualls-60-s%20&%2050-sCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="580" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhobroIG4H-el7LY0CCrHmj29GlAQL0LT3YQYTd6DSI-ST2RBiZgJo3-7uOvdofAJerDgl1y5oEg63jUY1z9FcEuA9XZz9sF_R3z0vQM_fibSZLAqEZZ6msiz1K2h0KFgCMeZxCgMXVlsBMtZPyoDoDU8E61OvXAYLkVFXgM2pTrfd4YV6P3-X3qZeLK0/w478-h640/Qualls-60-s%20&%2050-sCROP.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team USA singlet</span> out ahead of the M70 field, running with the 50's and 60's guys at 2023 Cross Nationals <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Linn has not competed in many of the standard national cross country championships. He did venture out to Boulder where he ran 24:50 on a tough course, to finish 7th. He ran 1:22 slower than Bell at that race but Bell did have the altitude advantage. Linn's most impressive road performance this year was his M70 win at the 12 Km national championships. in 51:44. That is age grade equivalent to a 42:35 10K.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Stiles has no recent cross country results that I can find on <i>Athlinks</i>. He gets on the list because of his 18:52 5K at the RDC Marathon in Durham NC at the end of October, and his 42:06 10K at the City of Oaks Marathon. Although not well known both are certified out and back courses. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">I will make a guess that Bell will be on again in Richmond and do well. So I will go with Qualls-Bell-Stiles in that order and let Linn prove that wrong if he can.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Doug Bell Robert Qualls Rees Stiles</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Gary Ostwald</b> made a few folks take notice when he used a strong kick to blast past <b>Ron Wells </b> at Golden Gate Park in 2022 to take the M75 Club Cross win in 38:28. He followed that with a similar strong finish at Richmond, pulling away from <b>Dave Glass </b>(not entered-recovering from surgery) to win in 38:05. He then took wins in the 10 Mile and10 Km M75 Championships, the latter in 46:07. He finished off the calendar year with a win at Tallahassee at 37:38. He is the favorite to take the M75 win this Saturday.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGA18DEXCGU06oGiiPIR899YdvyMgyxalI0u8OJDeSv5RJL_onkSkkyU7irGjSDzJdQ7AApt4TwaBy6l6OzZBqG741stBqKF3FJlXr1ttGg0GmAXMw3tHShJtPoAJ5DPnevXnL5doCnWJT4WIeJW1WKzzSDxdtH4qLmhGWSEMqw1ctlx5t6qC5TFJBkBC/s863/Ostwald-Final%20Stretch+GlassCROP.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="863" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGA18DEXCGU06oGiiPIR899YdvyMgyxalI0u8OJDeSv5RJL_onkSkkyU7irGjSDzJdQ7AApt4TwaBy6l6OzZBqG741stBqKF3FJlXr1ttGg0GmAXMw3tHShJtPoAJ5DPnevXnL5doCnWJT4WIeJW1WKzzSDxdtH4qLmhGWSEMqw1ctlx5t6qC5TFJBkBC/w640-h612/Ostwald-Final%20Stretch+GlassCROP.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gary Ostwald</b> claiming the M75 Title at 2023 Cross Nationals <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Gene Dykes </b>could throw that off kilter. Last year Dykes was still struggling with a white blood cell issue. He finished third behind Ostwald in 35:49. But by later in the year, he had his health issues under control and he was stepping out a bit faster. As well as allowing him to maintain his beloved Ultramarathon adventures, the improved health led to a 44:48 10K at Cooper Norcross and a 1:35:33 Half Marathon at the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. Not only that he was able to take down the M75 American marathon record held by Warren Utes since the late 1990's. Dykes ran 3:17:01 at Chicago. Does that mean Dykes will definitely beat Ostwald? Not necessarily. Dykes would have to get well ahead. If it comes down to a sprint, Ostwald would probably win.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dykes has continued to run well in the new year. He cracked another 1:35 half marathon, this time in Naples FL. Based on that, I will go with Dykes for 1st and Ostwald 2nd. It will be a case of the pacer vs. the racer--which will win?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Rick Katz</b> and <b>Jerry Learned</b> should battle for 2nd place. Learned had health issues for much of the first half of the year but got them under control and has run strong since April. Still, Katz has had the edge. At Boca, Katz came in well ahead, clocking 24:48 to Learned's 26:12. But it was much closer at Tallahassee. Katz still pulled away but only by 19 seconds this time, 40:01 to 40:20. That could be explained by continued improvement in Learned's fitness starting to pay off. If that is the explanation, Katz will have a real battle on his hands. On the other hand it could have just been an off day for Katz. I will go with Katz until learned proves me wrong.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I wind up with Dykes-Ostwald-Katz for 1-2-3.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Gene Dykes Rick Katz Gary Ostwald</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Harold Rosen</b> has no recent cross country races that I can find. But he won his age division at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in 1:27:04. That equates to a 41:56 5 Miler. he has also run a few 5K's in the 27:08 to 28:41 range. His rival for the crown is <b>Jim Assal</b>. Assal finished 6th in M75 at Lehigh in 2019 with a 44:18 over 8 Km. On the roads this year he has a 30:09 5K, a 51:15 5 Miler, and a 1:43:13 10 Mile run at the Blue Cross Broad Street Run in Philadelphia.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Rosen has run faster at every distance on the roads. Unless the lack of recent cross country experience should prove critical, Rosen appears to be the favorite. I will go with Rosen and Assal in that order.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Jim Assal </i></b><b><i>Harold Rosen </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44</span> As with the Men's race my list of the top overall competitors all came from the 40-44 division. See the discussion of the Women's Overall Championship above.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Carrie Dimoff Kasie Enman Renée Métivier</i> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><b>Jacqueline Cooke </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Burlingame CA, Impala Racing</span>, <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta GA, T.H.E. Track Team</span>, and <b>Jodi Smith</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ames IA, Unattached </span>will likely battle for the top three 45-49 division spots.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Cooke's <i>Athlinks</i> profile reveals little. She has competed at three of our national masters championships over the last two years. In April 2022, Cooke finished 4th in 1:03:16 at the Masters National 10 Mile championships in Sacramento. A year later she finished 3rd in a tine that was 12 seconds slower. The 2022 time is age grade equivalent to a 38:30 10K. In September of 2022, Cooke finished 4th at the 12 Km Championships in 48:35, age grade equivalent to a 40:09. In September of last year, 2023, Cooke finished 5th Masters and 1st W45 at the Golden Gate Park Open X-C race, part of the Pacific Association-USATF series, in 24:57 over 4 miles. That is age grade equivalent to a 23:14 over 6 km.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Josiah-Tanner did not compete here last year, but she competed in Cross Country at the WMA Championships in Poland, finishing 5th in the division, running 29:25 over 8 Km. At that same event she ran 39:27 in finishing 4th W45 in the 10 Km road race. On October 7th at Boca Raton, she took the overall win at the Masters 5 km Cross Country championship with a 19:59. At Tallahassee, against a deeper field, she gained the podium again, finishing 3rd W45 in 24:01 over 6 Km.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKEb3ZacK__5_jaPrk6wpUdG542rm68j1kdFShVAcIqJnixk4kHbFfanQmQeBko08FvCI0b71G1eaMp0pt0FWgiM2Z1HfwzgJ3CuY7bseclDX9lymPyBH7tfst2vhPn7bTtrNrA5aTH4DOH_kVrvKcpmMXAPo0uUrOTw7sGrWaj5gepWZoy3r7LISmkOb/s1346/Josiah-Tanner%20wins%20Women%20Overall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKEb3ZacK__5_jaPrk6wpUdG542rm68j1kdFShVAcIqJnixk4kHbFfanQmQeBko08FvCI0b71G1eaMp0pt0FWgiM2Z1HfwzgJ3CuY7bseclDX9lymPyBH7tfst2vhPn7bTtrNrA5aTH4DOH_kVrvKcpmMXAPo0uUrOTw7sGrWaj5gepWZoy3r7LISmkOb/w400-h266/Josiah-Tanner%20wins%20Women%20Overall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> enjoys the Overall Win at the 2023 Masters 5 Km Championships in Boca Raton <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Smith finished 6th at the 2022 Masters 5 km Championships in Atlanta with a 19:18. In July of this year she ran 1:05:55 at the Nordic Fest Elveloppet 15K in Decora IA, equivalent to a 43:05 10K. In November she ran 18:48 int he Des Moines 5K Turkey Trot.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Cooke appears to be a bit stronger on paper than Josiah-Tanner although it is not decisive. Josiah-Tanner has shown she knows how to win on the turf. I will go with an order of Cooke, Josiah-Tanner and Smith 1-2-3.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Jacqueline Cooke Euleen Josiah-Tanner Jodi Smith</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Lorilynn Bloomer</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Portland OR, Bowerman TC</span> and <b>Abby Dean</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Wilmington DE, Greater Philadelphia TC</span> should battle for the win. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Bloomer was the overall Women's winner of the 2020 USATF Cross Nationals over the 6 Km Mission Bay course in San Diego in 24:14. This past December, she ran 24:20 to capture the W50 division bronze at Club Cross.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuw255cBVwv6VsjNjia9p6g06ohQMeO12cmVVUoFcCaV_4Z5mptgUou1NX75nNg9L4OjnxqLKOhq_7ZHcrK4yJgBDXXrgIXh99K1g771e1pXUFEr2hBS996DGIHbIv5UBUJ-tnQR8DRWFRh3kNJ4-0M4qzBhe5jVlm5nXyAZMnNpjV6pi06hSNtUdB_-8p/s1346/Bloomer%20et%20al-Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuw255cBVwv6VsjNjia9p6g06ohQMeO12cmVVUoFcCaV_4Z5mptgUou1NX75nNg9L4OjnxqLKOhq_7ZHcrK4yJgBDXXrgIXh99K1g771e1pXUFEr2hBS996DGIHbIv5UBUJ-tnQR8DRWFRh3kNJ4-0M4qzBhe5jVlm5nXyAZMnNpjV6pi06hSNtUdB_-8p/w640-h426/Bloomer%20et%20al-Start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lorilynn Bloomer</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">far left #530</span>is part of the lead wave of runners at the start of the 2023 Club Cross Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dean has excelled on the roads this past year, taking top division honors at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta in February in 19:20 and at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA in 38:15. At Tallahassee in 2021, Dean claimed 4th in W50 with a 24:01. Last year she ran this race strictly for team points as she was in the midst of rehab for a hamstring issue. She still ran 26:16 to finish 3rd individually while helping her team to Team Silver and 90 important Team Grand Prix points. It is somewhat worrisome that Dean ran three races from October to December. A 15K in 1:02:19 in early October is not a slow 15K but ti si a little slower than one would expect from Dean if at her best. By itself, it might not mean much. But two weeks later she ran a slow, 24 minute plus 5k, then skipped Club Cross, and then ran a 21:35 5K at the end of December. It could be a planned down time with racing just for fun or it could be a sign that, like last year, Dean will show up just running for team points. That would be a disheartening development.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Samantha Forde</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Santa Cruz CA, Impala Racing </span>has a record that is comparable. She is the defending champion, winning W50 here last year in 24:49. This December at Tallahassee, Forde finished just off the podium, 4th in 25:18. On the roads she finished 4th W50 at Atlanta in the 5K Championships off a 20:02. She claimed the W50 gold medal at Sactown, winning in 1:06:46.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Brenda Hodge</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Lancaster, PA, Pike Creek Valley RC </span>could move up should any of those three be off their best. Hodge finished 4th here last year in 26:38. Hodge ran 1:09:21 to finish 5th W50 at the Blue Cross Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. Hodge showed some speed last March. She ran in the elite Masters section, taking 5th in 19:49.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I will go with Bloomer for the win. She has been running well on the turf. Ordinarily I would go for Dean to take 2nd ahead of Forde. But Dean's late year times seem to suggest I should, perhaps go with Forde for 2nd and Dean 3rd (or even 4th if Hodge has a good day). It will be interesting to see if the top three are Bloomer-Forde-Dean in that order.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Lorilynn Bloomer Abby Dean Samantha Forde</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Rachel Hopkins</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Athens GA, Sirius Athletics </span>is the favorite. She finished 3rd in the 50-54 division in Atlanta with a 19:39. After aging up into the 55-59 division, she claimed the win in Tallahassee with a fine 24:41. She won by 24 seconds over the new 55-59 Road Mile American Record Holder, <b>Jennifer Harvey</b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">None are likely to be close to Hopkins, but four others will battle for the other two podium spots.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Kelly Brown </b><span style="font-size: small;">Ashburn VA, Unattached </span>finished 7th here last year in 27:26. She ran 1:14:34 at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in DC in April and a 45:00 10K at the Beach to Beacon in early August. She ran a 22:54 5K on New Year's Day, 2024!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Melissa Chiti </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Raleigh NC, Pursuit of Excellence TC</span>, a regular now at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, Chiti also runs the roads. She ran 6:12 to finish 5th at the 2023 USATF Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis in June. A few weeks later, she clocked 47:41 at the AJC Peachtree Road Race. In the fall she ran 22:00 at the Gobbler's Run 5K. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Laura De Lea </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Allamuchy-Hackettstown NJ, Shore AC </span>has been working her way back this year and testing progress from time to time. De Lea ran some 5K's in the summer in the 21:17 to 21:59 range. This fall she ran 36:20 at the new Jersey 8Km XC Championships, finishing just 3 seconds behind one of her teammates, Alysia Puma. Puma ran 28:09 over 6 Km at Tallahassee in the 50-54 division; it might be reasonable to project something around 28:20 for De Lea had she chosen to run. De Lea's training had been going well, but there have been some hiccups along the way. De Lea posted recently that Richmond might be a scratch and, if not, probably slow!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEGeZyE7de7xgb8Vq7eegy_zcEZ-GT5tCmnKMYn-Noj7Qa0lXKqohb9w-Mh98dSyHxjL0v9QJGb9p5I1wPmg_f-OcgEjdUre3x9TwbFW5vFUAYBl03lon2dcJUZcV8cUlchr6BDLSL1ueXgVx7donoM6K0-ZFlLBqyik_Pmbs2IV_HkJTQuEsc435Kzxa/s1346/Hopkins%20et%20al%203K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEGeZyE7de7xgb8Vq7eegy_zcEZ-GT5tCmnKMYn-Noj7Qa0lXKqohb9w-Mh98dSyHxjL0v9QJGb9p5I1wPmg_f-OcgEjdUre3x9TwbFW5vFUAYBl03lon2dcJUZcV8cUlchr6BDLSL1ueXgVx7donoM6K0-ZFlLBqyik_Pmbs2IV_HkJTQuEsc435Kzxa/w640-h426/Hopkins%20et%20al%203K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rachel Hopkins </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#626 </span>out ahead of the W55 field, battling with the 40's athletes at 2023 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Deelyn Robinson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Williamsburg VA Colonial RR </span>finished 8th here last year in 27:54. In December she clocked a 37:17 at the Christmastown Dash, age grade equivalent to a 22:57.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Since Brown came in ahead of Robinson last year, I give her the edge this time. I cannot find recent Cross Country results for Chiti so that is a bit of an unknown. I will guess she comes in behind Brown and Robinson. It seems that if De 2Lea comes to the race, it will be primarily for her team, not to compete for an individual medal. That leaves me with a guess at a finishing order of Hopkins-Brown-Robinson</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Kelly Brown Rachel Hopkins Deelynn Robinson</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">W60 </span>This division features three top performers: <b>Mary Cass</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Westport MA, Liberty AC</span>; <b>Suzanne La Burt </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greenwood Lake, NY, Shore AC</span>; and <b>Marisa
Sutera Strange</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Millbrook NY, Greater Philadelphia TC</span>, who is returning after some time away from national
competition. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Cass</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">won the 60-64 division in the heavy
rain and wind at the 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships at Golden Gate Park
over 6 Km in 25:36. She then won the W60 10 Km Championship in Dedham MA at the end of April in 41:43. She ended the calendar year with a third place at the 12 Km national Championship in 50:04, and W60 2nd place finishes at the 5 Km XC in Boca Raton with a 20:55 and at Club Cross in Tallahassee over 6 Km in 25:44.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwJhsubeRVpm6TwSbBmM2YE5MMjttEqiuEcvGufmZSerkWEnbi6mSvEQ9EZBaiLbkYl4QS9vjaAs4uZqVeo-_cgHCT049f7Pqyqr8I-lBc3RqyxsrGRW6grvHSwhizEvXJoxAKgw6EWi-m6ZxS2A5sck44HbQVpsLbT_0tFi5yDDlGf_EgJtHMbVfQO2y/s1346/La%20Burt-3K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwJhsubeRVpm6TwSbBmM2YE5MMjttEqiuEcvGufmZSerkWEnbi6mSvEQ9EZBaiLbkYl4QS9vjaAs4uZqVeo-_cgHCT049f7Pqyqr8I-lBc3RqyxsrGRW6grvHSwhizEvXJoxAKgw6EWi-m6ZxS2A5sck44HbQVpsLbT_0tFi5yDDlGf_EgJtHMbVfQO2y/w640-h426/La%20Burt-3K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#619</span> On Her Way to the W60 Win at 2023 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">La Burt, new this year to the 60-64 division, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">has come in ahead of Cass twice by
narrow margins. La Burt took top honors at the October 7<sup>th</sup> USATF
Masters 5 Km Championships in Boca Raton FL with a 20:51. Cass was 4 seconds
back. La Burt enjoyed a wider victory margin over 6 Km at Tallahassee this past
December 9<sup>th</sup>. She took the 60-64 win in 25:19. Cass finished 2<sup>nd</sup>
25 at 25:44. La Burt also took top honors at the 12 km Championships in 49:12.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Sutera Strange</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> ran at the top of the Masters field until a few years ago,
with the highlight, on the turf, being her overall Masters victory, at age 56, at the 2019
USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL. She has taken some down
time and now intends to focus on enjoying the competition and camaraderie of
Masters racing. Strange is still fast though, as evidenced by her 20:11 road 5K
last October. She ran 18:56 at the 2021 Freihofer's Run for Women. At the Club Cross Championships at Lehigh in 2019, over 6 Km, S</span>utera Strange won the 55-59 division in 23:54.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If any of those three are off their best, <b>Kris Huff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Newnan GA, Atlanta TC</span><b>, Lorraine Jasper</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Birchrunville PA, Greater Philadelphia TC</span> or <b>Amanda King</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Great Barrington MA, Liberty AC </span>could run their way onto the podium.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Huff finished 3rd in W55 at Atlanta with a 21:23 5K. She also clocked 44:41 at Peachtree. And she placed 14th at W55 in Tallahassee in 28:11</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jasper has been a top track, Cross Country and road race champion. But she was injured for much of last year. In 2021, Jasper won W60 at Club Cross in 25:50. She has returned this fall to her track pursuits, although at a lower performance level. She finished 2nd in the 800M outdoors in 2:41 and 3rd in the 1500M in 5:42. Thiis will be her first Cross Country outing since January 2022, when she took the division crown at Cross Country Nationals on the Mission Bay course in San Diego with a 26:56. Is that a sign she is healthy again or is it just to help her team score some important grand Prix points?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">King finished 5th W60 in Tallahassee with a 27:57. Earlier in the year she clocked a 22:25 5K at the Super Sunday Race, part of the USATF-New England Grand Prix.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I will give Sutera Strange a break from picking her from the podium, at least until she is definitely back at the top of her game. For this event, I will guess that Jasper is feeling healthy and will go with an order of La Burt-Cass-Jasper.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>Mary Cass Lorraine Jasper Suzanne La Burt</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W65 </span><b>Nora Cary</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Morristown NJ, Shore AC </span>took top honors in W65 on this course last year with a 26:22. She echoed that with a win last December in Tallahassee in 26:29. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgEST9lOTR2POK8vlZb3BnfmVu06fP2hzZmIry1F3u8aOvoJcfKAuNnJrCFsecPhe-LTbl4-Jo0YCSiRTaT0jG-WxXA9TnYTVLjCFunZKHK1JtzN_pL1HxJgu6OcYJQC45W6OVZcO_fuGkzuo5RmxoXOST57dmdRbe0Gph4Q_8y6ksp7YFdxZYWRRHVhM/s1346/Nora%20Cary-3K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgEST9lOTR2POK8vlZb3BnfmVu06fP2hzZmIry1F3u8aOvoJcfKAuNnJrCFsecPhe-LTbl4-Jo0YCSiRTaT0jG-WxXA9TnYTVLjCFunZKHK1JtzN_pL1HxJgu6OcYJQC45W6OVZcO_fuGkzuo5RmxoXOST57dmdRbe0Gph4Q_8y6ksp7YFdxZYWRRHVhM/w640-h426/Nora%20Cary-3K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nora Cary</b> flying to victory in W65 at 2023 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>Deborah Snagg</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Richmond VA, Richmond TF </span>finished 2nd here last year in 28:57. <b>Susan Stirrat</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Rockaway NJ, Shore AC</span>, the 2023 Masters National Grand Champion in this division, finished 3rd here last year with a 32:06. <b>Helene Myers</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Columbia MD, Potomac Valley TC </span>was 4th in 50:35. There seems to be no reason to think that order will not prevail again in 2024.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i><b>Nora Cary Deborah Snagg Susan Stirrat</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">W70 </span>There are three entries in this division. This is the proverbial race where the main task is to get to the starting line. But, of course, they have to finish also. And, if they are not satisfied with the bronze medal, they will have to race. And there is team pride at stake for Atlanta and Boulder.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>Cindy Lucking </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greer SC, Atlanta TC </span>returned from her hip replacement surgery with a fine outing at Club Cross in Tallahassee, claiming 2nd in 35:31. <b>Nancy Antos </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder CO, Boulder RR </span>was over two minutes back in 6th at 37:56. On Thanksgiving, Antos ran a 30:57 5K at altitude. <b>Kathleen Doswell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Columbia VA, Unattached</span> did not compete at Tallahassee this past December nor at any other recent cross count8ry championship. She competed well in a number of Masters Road Championships between 2014 and 2019. In 2022, she finished 10th in the Masters 10 Mile Championships in </span>Sacramento. She has focused more on triathlons and open water swimming in recent years. She did run a 31:15 at the Veterans Fredericksburg 5K in November.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCt2l0jUwG_KQZ-S5Ez8v9GNACFItZtMjr3CtBj6BjHx96bWSeTJkxVgJ31HhHYailO23RgvVWhEbzps_-AZZ53vPkKehuETEz00JjIA0u5oKfIlV-i574od-DjBhaYRvRCwsmI9j8N62b2PcI1Rhfu69sEXpWNtkmQx2w68HqeRdtWaw-decWMLAX4qFf/s1346/W70-Lucking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCt2l0jUwG_KQZ-S5Ez8v9GNACFItZtMjr3CtBj6BjHx96bWSeTJkxVgJ31HhHYailO23RgvVWhEbzps_-AZZ53vPkKehuETEz00JjIA0u5oKfIlV-i574od-DjBhaYRvRCwsmI9j8N62b2PcI1Rhfu69sEXpWNtkmQx2w68HqeRdtWaw-decWMLAX4qFf/w400-h266/W70-Lucking.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cindy Lucking</b> returned to competition for the Atlanta TC, claiming the Silver W70 Medal at 2023 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">As Lucking ran well ahead of Antos in Tallahassee I will pick Lucking for the win. I go with Antos over Doswell because her 5K, although only 18 seconds faster than Doswell's, was at altitude. That gives us: Lucking-Antos-Doswell as the likely finishing order.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>Podium Pick in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i><b>Nancy Antos Kathleen Doswell Cindy Lucking</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b>, the 2023 Masters National Grand Prix champion for Women 85-89 is, once again, in a class by herself.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRokYzmwAJFYy8jnS-D6a68FxHoq1SVYAepditd9JyMID8mvv935Kb7NtXwR_Al7CoZnnx3mJp9R1gMi7Yz318IWINyWGtp9Nf6X7UfcNfSzTxoXuyf4_azy0OkQe1ixI77uMHMXHf6o1gdwF7ryyGhRkxGInCB2b913QhMA8ieecW0puuOeB_cdFZkCp/s1346/Hodges-Hite_Joyce%201st%2085-89.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRokYzmwAJFYy8jnS-D6a68FxHoq1SVYAepditd9JyMID8mvv935Kb7NtXwR_Al7CoZnnx3mJp9R1gMi7Yz318IWINyWGtp9Nf6X7UfcNfSzTxoXuyf4_azy0OkQe1ixI77uMHMXHf6o1gdwF7ryyGhRkxGInCB2b913QhMA8ieecW0puuOeB_cdFZkCp/w400-h266/Hodges-Hite_Joyce%201st%2085-89.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite </b>On Her Way to Another W85 Victory, this time at the 2023 Masters 5 Km Championships in Boca Raton FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>Podium Pick:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><span style="font-size: large;"></span><p></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-30250705545797587112024-01-01T21:52:00.003-05:002024-01-01T21:53:20.537-05:00Individual Masters Competition at 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships-Recap<p> <b>January 1, 2024 </b>Club Cross Site:<b> </b><i>Apalachee Regional Park, Tallahassee, FL </i>Date: <i>December 9, 2023</i></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">For each of the three races, the Overall winner came from the youngest 5-year age division. Focusing on the 40-44 competition for the Women’s race and Men 40+ and on the 60-64 competition for the Men 60+ provides the discussion of the overall championship in each race. See Age Division races below.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Overall Podiums:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Women 6 Km: </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold;">Carrie Dimoff </i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman TC 21:18 </span><b><i>Renée</i></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Metivier</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard 21:41 </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Katie Sherron</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gulf Winds TC 22:06</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Men 60+ 8Km: <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers 29:34 </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Zamek</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC 29:53 </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">John Van Danacker</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Co 30:26</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Men 40+ 10 Km: <i style="font-weight: bold;">Malcolm Richards</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley TC 32:09 </span> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Davis </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite AC </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Cisewski</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley 32:58</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 107%;">WOMEN</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> 40-44</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">There was a tight duel between </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Carrie Dimoff</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, who ran the marathon for Team USA în the Doha World Championships, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">and </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Renée</i></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;"> Metivier</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, a Team USA member at multiple World Cross Country Championships</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;">. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dimoff, admittedly, was dictating the pace but Metivier
gave no quarter and was right on her heels for the entire first 3 Km loop. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-oG8RbJAxydeuH5HHLN8z2OEDlsq4GoEP22knGlG6WRBKjrj4COt0u7T3Y0r6eKZm1BXMAw2HeR0h1uFspUno5FsQlZ_JP90llVWfby8Ay7dmFiR5uxg_9uPrQseWL8LU4JTEh1_JZik6rGQ7Zxmw4dLJ28oTyioaDdjH63L_LEWsgXrOofWjRZm-6vp/s1346/Dimoff%20&%20Metivier.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-oG8RbJAxydeuH5HHLN8z2OEDlsq4GoEP22knGlG6WRBKjrj4COt0u7T3Y0r6eKZm1BXMAw2HeR0h1uFspUno5FsQlZ_JP90llVWfby8Ay7dmFiR5uxg_9uPrQseWL8LU4JTEh1_JZik6rGQ7Zxmw4dLJ28oTyioaDdjH63L_LEWsgXrOofWjRZm-6vp/w640-h426/Dimoff%20&%20Metivier.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><i>Renée</i></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"> Metivier </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;">left</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; text-align: left;"> and <b>Carrie Dimoff</b> vying for the Overall Masters and 40-44 Age Division Win </span>at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
second loop was a different story; Dimoff pushed the pace, dropping Metivier by
the 4 km mark. Dimoff pulled away despite Metivier’s best efforts, winning both
Overall and 40-44 in 21:18. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu-bawJH8A6s7ugn42KwkD9ZqouQXzh4VCcba0H8YcM6aXLZUq0Eb-Zd_-a5A0EFX3YWJwOndXDWiZPq0mePaZ2ck33Pd0Kxsm5N_1zeijGBSpsviY2qgGJlxgk4kCNA509FRACD-QRXwsrrtmiy1v8qlAXNR2Pe2KKESV1-EHDkBHCa-AsLQ05ujfRt9/w400-h266/Dimoff%20wins.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carrie Dimoff</b> takes the tape as she earns the Overall Masters Win, and the W40-44 Division, Win, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu-bawJH8A6s7ugn42KwkD9ZqouQXzh4VCcba0H8YcM6aXLZUq0Eb-Zd_-a5A0EFX3YWJwOndXDWiZPq0mePaZ2ck33Pd0Kxsm5N_1zeijGBSpsviY2qgGJlxgk4kCNA509FRACD-QRXwsrrtmiy1v8qlAXNR2Pe2KKESV1-EHDkBHCa-AsLQ05ujfRt9/s1346/Dimoff%20wins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b></b></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Metivier took second</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in 21:41. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT16-RpPyg5JfJLJWhxUIvHMLwkBmMKnKbdbyNa2hmoxaJE2GlqzFQR5BB6Q4gTif7RCYETaLcGUg9wweunUXXvoSJTSJ28B57aHUyHhpJ2_Jr4TZUxda36LbnQW8ti_rZpKwIV-kqDzOAO3bRd9h9TvZRTVILYehX_zavnh2uD04usyPsYcqaTp_YOgKw/s1346/Metivier%202nd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT16-RpPyg5JfJLJWhxUIvHMLwkBmMKnKbdbyNa2hmoxaJE2GlqzFQR5BB6Q4gTif7RCYETaLcGUg9wweunUXXvoSJTSJ28B57aHUyHhpJ2_Jr4TZUxda36LbnQW8ti_rZpKwIV-kqDzOAO3bRd9h9TvZRTVILYehX_zavnh2uD04usyPsYcqaTp_YOgKw/w400-h266/Metivier%202nd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Renée Metivier</b> takes second overall, and in the W40-44 division, in the Women's Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gulf Winds’ </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Katie
Sherron</b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, who was the winner on this course two years earlier, allowed the
leaders a small gap in the first 400 meters. Despite her best efforts, she
never narrowed that gap to less than 10 meters. Sherron claimed the final
podium spot with her 22:06. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdk8fQ9j00BcnkoYY-UlraTs0r6Gn8s5iq1FnfquQ3VypyEXgFKMoIg5vjPkeis-ouELoVThrH0o_X9t96VrFIaFNDya_2dp0LTo95wrYuZO2N4BNpSbnvcjFD321y7R4emkJ4GWvWidXuZQNNGw4DFxtLCF4vRSKRLEM2XtVFsF-CBWuU1ys9KysGpS7/s1346/Sherron%203rd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdk8fQ9j00BcnkoYY-UlraTs0r6Gn8s5iq1FnfquQ3VypyEXgFKMoIg5vjPkeis-ouELoVThrH0o_X9t96VrFIaFNDya_2dp0LTo95wrYuZO2N4BNpSbnvcjFD321y7R4emkJ4GWvWidXuZQNNGw4DFxtLCF4vRSKRLEM2XtVFsF-CBWuU1ys9KysGpS7/w400-h266/Sherron%203rd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Katie Sherron </b>takes third overall, and in the W40-44 division, in the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Julia Webb</b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Unattached </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">moved up steadily on the 2nd loop, passing </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Jennifer Keenan </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Checkers AC </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but was a good 75 meters back in fourth at the finish in 22:24</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Keenan was 3 seconds back in 5th, with <b>Vivien Hyman</b> 6th in 22:34. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3U8hLrgbbv0JHTgM53nxxA2C1Zm-Zil3AI1-t25NzZb9dDPjj70wHimA99tTOmE6R__4xOAvHyZqEGDK0hPXk45-s3YDG7bGu9HZvjvIeTynJHcAIgS9jbaRw4rNxy1OKSgDeex6yxQh0tLFMn-jhXGcdJr2DZoHfjGFpXlKPDJPIMeMJdOOP6lIsQvT/s1346/Hyman%20&%20Webb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3U8hLrgbbv0JHTgM53nxxA2C1Zm-Zil3AI1-t25NzZb9dDPjj70wHimA99tTOmE6R__4xOAvHyZqEGDK0hPXk45-s3YDG7bGu9HZvjvIeTynJHcAIgS9jbaRw4rNxy1OKSgDeex6yxQh0tLFMn-jhXGcdJr2DZoHfjGFpXlKPDJPIMeMJdOOP6lIsQvT/w640-h426/Hyman%20&%20Webb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Vivien Hyman<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>leads <b>Julia Webb</b> at the halfway point of the Masters Race, overall and in W40, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;">They were the top six in both the 40-44 Division and the Overall placements. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">45-49</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Last year <b>Maggie Shearer</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast TC </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">was at the top of her
game, winning this division while finishing 2<sup>nd</sup> overall. She lost much
of 2023 to injury but returned to help her team at Clubs. <b>Jill Braley</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
who finished sixth</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> overall at Clubs two years ago, was ready. She created
a 50-meter gap on the field in the first kilometer and then grew it steadily,
finishing first in 22:49. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw79zZQ7hx8RHq3SZKk7j8Fv5nYYNeUv7m_cJUzcjiNhihDa6IZQH89tISDBuEKp42monvVDkxFbwg4gCPS7t8qkwupxGDN2vtchZiNeWePREGPwvZ_oSK-3v20hLo7Z6Jr6OqVYAHbAn4q_l7GBf2zj5-I-o1maZEzpHBt2K53Z_OY7C7dBr76UppWan5/s1346/Braley%20Et%20al-W45%20&%20W40.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw79zZQ7hx8RHq3SZKk7j8Fv5nYYNeUv7m_cJUzcjiNhihDa6IZQH89tISDBuEKp42monvVDkxFbwg4gCPS7t8qkwupxGDN2vtchZiNeWePREGPwvZ_oSK-3v20hLo7Z6Jr6OqVYAHbAn4q_l7GBf2zj5-I-o1maZEzpHBt2K53Z_OY7C7dBr76UppWan5/w640-h426/Braley%20Et%20al-W45%20&%20W40.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jill Braley </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#502</span> leading in the W45 Division, running between <b>Jennifer Lutz </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#522</span> and <b>Elizabeth Camy</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> #536 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">both W50</span> Halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Shearer was second</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> for the first 3 Km loop. </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Euleen
Josiah-Tanner </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">won this division on this same course two years ago and just took the overall championship at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton, FL.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Josiah-Tanner matched Shearer stride for stride. With 2 Km to go.
Josiah-Tanner moved past Shearer. She built the lead to 20 meters by the 5 Km
mark. It was not enough! Shearer sprinted past in the final 400 meters to take second</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in 23:53. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrIcX5ozVxRdERJTo7QJIcGYuHxpniyKztcYN5uCK92n6IlD2avOy-fPMyO2gTKG7AWnlzM47GnRPo3AaoeAsoYzsHnvLBMrzxc7iUUfjrP0SdWXAU3fDPd7gsLeJu7iAuMVusFtwxbg2ou53xnYjS8attufv7qrLKaSLUV7NdqL0mKC5eCqLQsuJf6BC/s1346/Shearer%20&%20J-T%203K.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrIcX5ozVxRdERJTo7QJIcGYuHxpniyKztcYN5uCK92n6IlD2avOy-fPMyO2gTKG7AWnlzM47GnRPo3AaoeAsoYzsHnvLBMrzxc7iUUfjrP0SdWXAU3fDPd7gsLeJu7iAuMVusFtwxbg2ou53xnYjS8attufv7qrLKaSLUV7NdqL0mKC5eCqLQsuJf6BC/w640-h426/Shearer%20&%20J-T%203K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Maggie Shearer</b> and <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> vying for a W45 podium spot and team points, halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Josiah-Tanner enjoyed the final podium spot with a 24:01,
not bad for a 49-year-old in her final year in the division. <b>Cambria Wu</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Janes Elite 24:21</span><b style="font-size: small;"> </b>finished 20 seconds later in fourth. <b>Christy Peterson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast 24:59 </span>finished fifth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jill Braley</i> 22:49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Maggie Shearer</i> 23:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner </i>24:01</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sSJLCSVyiV_cVIPc4l_6QjZx_4Zcxx8SvhhZIJADSdZmjg0bPKyE_5DqNJe6_K1wID5yZmyXIn8vntrD29sJfAoo32dMM7-WZaR5x40fAlelbvI-b_tkXda096JR2uxjmXeW0P7ZyZzbhu1gwd67nTjoYA5nqTkAwWxL2HdTBdtnM7Ca1MqYhZ1xnxPz/s1346/Bloomer%20et%20al-Start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sSJLCSVyiV_cVIPc4l_6QjZx_4Zcxx8SvhhZIJADSdZmjg0bPKyE_5DqNJe6_K1wID5yZmyXIn8vntrD29sJfAoo32dMM7-WZaR5x40fAlelbvI-b_tkXda096JR2uxjmXeW0P7ZyZzbhu1gwd67nTjoYA5nqTkAwWxL2HdTBdtnM7Ca1MqYhZ1xnxPz/w640-h426/Bloomer%20et%20al-Start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Lorilynn Bloomer </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#530 </span>& <b>Karolyn Bowley</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#524</span>, <span style="font-size: x-small;">both W50; </span><b>Michelle Rohl</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#585 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">W55; </span><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#630</span>; and <b>Elizabeth Camy </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#636</span>, <b>Ziyang Liu</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#561</span>, <b>Julia Webb </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#652</span>, and <b>Heather Gibson</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#602</span> getting out fast-three hundred meters into the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">50-54</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Lorilynn Bloomer</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">won the Women’s race overall at the
2020 Cross National Championships. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>Hortencia Aliaga</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.12px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State TC </span>finished 6th in Tallahassee and 8th in San Francisco but has been running better than ever this year. <b>Karolyn </b></span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bowley </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Boston Athletic Association B.A.A. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">won this division here two years ago and finished 2nd last year at Golden Gate Park.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thirty-five meters ahead of the field at 1 Km, Bloomer
built that to 40 meters over the next kilometer. After the 2 Kilometer mark, Aliaga</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, in second place,
and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bowley</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, in third, began to chip away at the gap.
When Bowley surged past Aliaga with a kilometer to go, Bloomer’s lead was less
than 15 meters. Bowley closed and passed, bringing Aliaga with her. Bowley had
the win in 24:01, with Aliaga six seconds back in second place.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qiWRZdcUJFNn9D5V3Sw9APtK9VbHY-lqF3kFDfNoSTTxP05dvqIWIXTbryxwX8roQGx8heG8t1jPy99PdemAcYkBo_18CQmldFOcDjHWkZABG7dbfNFC0SrD6Fd0zw1RtwKZ40JWX_9C9S5yjzFn_z0oIXdzDSG9YPdizw-Xh1XS_g-cVfKFcE9bgpRv/s1346/Aliaga%20et%20al%203Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qiWRZdcUJFNn9D5V3Sw9APtK9VbHY-lqF3kFDfNoSTTxP05dvqIWIXTbryxwX8roQGx8heG8t1jPy99PdemAcYkBo_18CQmldFOcDjHWkZABG7dbfNFC0SrD6Fd0zw1RtwKZ40JWX_9C9S5yjzFn_z0oIXdzDSG9YPdizw-Xh1XS_g-cVfKFcE9bgpRv/w640-h426/Aliaga%20et%20al%203Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hortencia Aliaga </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">center #568 </span>running at the Halfway point <span style="font-size: x-small;">with W40 runners, </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">from left</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">: </span><b style="font-size: small;">Elizabeth Wakeling </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#576</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">,</span><b style="font-size: small;"> Amanda Lankford</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#538</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><b style="font-size: small;">Jennifer Boerner</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#554 </span>- Aliaga on her way to 2nd in W50 and helping her GSTC to 2nd in Team W50-at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bloomer
finished third in 24:20, almost a minute ahead of </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Samantha Forde</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Impala Racing Team 25:19 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">in fourth</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Forde moved past </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Carla McAlister</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast 25:37 </span>at the halfway point and never looked back. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Karolyn Bowley </i>24:01 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hortencia Aliaga</i> 24:07 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lorilynn Bloomer</i> 24:20</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">55-59</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Rachel Hopkins</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sirius Athletics</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
who finished 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in 50-54 at San Francisco last year, made the
transition to 55-59 with a wire-to-wire win in 24:41. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii947tT-rqDO5W63vWibL2YrUrIZ4QlwZqkB1WcKsgn4osiFfcnlscjaQpyr8qE-8TfHWd7WScRLfKYTfi1WYHBilEV0D8pSOcZLQXdAJih3ZIxvua7QvwXc4nAgIFxHj5cNEcxz1g036z1cCXehlrXkT-FnUtiSB9M2yGLWLjh9p_BUf4vSHEcLnzHh3j/s1346/Hopkins%20et%20al%203K.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii947tT-rqDO5W63vWibL2YrUrIZ4QlwZqkB1WcKsgn4osiFfcnlscjaQpyr8qE-8TfHWd7WScRLfKYTfi1WYHBilEV0D8pSOcZLQXdAJih3ZIxvua7QvwXc4nAgIFxHj5cNEcxz1g036z1cCXehlrXkT-FnUtiSB9M2yGLWLjh9p_BUf4vSHEcLnzHh3j/w640-h426/Hopkins%20et%20al%203K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rachel Hopkins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center #626</span> on her way to the W55 Championship <span style="font-size: x-small;">with <b>Amanda Lankford</b> & <b>Jennifer Boerner</b> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">both W40 </span>Halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Michelle Rohl</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, a
middle-distance record-breaker on the track, and the division winner in Tallahassee two years ago, ran in second place</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> for the first 3 Km loop. </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Jennifer Harvey</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Central Park TC</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the 55-59 American Road Mile Record
holder, moved past </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Aeron Arlin Genet</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">at 3 Km and past Rohl at 4 Km. She
finished 2</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">nd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in 25:04. Genet sprinted past Rohl to claim 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
in 25:35, three seconds ahead of Rohl in 4th. <b>Tania Fischer</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Janes Elite 26:23</span> moved up in the last 2 kilometers to take 5th head of <b>Kathleen Hayden</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC 26:35</span>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rachel Hopkins </i>24:41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Harvey</i> 25:04 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aeron Arlin Genet</i> 25:35</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">60-64</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"> <b style="font-size: 12pt;">Patricia Bellan </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, who won the 55-59 division at Spokane in 2018, led
the first loop. At that point, </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Suzanne La Burt</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the second</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> place
55-59 finisher in 2021, moved past Bellan, and had a 30-meter lead by the 4 Km
mark. La Burt stretched her lead over the final 2 km, winning by almost a hundred meters in 25:20. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKCTLRTTVljpPGmuhoRMaL385snt67M9nrJSdJKZq30sW2ys_gDBhLoi4xZhyw0nmsqZn5B5e3ABrhq4z9flNoP_5ebIJLM6KtEQFQf04AEV9tu2NS9Jeq13afMy_7Eky8J5MGQ84DVdIP_Mwpk3IyZGeQOEWBY1MdO_ji_kFofVMG_JIadW01lOsZxl6/s1346/La%20Burt-3K.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKCTLRTTVljpPGmuhoRMaL385snt67M9nrJSdJKZq30sW2ys_gDBhLoi4xZhyw0nmsqZn5B5e3ABrhq4z9flNoP_5ebIJLM6KtEQFQf04AEV9tu2NS9Jeq13afMy_7Eky8J5MGQ84DVdIP_Mwpk3IyZGeQOEWBY1MdO_ji_kFofVMG_JIadW01lOsZxl6/w640-h426/La%20Burt-3K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt </b>on her way to the W60 Win <span style="font-size: x-small;">with</span><b style="font-size: small;"> Samantha Forde </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#607 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">W50 </span>and helping her team to the W60 Team Win halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Mary
Cass</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Liberty AC</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, who won this division at Golden Gate Park last year,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> passed Bellan in the final kilometer, claiming second</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> with 30
meters to spare. Bellan was third at 25:54. <b>Suzanne Cordes</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Impala Racing Team 27:39</span> and <b>Amanda King</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Liberty AC 27:58</span> ran steady races, holding their 4th and 5th positions from the 1 Kilometer mark through to the finish. <b>Eileen Brennan-Erler</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Impala Racing </span>took seven seconds out of King's lead in the last kilometer, ending up 5 seconds back in 6th. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt</i> 25:20 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> 25:45 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Patricia Bellan</i> 25:54</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">65-69</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nora Cary</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the 65-69 American 12 Km record holder, had no trouble, building a 70-meter lead on the field in the first kilometer. She stretched that lead throughout, winning in 26:30, an </span>impressive two-plus<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> minutes ahead of the field. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMY9B-heKn651Us2Im5qjnEik8tHWRqXCLMet-FuW2RibVP9YZEfyQJ9E46ZCiuQ8xYytkUAs52vlpJv8Z6Wm4Lj3PTN_5BsMRHxHm04LJFfW__DvxeCADT0DMxLfxpf0w4BmoSVAvPy7y-CGl0GZdgZMbORwmGiR1NT7Rg0PdzISXbNFGQpDcB7U2GTt/s1346/Nora%20Cary-3K.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMY9B-heKn651Us2Im5qjnEik8tHWRqXCLMet-FuW2RibVP9YZEfyQJ9E46ZCiuQ8xYytkUAs52vlpJv8Z6Wm4Lj3PTN_5BsMRHxHm04LJFfW__DvxeCADT0DMxLfxpf0w4BmoSVAvPy7y-CGl0GZdgZMbORwmGiR1NT7Rg0PdzISXbNFGQpDcB7U2GTt/w400-h266/Nora%20Cary-3K.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nora Cary </b>on her way to the W65 win & helping her team to the W60+ Team win halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Patrice
Combs</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 'A' </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">and </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lesley Hinz</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 'B' </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ran as a pack,
never more than a second apart. Combs dictated the pace while Hinz, rehabbing and training up from surgery last year, followed closely. Combs finished second</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in 29:12,
with Hinz third</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in 29:13. Hinz may be ready to move up to the A squad! </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cindy Williams </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 30:12 </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">moved past </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Kitty Musante</b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Shore AC 30:26 </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">in the first kilometer of the final 3 km loop. Williams kept it going to capture fourth, with Musante fifth.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nora Cary</i> 26:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs </i>29:12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lesley Hinz</i> 29:13</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">70-74</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Jeanette Groesz</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard</span>,<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">who won this division in Tallahassee and San
Francisco, had no trouble with her three-peat. She won by 500 meters</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> in 30:44. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcpAhWg4z4BaGz1Jrmszh7ZpVc-T3IM6m8Z2XK6cWsVKwHWD8WzuPWBg6MWHfEgdrQgLiMo8e99HOORPX7xMJxlFlLjfc2nd9nlvDapLpuCKFw6XT8pzva7z-MRZ2TmDvS1iSh6YMmapLiqqGVN4QAYqF1FuogQSrB2WIKXqFjWFka6D6ysspKBTBaBvE/s1346/Groesz&%20Bartley%203K.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcpAhWg4z4BaGz1Jrmszh7ZpVc-T3IM6m8Z2XK6cWsVKwHWD8WzuPWBg6MWHfEgdrQgLiMo8e99HOORPX7xMJxlFlLjfc2nd9nlvDapLpuCKFw6XT8pzva7z-MRZ2TmDvS1iSh6YMmapLiqqGVN4QAYqF1FuogQSrB2WIKXqFjWFka6D6ysspKBTBaBvE/w640-h426/Groesz&%20Bartley%203K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeanette Groesz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#634 </span>halfway through, <span style="font-size: x-small;">with <b>Mo Bartley</b> W65</span>, on her way to a big win in W70 and for her Team win in W70+ at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Norma Hudnall</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 'A' </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">and <b>Cindy Lucking</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 'B' </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">tracked her as best they could.
Lucking passed Hudnall in the final kilometer, taking second in 35:31,
with Hudnall third in 35:47. Lucking was a regular contributor for Atlanta in the 2016-2019 period before focusing energy on her triathlon endeavors. Like Hinz in 65-69, Lucking seems a good candidate for the A squad. </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Cande Olsen </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard 36:48 </span>started conservatively, moving past <b>Nancy Antos </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder 37:57 </span>into fifth at the halfway point. Olsen surged past <b>Terry Ozell </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 'A' 37:01 </span>in the final kilometer to take fourth.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeanette Groesz</i> 30:44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cindy Lucking</i> 35:31 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Norma Hudnall</i> 35:47</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">75-79</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Jeannie Rice</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the Women's World Record holder in the Marathon, had no peers in this division. As usual, whether on the roads, the track or the turf, it matters not, she won this Division race wire to wire, clocking 29:32 for the win. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0PifO7C8T-3zd1VwL0q9bl_cv5W8K3Maa6-XNuT06ZP-qPtmecd06512V_-qRAocHFV1kIvpncUr8nlc4GARfN0-_gYasme28k6RGrgOmkQy3znxz6QYdJ-3Icm_qBhDdqrRc-FoKhImmWAH0akNwbBfhBU0z2CVwhxfHPFo1cQM4XawmYWD8fe-ld6k/s1346/Jeannie%20Rice-3K.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0PifO7C8T-3zd1VwL0q9bl_cv5W8K3Maa6-XNuT06ZP-qPtmecd06512V_-qRAocHFV1kIvpncUr8nlc4GARfN0-_gYasme28k6RGrgOmkQy3znxz6QYdJ-3Icm_qBhDdqrRc-FoKhImmWAH0akNwbBfhBU0z2CVwhxfHPFo1cQM4XawmYWD8fe-ld6k/w400-h266/Jeannie%20Rice-3K.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice</b> flying to her W75 win, halfway through the Masters Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Sharon Gerl</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard</span><b style="font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">finished second at 33:36, with </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Andrea McCarter</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">third at 46:06. The only drama in this division was when </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Terry Foody</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bluegrass Runners 46:49 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">moved past </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Perha Varley</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gulf Winds 49:08</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> on the back section of the final loop. That allowed Foody to finish 4th, over two minutes ahead of Varley in 5th.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 29:32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Gerl</i> 33:36 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 46:06</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">80-84</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Myrna Barnett</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, at 80, became the oldest Women’s
winner on the day, clocking 46:45. Barnett had a 2-minute lead at the first kilometer and continued adding to it during the race. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYBkPv7c8iZA75eaLy33Hz5emK-UYE1l_eGzudsW3PJFy4q-KHzd5JZPtMDwtVxR4byYhVE-rBE4YY0p_h25UFZVqleu8Pxd50Ny7uPwAouDfGVaXgfXUbgSBG1NdGKThYKN_8YYfC8kKr3wJPbft9s_nY6RLKWEJC34C-bNVaV9FdRy2fEbEDP_1FYKb/s1346/Myrna%20Barnett-Start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYBkPv7c8iZA75eaLy33Hz5emK-UYE1l_eGzudsW3PJFy4q-KHzd5JZPtMDwtVxR4byYhVE-rBE4YY0p_h25UFZVqleu8Pxd50Ny7uPwAouDfGVaXgfXUbgSBG1NdGKThYKN_8YYfC8kKr3wJPbft9s_nY6RLKWEJC34C-bNVaV9FdRy2fEbEDP_1FYKb/w400-h266/Myrna%20Barnett-Start.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Myrna Barnett</b> heads off at the start of the Masters Race on her way to the W80 Win and a Team W70+ Third Place at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Sharon Beebe </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">finished second</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> at 1:02:27.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Myrna Barnett</i> 46:45 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Beebe</i> 1:02:27</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MEN</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> 60-64</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Nat Larson</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers</span>, out of the Connecticut River Valley area of Massachusetts, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">has torn up the American 60-64 record
book this year. He currently holds every 60-64 road record except the 20K from
1 Mile, 4:49, to the Half Marathon, 1:15:27. Larson aged up into the 60-64 division in the middle of 2022 and won the Club Cross Masters 60+ race at Golden Gate Park in December. Larson won his 55-59 division at Clubs for three consecutive years from 2017 in Lexington KY to 2019 at the Lehigh course in Bethlehem. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The defending champion went right
to the front. The last time <b>Mark Zamek</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</span>, competed against Larson on the turf was at Lehigh's Club Cross race in 2019, where Larson took the honors by 12 seconds. Zamek was out of commission for much of 2022 but made his presence felt on the roads this year. In Larsson's absence, Zamek took the M60 first at the Masters 5 Km Championships at Boca Raton this October. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Zamek went with Larson, tracking him a half stride
back, along with his teammate <b>Rick Lee </b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Shore AC</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIebbP01eHoBh_sOEHURLDYiUt7MuLXvsTfmKhmgaS71I1d3kNfTK8mD3oIn7UoYaFwMqWexGL9dS3Iq7WQU_hmq0Jt0PBPz1YHTG-1-UnjReDlR_A1Eovb9SkGKNl6p7FU4rvCgA66SiJnOqAFzfHlL10UrEfqzvymJc74esseKuixhRXV8j3Y91ScWV/s1346/Lee-Larson-Zamek-early%20going.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIebbP01eHoBh_sOEHURLDYiUt7MuLXvsTfmKhmgaS71I1d3kNfTK8mD3oIn7UoYaFwMqWexGL9dS3Iq7WQU_hmq0Jt0PBPz1YHTG-1-UnjReDlR_A1Eovb9SkGKNl6p7FU4rvCgA66SiJnOqAFzfHlL10UrEfqzvymJc74esseKuixhRXV8j3Y91ScWV/w640-h426/Lee-Larson-Zamek-early%20going.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right: </span><b>Rick Lee</b>, <b>Nat Larson</b>, and <b>Mark Zamek</b> lead the way, 300 Meters into the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Larson finally dropped Zamek as they approached the halfway point at 4
Km. By the time they passed the 5 Km timing mat on the back, forested section of the course, Larson had a 25-meter lead. From there, Larson grew that gap to over 75 meters. Larson
enjoyed 1<sup>st</sup> in 29:34 with Zamek 2<sup>nd</sup> in 29:53. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">John Van
Danacker</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Co</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">TC = Twin Cities </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">improved on his 4</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> place finish in San Francisco,
claiming 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in 30:26. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNF6I2VkLWnEf0g8Tbyp9fWQ0rMEXuO9AlxDHuqwX7RZm9Xlf-IDbOgPNhI5yty-LBG4K581jSoN_9VbVUfo0X9XVK2HK87c-NEkyBDwi6FJeN-1GbTE9___XtvrVgysaC-v5wrgw8qZ0eqx46i1nx7X-4n3TlANJINkGj9OlbH_07kkrDzY7_LT6R8Cfx/s1346/Van%20Danacker-4th%20at%203%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNF6I2VkLWnEf0g8Tbyp9fWQ0rMEXuO9AlxDHuqwX7RZm9Xlf-IDbOgPNhI5yty-LBG4K581jSoN_9VbVUfo0X9XVK2HK87c-NEkyBDwi6FJeN-1GbTE9___XtvrVgysaC-v5wrgw8qZ0eqx46i1nx7X-4n3TlANJINkGj9OlbH_07kkrDzY7_LT6R8Cfx/w400-h266/Van%20Danacker-4th%20at%203%20Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John Van Danacker</b> at the 3 Km point, on his way to a podium finish in the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Those three went 1-2-3 overall as well. <b>Kevin Ostenberg</b></span><b style="font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies 30:33</span>, who took 5th on this course in '21,<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>finished fourth, with <b>Steve Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor TC 30:38</span>, who finished 2nd to Larson at Golden Gate Park last year, fifth. I heard a report from one of his competitors, days after the race, that Schmidt might have finished higher had he not gone wrong between the 2nd and 3rd loops of the course. Schmidt had zoomed past Ostenberg, Van Danacker and, apparently, Rick Lee (see below), and had a few seconds lead when he went the wrong way on the course. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpV9rDaMq70s0qmF2ojMLkLzy_d29C1SovtD4ifT8M9ojHIYqQhL3TH0DMEYeBgiYHH8RuOiqi-QIpWMp__MmWB3-B0ijyI7sUqNKyFuS5i8xTm78BjpodZPIvfND4ZFh31b2ElB2bHL1f3bxhpXJhWW4ZEH3uCffoltpzkjGhYnyKzpvFgu4rGGr6eu-/s1346/Schmidt-ahead%20of%20Ostenberg%20&%20Van%20D%20-%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpV9rDaMq70s0qmF2ojMLkLzy_d29C1SovtD4ifT8M9ojHIYqQhL3TH0DMEYeBgiYHH8RuOiqi-QIpWMp__MmWB3-B0ijyI7sUqNKyFuS5i8xTm78BjpodZPIvfND4ZFh31b2ElB2bHL1f3bxhpXJhWW4ZEH3uCffoltpzkjGhYnyKzpvFgu4rGGr6eu-/w640-h426/Schmidt-ahead%20of%20Ostenberg%20&%20Van%20D%20-%206%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Schmidt</b> running ahead of <b>Kevin Ostenberg </b>and <b>John Van Danacker</b> with about 2 Km to go in the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">After the hill called 'The Wall' on the first loop, runners are directed to go straight up behind the starting line for a tour around the side of the upper field nearest to spectators [call that the near side]. After the 2nd loop, there is a Course Marshall and a temporary barrier that directs the runners along the far side of the upper field and then down to a lower crossover point to the near side, before doing a final loop and finishing all along the far side to the tape. Course Marshalls are supposed to be at the crossover point alerting runners to cross to the right, not straight ahead; there is no temporary barrier straight ahead, just an open field. This was Schmidt's first time running the course at Tallahassee. The report is that Schmidt went straight. Maybe the Marshalls assumed, after seeing Larson and Zamek make the turn, that they did not need to direct these presumably experienced runners. But Schmidt did not know, and no Marshall stopped him from going straight. According to the report I heard, the runners behind said they called out to Schmidt, but he did not hear them. Once he realized he was going the wrong way, perhaps when he saw the finishing gate ahead of him, he reversed, went back up and made the turn, now behind Ostenberg, Van Danacker and Lee. He tried to make up that loss on the final lap but wound up fifth. We will never know if he would have come in ahead of Van Danacker and Ostenberg. The 'Fortunes of War!' </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC 30:43</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, who finished 3rd at Golden Gate Park, had been up to his usual pre-Championship pursuits. He ran in the JFK 50-Miler three weeks before Clubs, clocking 7:55:25 to take first in the 60-69 age division. But that would not be enough, of course; the following week he ran in an 8K and a 12K race. All those races were run on a hamstring that was still sore from the NYC Marathon in early November. Lee stayed with Larson and Zamek for the first 2 km but then gradually drifted back, before finishing 6th. Schmidt passed Lee once at the end of the 2nd 3 Km loop and then again on the forested section of the final 2 km loop. Hat's off to Larson; he is off to another great start in the Masters National Grand Prix!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson</i> 29:34 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Zamek</i> 29:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Van Danacker</i> 30:26</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">65-69</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"> <b style="font-size: 12pt;">Rick Becker </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span>a 3-time Mas<span style="font-size: 12pt;">ters Harrier of the
Year, took it out hard, seeking to erase the memory of an aberrant outing at Golden Gate Park last year, where he finished off a Club Cross division podium for the first time in years. </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">David Westenberg </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Lowell Road Runners</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, who finished 2nd in San Francisco, was determined that Becker should not have it easy. Westenberg glued himself to Becker, matching stride for stride. Becker dictated the pace but Westenberg matched it through 5000 meters. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrI4ofZ6bW_qlPd_l2lhmD26fdQl4D_ic8NI7FeM_heAw0iXz2KicqFqIz0NJ4XoniiucqjCVR2W3Y5UmJ8g4QgEi8aLvK4b-bw53h_zHcMRZsmZIymB2y_c03OoKeIbXIGd_Mop_w44KQ2t_DccaCqLDDZ3idKVzuxeIzREQ6-W2v5hxV7I51E4tQrxe/s1346/Becker-Westenberg%20-3%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrI4ofZ6bW_qlPd_l2lhmD26fdQl4D_ic8NI7FeM_heAw0iXz2KicqFqIz0NJ4XoniiucqjCVR2W3Y5UmJ8g4QgEi8aLvK4b-bw53h_zHcMRZsmZIymB2y_c03OoKeIbXIGd_Mop_w44KQ2t_DccaCqLDDZ3idKVzuxeIzREQ6-W2v5hxV7I51E4tQrxe/w640-h426/Becker-Westenberg%20-3%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Rick Becker</b> and <b>David Westenberg</b> locked in a duel for M65 honors at 3 Km in the M60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At that point, Westenberg was spent. In the next kilometer he was dropped, and Becker opened a 50-meter gap. Becker, who was also in the top ten overall in the 60+ race, poured it on from there, motoring to a 31:22. </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Ken Youngers</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> had started more conservatively, leaving Becker and Westenberg to their duel. He latched onto </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Doug Keller </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Co 33:41</span>, trailing him by a few strides through the 5 Km mark. At about the same time that Westenberg started to slow, Youngers was able to start pulling away from Keller. With the thrill of catching Westenberger urging him forward, Youngers cut huge gashes of territory out of Westenberg's lead in each of the last 2 kilometers, enabling him to take second in 32:43, 11 seconds ahead of Westenberg. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6keFUn2WAG2wuFGg16s9CN8e2ofuVeARxfO9Dqnub_qjdnQJScUvqgutRNTdIwJZLjbR7RybOvXYdXidsZ2iNeOG44O4lT-uWN7dLI-A6OgW57jhjjOmBzkU6sZWWThKL8wooBzrlHjxK_Kdu6rWPzUXPyFtRocbmAZKPxWXP8U6lCQjfQ_PTo9f5AaA/s1346/Keller-Bohlke-Youngers-%203km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6keFUn2WAG2wuFGg16s9CN8e2ofuVeARxfO9Dqnub_qjdnQJScUvqgutRNTdIwJZLjbR7RybOvXYdXidsZ2iNeOG44O4lT-uWN7dLI-A6OgW57jhjjOmBzkU6sZWWThKL8wooBzrlHjxK_Kdu6rWPzUXPyFtRocbmAZKPxWXP8U6lCQjfQ_PTo9f5AaA/w640-h426/Keller-Bohlke-Youngers-%203km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Keller</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#929 </span>and <b>Ken Youngers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#590 </span><b> </b>battle for the M65 podium; along with <b>Allan Bohlke </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#922 M60</span>, all three were pushing for Team points in the M60+ team competition at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">Westenberg claimed third with a hundred meters to spare. <b>Daniel Johnson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running 33:20</span> ran in 5th most of the way. In the final kilometer he passed his teammate, Keller<span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span>taking fourth to Keller's fifth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Becker </i>31:22 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ken Youngers</i> 32:43 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Westenberg</i> 32:54</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">70-74</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Robert Qualls</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">River City Rebels</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, defending champion from San
Francisco, and winner of the 2023 Individual Masters Grand Prix, went to the
front. That was hardly surprising, Qualls has run at the front of the division at almost every championship this year. He won 6 division championships in the 2022-23 Grand Prix, including all three Cross Country events. Qualls developed a 25-meter lead on </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Thomas Cushman</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">in the first
kilometer. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[visual evidence from usatf.tv video]. </span>Cushman had won the M65 division at Tallahassee two years ago. Qualls was too fast this time, b</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ut Cushman ran tough the whole way, keeping the winning margin under
40 meters. Qualls enjoyed the win in 34:52, with Cushman 2</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">nd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in
35:02. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMWKBzzVZqhOgnfHiPRP8jrodg_FCDQiLENvcAyPmYkdWCSYEsyJKWgb31li-WJIj0Lz3OLpFO0HPTJq9LuWvJWkeaAl-edcwl2gAN7B9HsBg8PSYHRmKom7LjwK7mpG8bTlQLGZU0vs8w8sa4Zf8ytCeJ0VB0s77BC2Nvrt4eMDROktBYk96dyL0AaEE/s1346/Qualls-3%20km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMWKBzzVZqhOgnfHiPRP8jrodg_FCDQiLENvcAyPmYkdWCSYEsyJKWgb31li-WJIj0Lz3OLpFO0HPTJq9LuWvJWkeaAl-edcwl2gAN7B9HsBg8PSYHRmKom7LjwK7mpG8bTlQLGZU0vs8w8sa4Zf8ytCeJ0VB0s77BC2Nvrt4eMDROktBYk96dyL0AaEE/w400-h266/Qualls-3%20km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls</b> running all alone at the front of the M70 Division at the 3 Km mark of the 8 Km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Rick Pfeiffer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jamul Toads</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ran in fourth most of the way, passing </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Tomas Rodriguez </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast 36:36 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">midway through the second 3 Km loop. Pfeiffer pulled away from there, taking third in 35:58. Rodriguez claimed fourth. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP5qQPwcUkHQYStpEAb84dcUd8CtgJB2b0HXV9Qn5ZnieThGiHAiau1y06MrPnGf8de1rmHfFJ3o9jc0z4MWMG-tPTBrbp1SpqfPxBLvF74Hs4NbbgQgirwHZmymO7RTKgqQ2I4wIq_CR9_2gc2_4se6V0plkN1xIyAGA3si03ikJod3b2-PsWMmlvC9j/s1346/Cushman%203%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP5qQPwcUkHQYStpEAb84dcUd8CtgJB2b0HXV9Qn5ZnieThGiHAiau1y06MrPnGf8de1rmHfFJ3o9jc0z4MWMG-tPTBrbp1SpqfPxBLvF74Hs4NbbgQgirwHZmymO7RTKgqQ2I4wIq_CR9_2gc2_4se6V0plkN1xIyAGA3si03ikJod3b2-PsWMmlvC9j/w400-h266/Cushman%203%20Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Thomas Cushman</b> at the end of the first 3 Km Loop on his way to a 2nd place finish in M70 at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> <br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Jim Foster</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Syracuse TC 37:04 </span>started conservatively, running in 9th. By the end of the first loop, he had moved up to 8th and by 5 km to 7th. In the next kilometer, he passed two more runners. He held his place over the last loop, finishing fifth. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">In an unfortunate development, a mix-up with the bibs for the River City Rebels, caused an initial, unfounded, disqualification of Qualls. Had that DQ stood, his team would not have had the three scoring runners necessary to show up in the team results. Video review allowed the Referee to remove the DQ before the Awards ceremony. Qualls was rightfully awarded his gold medal for the division win. River City appeared in the official team results, finishing fourth. Unfortunately, the Club Cross results button on the Events Calendar still links to the Live Results which shows the DQ and the lack of Qualls and his team in their rightful place. That will, no doubt, be corrected soon. But no one should doubt that Qualls was the rightful winner.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> 34:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Thomas Cushman</i> 35:02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Pfeiffer</i> 35:58</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">75-79</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Gary Ostwald</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, who beat </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Ron Wells</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jamul Toads </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">by a
single second last year in San Francisco, with a last-minute kick to the tape, went on to dominate this division at Championships throughout the year. He used his devastating kick to power to the win at Cross Nationals in Richmond. He then claimed solid wins on the roads at 10 Miles and 10K. Wells has run at the top of his division for decades, especially on the turf. He won the M75 race at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2021 and also at Cross Nationals in San Diego at the beginning of 2022.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcz8zsxveX63mqBfnV9j1YHwcE7nx_SWXJwmyeuIzjjAdB2CX_9_bB9K8A5_ZTZxOTnOoaO_NBx8pqBUg05jkgVIGLGgVS9QdAfQfTCxHJOcSeB9ltfHt8-c_qibg0aND8RLxJQksf14NKu8EykJ718hkxh_fBrh6uWXGJ-bW5ULFMgaJHjQd3Qvva1X90/s1346/Ostwald%203%20km%20-M70%20&%20M65%20runners.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcz8zsxveX63mqBfnV9j1YHwcE7nx_SWXJwmyeuIzjjAdB2CX_9_bB9K8A5_ZTZxOTnOoaO_NBx8pqBUg05jkgVIGLGgVS9QdAfQfTCxHJOcSeB9ltfHt8-c_qibg0aND8RLxJQksf14NKu8EykJ718hkxh_fBrh6uWXGJ-bW5ULFMgaJHjQd3Qvva1X90/w640-h426/Ostwald%203%20km%20-M70%20&%20M65%20runners.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gary Ostwald </b>out in front of the M75 race <span style="font-size: x-small;">with some runners from younger age divisions</span> on his way to the M75 win and helping his team to the M70+ Team Victory at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ostwald needed no last-minute magic this time. Ostwald and Wells were running even with each other through the 2 Km split. Wells started to lose ground after that. Ostwald had a 12 second gap on Wells by the end of the first loop and added 14 seconds in the next kilometer, followed by another 12 in the fifth kilometer. No one threatened Wells, much less Ostwald. Ostwald won at 37:38, with Wells second at 38:54. <b>Jerry Learned</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta 40:20 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and <b>Rick Katz</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ran together in 3rd and 4th for the first four kilometers. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3FpMNKQT4A6K9sCoaRayVtn9WEsrgZznAfftdHYclr7WRUnIaskI-sWAGoH01r2OMufizEb1VvQF-rQ24bRK_EHgJFsAfAoA37Np4d6lBQ745Bx5hFIIwx1FrfXAP1xggNmi_L3QkyexaOHhm4vpaWWwo9WQMUs2QN8Ai65tE6Zz_eaRiSGASdn_LWxE/s1346/Learned-Katz%203%20km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3FpMNKQT4A6K9sCoaRayVtn9WEsrgZznAfftdHYclr7WRUnIaskI-sWAGoH01r2OMufizEb1VvQF-rQ24bRK_EHgJFsAfAoA37Np4d6lBQ745Bx5hFIIwx1FrfXAP1xggNmi_L3QkyexaOHhm4vpaWWwo9WQMUs2QN8Ai65tE6Zz_eaRiSGASdn_LWxE/w640-h426/Learned-Katz%203%20km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jerry Learned</b> leading <b>Rick Katz</b> in the M75 Division at the 3 Km mark of the Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Over the next kilometer, Katz started to move away from Learned. By the end of the second 3 Km loop, Katz had a gap of 11 seconds on Learned. Katz gave nothing back, finishing third in 40:02, with Learned fourth. <b>David Longmuir</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Club Northwest 40:36 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and <b>Terry McCluskey</b> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor TC 40:33 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ran within a few seconds of each other for the first 2 kilometers. Longmuir pulled away then and was 20 seconds ahead of McCluskey by the end of the 2nd loop. McCluskey gradually closed on Longmuir over the final loop, getting close enough that a good kick down the final hill pulled him into 5th, three seconds in front of Longmuir. Ostwald was on top one more time! That's 100 points in the Masters National Grand Prix bank too!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gary Ostwald</i> 37:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ron Wells</i> 38:54 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Katz</i> 40:02</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">80-84</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Masters Hall of
Famer, <b>Doug Goodhue</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor TC </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">came in with a bum hamstring, hoping that wrapping
it would allow him to have a good day. Like Ostwald, Goodhue had won the 2023 Masters National Grand Prix with 495 points. He had wins on the roads at 5K, 1 Mile and 12 K, plus a win in the 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton in October. Everything went well for the first 2 Km.
Goodhue had almost a minute on the field. But he lost almost half his lead in
the next kilometer as the hamstring started to limit his pace. <b>Ed Bligh</b> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> finally caught and passed Goodhue at the
5 Km mark. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7E7pty0eSy25A3j6jRUP_Hb98jCquf_LzicFQ2yfB4z3GIe05lk3MSwF4tG5ZlJU4-aUUx6VpqSXhw2HjzvVh6vmCX3Kp4BngNs1i72rZOBCwdg33GOu0BzAxyqcqhZnz45a4hFKoENH9k4ZbXNBRGiUOGJf6740P_LAWALgfiD-fjpZAG4RVkgh4IhgS/s1346/Goodhue-3Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7E7pty0eSy25A3j6jRUP_Hb98jCquf_LzicFQ2yfB4z3GIe05lk3MSwF4tG5ZlJU4-aUUx6VpqSXhw2HjzvVh6vmCX3Kp4BngNs1i72rZOBCwdg33GOu0BzAxyqcqhZnz45a4hFKoENH9k4ZbXNBRGiUOGJf6740P_LAWALgfiD-fjpZAG4RVkgh4IhgS/w400-h266/Goodhue-3Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Goodhue</b> leading the M80 Division at the 3 Km mark in the 8 km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the finish, Bligh, 81, became the oldest winner of the day at 49:01.
Goodhue was 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> at 51:03, with </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">David Salmon</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">High Point AC </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">third</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> at
51:48. Bligh was the next finisher after Goodhue in four championships this year. This was his first head-to-head win. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAAT3iHFCLgJZ_XbNsQb-Zj0lbkAA3SuCOpo3fAZCOZLsoD90IamZKDT0nFIdmGKbtT23nTaVzcgBBzc2HAVUGyQym9OLK-lhb5BMNbjoqG2VAAWhQkSYT6ZF04Nk2u63sB2n6qqgL6f3o40CS0brnPZ0kknkt_-HlJ5wavBMJpoFZBipKLqsQhmk0PVK/s1346/Bligh%20-Start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAAT3iHFCLgJZ_XbNsQb-Zj0lbkAA3SuCOpo3fAZCOZLsoD90IamZKDT0nFIdmGKbtT23nTaVzcgBBzc2HAVUGyQym9OLK-lhb5BMNbjoqG2VAAWhQkSYT6ZF04Nk2u63sB2n6qqgL6f3o40CS0brnPZ0kknkt_-HlJ5wavBMJpoFZBipKLqsQhmk0PVK/w400-h266/Bligh%20-Start.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ed Bligh</b> 300 Meters into the M60+ Race, heading for the M80 Win at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Art Must</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Atlanta </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">and </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrew Sherwood</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Atlanta </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ran in 4th and 5th the whole way, claiming those places at the finish. It was not a great day for </span>Goodhue,<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> but he is a great teammate, and gave his team their third finisher; without him they would have had no points. It was a good day for Bligh; he enjoyed his first division championship since he took the division crown at Cross Nationals last January!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ed Bligh</i> 49:01 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Doug Goodhue</i> 51:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Salmon </i>51:48</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MEN</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> 40-44</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 107%;">Malcolm Richards </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley TC </span>finished 3rd at Golden Gate Park in 2022 in his first year as a Masters athlete. <b>Jesse Davis</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite AC</span>, who had won in 2021 in Tallahassee, finished 5th. Davis had run his Marathon PR a month earlier in Indianapolis, clocking 2:17:30. Richards ran 2:16:15 at Grandma's in 2022. Richards had won the Pacific Association Cross Country Championship but otherwise had no recent races. Richards led his West Valley team out on the far side of the course; Davis did the same on the near side. Davis had to stretch his legs for a hundred meters to move up with Richards. At 300 meters, it was Richards in first with Davis right on his heels. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">Richards continued to dictate the pace and Davis seemed happy in 2nd, a couple of strides ahead of the field. At the first split at 1170 meters, there was a lead pack of six, but with a clear order of Richards-Davis-<b>Edward Baker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</span><b>-Roosevelt Cook</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast</span>-<b>Brian Flynn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State</span>-<b>Adam Schroeder</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Club Northwest</span>. Richards continued to push from the front over the next kilometer and there was now a bit of daylight between him and the trio of Baker, Cook and Davis, with another bit of daylight between those three and Flynn and Schroeder. When Richards accelerated up 'The Wall', no one went with him and all of a sudden, the daylight had opened up into a real gap of about 25 meters back to the Davis-Baker-Cook trio. It was all Richards the rest of the way, his long, smooth strides eating up the territory. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwC-uGOmDdUcMW3ZPM5UA5-CimryfMvKvv4burYTZcVOrvIk3byr9gF7wf1p3NAyxpuddyACr3EFsytxdt-011M8UEQWVcNMSZhxESV47_UbKJDhJrRNGcFwpfIpsK6-OFsp8Hb_TkIgELyYuZmq9rM1qTf4Sh0NpigFSY_I4xdDAXKcj-d0uaZEK8YmCH/s1346/Richards-Lead%203Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwC-uGOmDdUcMW3ZPM5UA5-CimryfMvKvv4burYTZcVOrvIk3byr9gF7wf1p3NAyxpuddyACr3EFsytxdt-011M8UEQWVcNMSZhxESV47_UbKJDhJrRNGcFwpfIpsK6-OFsp8Hb_TkIgELyYuZmq9rM1qTf4Sh0NpigFSY_I4xdDAXKcj-d0uaZEK8YmCH/w400-h266/Richards-Lead%203Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards</b> motoring to a big win Overall and in M40 at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">Davis left Baker and Cook at the 4 Km mark but could make no headway on Richards. Richards claimed the win in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">32:09 with over 150 meters to spare. Davis finished 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> in 32:44. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRA19ge5ZYfw6CVmAX1baOTf9RMdMq6vhK0qvbMhHWtFewHCDhGVKOVfnGhV8MQoJ4rYm4ySh42__mu0XN7Ys1vS4ex5MzGH1_Grx7jQ5PDfbsYEDjsICgsTxGsnCWdlOpo8iYotjVbgQmzfFz059BAEL0FAZOgv-kjDj8Orlk0L9T9s8rv0QakrqZOXs/s1346/Davis_J-2nd%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRA19ge5ZYfw6CVmAX1baOTf9RMdMq6vhK0qvbMhHWtFewHCDhGVKOVfnGhV8MQoJ4rYm4ySh42__mu0XN7Ys1vS4ex5MzGH1_Grx7jQ5PDfbsYEDjsICgsTxGsnCWdlOpo8iYotjVbgQmzfFz059BAEL0FAZOgv-kjDj8Orlk0L9T9s8rv0QakrqZOXs/w400-h266/Davis_J-2nd%206%20Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jesse Davis </b>at the 6 Km mark, heading for the 2nd place finish in the Men 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">David Cisewski</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> started conservatively but moved past Baker and Cook after the halfway point, finishing third in 32:59. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujrv-XFqVlv66GlfLP0hyPsnLfwl1mn5RCRJYNNBzNehNtrimoSoN-T1hB9ySW7ejt-J_08fntvDGuxNftSIT_iAGTcV3xmMggF_yHhqumZU7CSKg-qdBEioR9Tm0uoMkd8GGVpvoKd8Bs8L907f7w6wOdq0LKHaEG3CK6q66rMETYewMAHckWmP3gXCZ/s1346/Cisewski-3rd-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujrv-XFqVlv66GlfLP0hyPsnLfwl1mn5RCRJYNNBzNehNtrimoSoN-T1hB9ySW7ejt-J_08fntvDGuxNftSIT_iAGTcV3xmMggF_yHhqumZU7CSKg-qdBEioR9Tm0uoMkd8GGVpvoKd8Bs8L907f7w6wOdq0LKHaEG3CK6q66rMETYewMAHckWmP3gXCZ/w400-h266/Cisewski-3rd-6Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Cisewski </b>running alone at 6 Km in third place. He would hold that position, both Overall and in M40, all the way to the finish of the Men 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Baker </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">33:45</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> was fourth, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Flynn </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">33:55</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> fifth, and Cook </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34:02</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> sixth</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2IAWdjDJXAJu7rSYntiOqJaZm1g_Yq98PLolV7p6yqwQstPC_skXZJ6t-2CFr0tPzwlPHUPufyhG-y6oM3C7W2gkczzYCatJNKHO4Wj9D2Rk0bdpalLgcMcZEVzj2NojwS54lQ9ChdU_Y1TVHTDFdh-VUOsuhKbjV1MrQyMoo3XVWRBci1hLmlP6LiW0/s1346/Cook&Baker-4th-5th-6%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2IAWdjDJXAJu7rSYntiOqJaZm1g_Yq98PLolV7p6yqwQstPC_skXZJ6t-2CFr0tPzwlPHUPufyhG-y6oM3C7W2gkczzYCatJNKHO4Wj9D2Rk0bdpalLgcMcZEVzj2NojwS54lQ9ChdU_Y1TVHTDFdh-VUOsuhKbjV1MrQyMoo3XVWRBci1hLmlP6LiW0/w640-h426/Cook&Baker-4th-5th-6%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roosevelt Cook</b> leads <b>Ed Baker</b> as they run 4th and 5th at the 6 Km mark of the 10 KM Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Richards, Davis and Cisewski were also 1-2-3 Overall; Baker, Flynn and Cook were 4-5-6 Overall. It was a <i>tour de force </i>for Richards. Where will Richards show up next? His Grandma's Marathon was an Olympic Trials Qualifier. Will he be in Orlando on February 3rd? Richards has been putting in 100-mile weeks. Davis put in his first 100-mile week since tapering for his early November Marathon. Most likely they will both be there, along with 218 other male qualifiers by their Marathon time and another 7 half qualifiers by half marathon. It should be quite a show on February 4th!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Malcolm Richards</i> 32:09 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Davis</i> 32:44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Cisewski</i> 32:59</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">45-49</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Neville Davey</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">won
the Overall 40+ title at Lexington KY in 2017. He still holds the 40-44 American Record for the Road Mile at 4:22, set in 2018, at the Mile Of Truth in Danville CT. This year Davey took the lead in this
division at 2 Km and never gave it back, winning in 34:50. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr8ofVDu2AKCFPLo4MBJi9JWVpRlcexhMNn2pz1tvVZUdV8xEyc29RX5aezFitUld9qk3fRWkrGnN0mbXC23AKQUyo8xrukH9w1C1-zs6Ts0yORoYB9YKlo87IR3P-Npx6R7zPzeUuIKa4Ne8XKd_kMLoLlm-BhaIBgO-isCRJXS8tl61evt7rbDnKtGK/s1346/Davie-Lead%20M45-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr8ofVDu2AKCFPLo4MBJi9JWVpRlcexhMNn2pz1tvVZUdV8xEyc29RX5aezFitUld9qk3fRWkrGnN0mbXC23AKQUyo8xrukH9w1C1-zs6Ts0yORoYB9YKlo87IR3P-Npx6R7zPzeUuIKa4Ne8XKd_kMLoLlm-BhaIBgO-isCRJXS8tl61evt7rbDnKtGK/w400-h266/Davie-Lead%20M45-6Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Neville Davey</b> leading the M45 Division by 50 meters, at the 6 Km Mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Daniel Smith</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares </span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">bided his time, waiting until the halfway point to move into the top 3. With a
kilometer to go, he left </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Patrick Russell </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">TC RC </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">behind, taking 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
in 35:06. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGo7U_C5zWCAF_ZxOzGDgP2J02Tgwoo-iXDVsePLGFDErHoudpvBGA5pCo6lkNVLK4a2ubW-MvZ9zx4GwhvsMbetKL-uEjO2KOaaVDmddjkw7EVHGollJ_kTdrPL1r_5tqpZKLb7fRD0K0vO4dPOaqzF4Ds6JAS-3tDnIJUZ3ZuFkfnoFbCsvG06XdQP1v/s3207/Russell-Smith-2nd-3rd-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="3207" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGo7U_C5zWCAF_ZxOzGDgP2J02Tgwoo-iXDVsePLGFDErHoudpvBGA5pCo6lkNVLK4a2ubW-MvZ9zx4GwhvsMbetKL-uEjO2KOaaVDmddjkw7EVHGollJ_kTdrPL1r_5tqpZKLb7fRD0K0vO4dPOaqzF4Ds6JAS-3tDnIJUZ3ZuFkfnoFbCsvG06XdQP1v/w640-h550/Russell-Smith-2nd-3rd-6Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Patrick Russell</b> leading <b>Daniel Smith </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">almost out of picture to left</span> at the 6 Km Mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Russell ran in second or third position virtually the entire race, finishing 16 seconds later in third</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, followed by </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mike
Jackson</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite35:24</span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">fourth</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Aaron Totten-Lancaster</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"> Garden State 35:33</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> fifth</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Jackson finished 2nd in this division last year in San Francisco. </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Totten-Lancaster </span>finished<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 15th in this division in San Francisco but had been running stronger the second half of this year. He won the division at the Masters 12 Km Championships in </span>Highlands<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> NJ in mid-</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">September with a 40:34, good for 6th overall. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jackson was in 12th at the end of the first loop and just inside the top ten at the end of the 2nd loop. But he kept hammering. Fifth at 8000 meters, he moved up one more slot on the final loop. Totten-Lancaster was in the top five all the way, rising as high as 4th only to have Jackson pass him in the final kilometer.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Neville Davey</i> 34:50 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Daniel Smith</i> 35:06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrick Russell</i> 35:22</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCtMGVpxnpy7IUAsVx7fI-WR8j7i8IgAmYAWJ_bcQASG_OYYUw08rGTNeFVUSBVwmHs8FfwrqI6g0VaSS96eLhdRhsSG60RTNlyG08egzuRvSr6sLZ0jlgdJXcz74SzApD9VmJwen_iWWI2jfCWEgFvdNRj2F2U_Fg-E8pS9jfzFiGwqFRe_POdqvp93D/s1346/Totten-Lancaster&%20Mitchell-6%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCtMGVpxnpy7IUAsVx7fI-WR8j7i8IgAmYAWJ_bcQASG_OYYUw08rGTNeFVUSBVwmHs8FfwrqI6g0VaSS96eLhdRhsSG60RTNlyG08egzuRvSr6sLZ0jlgdJXcz74SzApD9VmJwen_iWWI2jfCWEgFvdNRj2F2U_Fg-E8pS9jfzFiGwqFRe_POdqvp93D/w640-h426/Totten-Lancaster&%20Mitchell-6%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Aaron Totten-Lancaster </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">right, 5th in M45</span>, just ahead of <b>Gregory Mitchell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">4th in M50</span> at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race, at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">50-54</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Chris
Grauch</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">introduced himself to the USATF Masters National Grand Prix by handily winning this division, over a strong field, at the 2022 Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder. Grauch, out of Nederland CO, apparently trains above 8,000 feet. Grauch is also a Mountain Trail runner, taking the 50-54 division crown this past April at the Sunapee Up and Down race in New Hampshire. He showed he can run the roads as well with a Bolder Boulder 50-54 win this year in 34:38. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This would be his first national masters championship where the terrain was not mountainous, the elevation was sea level, and there was substantial humidity. Would it make a difference? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Grauch did not act that way. He took it out hard. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jaime Heilpern</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, who won the division in San Francisco last year,</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and is on the </span>division<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> podium just about every year at Clubs, was content to run 5-10 meters back for the first loop. Heilpern did not pull even with Grauch until the
4 Km mark. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-It_Pk7vaec-3QK_N2_97efE2pxTW4qUfGFIjTV_lV_48AxmZ_4Z7B69EA9daB44q-R-TJphKhfWH-pYoVnlYqI-E04sI8lUt3Z5My2nrAzjoWAOyBS3iWrtw6tpjW4bZCIuYu9jKkiJ-cq0b7FzD9Yd0QFBzzVRwuIbRby8aXJdDLooGxlQFkWOwRwET/s3322/Grauch-Heilpern-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="3322" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-It_Pk7vaec-3QK_N2_97efE2pxTW4qUfGFIjTV_lV_48AxmZ_4Z7B69EA9daB44q-R-TJphKhfWH-pYoVnlYqI-E04sI8lUt3Z5My2nrAzjoWAOyBS3iWrtw6tpjW4bZCIuYu9jKkiJ-cq0b7FzD9Yd0QFBzzVRwuIbRby8aXJdDLooGxlQFkWOwRwET/w640-h530/Grauch-Heilpern-6Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jaime Heilpern </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#853 </span>and <b>Chris Grauch</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#703 </span>leading the M50 Field at 6 Km in the 10 Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After that the pair ran in tandem through 9000 meters. Heilpern pulled
away over the final kilometer, winning by over 50 meters in 34:50. Grauch, never threatened, took
2</span></span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> at 35:03. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Todd Rose</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, who won the 45-49 division at Tallahassee two years ago, was content to run with the Bowerman pack of <b>Gregory Mitchell, Paul White </b>and<b> Ahrlin Bauman </b>for the first loop. Mitchell and Rose pulled away from the other two on the second loop, with Rose leaving Mitchell behind after the halfway point. Rose came within a few seconds of the leading pair at the end of the 2nd loop. But by a kilometer later, the lead was back up to six meters.</span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rose finished </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">3rd at 35:13. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdr5vGZFXDR4J7nsHQJcJ8bLX4O9Vjqru1HysBnbELr1lMGms61HMT6pv7Ki2LPHG3sRB9T62lwnuuxGVSxVY4IKYKYbm0iXpRhJoUEwXDPqb81WdpwMqi-lZO9CEdcLwA8gBqrj1j465kJkN11fruz_vh4U_p_5DmIkoJT904cxMNHbE7jcUb8h8DbPY/s1346/Rose_Todd-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdr5vGZFXDR4J7nsHQJcJ8bLX4O9Vjqru1HysBnbELr1lMGms61HMT6pv7Ki2LPHG3sRB9T62lwnuuxGVSxVY4IKYKYbm0iXpRhJoUEwXDPqb81WdpwMqi-lZO9CEdcLwA8gBqrj1j465kJkN11fruz_vh4U_p_5DmIkoJT904cxMNHbE7jcUb8h8DbPY/w400-h266/Rose_Todd-6Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Todd Rose </b>broke into 3rd in the M45 Division on the second 3 Km loop and held it all the way to the finish in the 10Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In his first five years as a Masters runner, Mitchell was in the top 5 Overall at Clubs each year, winning at Lehigh in 2014 and finishing 2nd behind a runner, who later accepted a USADA sanction, in both 2015 and 2016. Now a mainstay of his Bowerman's 50's team, Mitchell finished fourth. <b>John Gardiner</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast TC</span> finished in the top 10 overall at Clubs from 2012 through 2018. He did not break into the top 10 in this division until the end of the first loop. Ninth at the end of the second loop, Gardiner kept moving up; by 8000 meters he was in fifth, where he finished. Heilpern got his repeat win. Next year at Chambers Bay in Tacoma he can go for the three-peat!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">55-59</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Frank
Zoldak</b> B</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">oulder Road Runners</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, 57, blasted away from the starting line as if 15 years younger. They knew about him in Boulder but the rest of the Masters running community would learn about him in Tallahassee. Zoldak won his division at the Pearly Street Mile in 5:19, after winning two other less well known road miles in 5:03. He finished 3rd overall and first Masters athlete at the Colleen De Reuck XC Classic ahead of a strong field. Here in Tallahassee, Zoldak was in the top ten overall</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, with less than a kilometer to go. He took the
division win in 34:53. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74HHOvIm8ttWQ2OMKJKBbcoKVTDsgjW9vd4Wp2qdt11Zf1Hi4GnmqwQemCerIRzMPNWaWld3DcJGRkroFpWUkqkWpCnCNutueOG8qSWJprF6AjRUxwsCJb981BIVzqv5Hk0w2JIrFd3mnY36-j12fG7-q4HIm1waGkwWuhbGq5lY52GoLvl9MaIAgq7Z4/s1346/Zoldak-F-1st-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74HHOvIm8ttWQ2OMKJKBbcoKVTDsgjW9vd4Wp2qdt11Zf1Hi4GnmqwQemCerIRzMPNWaWld3DcJGRkroFpWUkqkWpCnCNutueOG8qSWJprF6AjRUxwsCJb981BIVzqv5Hk0w2JIrFd3mnY36-j12fG7-q4HIm1waGkwWuhbGq5lY52GoLvl9MaIAgq7Z4/w400-h266/Zoldak-F-1st-6Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Frank Zoldak</b>, running ninth Overall, with a huge lead in the M55 Division at the 6 Km mark of the 10Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Peter Hammer</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">B.A.A. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">had won his division title at every
Club Cross Championship from 2015 in San Francisco through 2022, also, as it happened, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This would be his first 2</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">nd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
place finish since 2014 at the Lehigh course in Bethlehem PA. Hammer’s 37:15
earned second place</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, a good 50 meters ahead of </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Mark Callon</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span>. That means that Hammer has finished either first or second in his division every year from 2014 through 2023. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_p3pZZY915-mf5LOcDvhsVjzeD38cYjeD_jVUBKncx611ge8wO8pPUvIqbBQmssqCS_oYzZ1DI6yVQeqAISYv7zxY8HqLxTKUbN6j-65-B3QZ3SP1oPp1AJcnWNZD4XXsSK8ZTlnVBZIIER6C0cmrFsqrQjpP7VVtA32wAMSSbgI6pcAAIL2iB4aeQXi/s1346/Hammer-2nd%20-%206Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_p3pZZY915-mf5LOcDvhsVjzeD38cYjeD_jVUBKncx611ge8wO8pPUvIqbBQmssqCS_oYzZ1DI6yVQeqAISYv7zxY8HqLxTKUbN6j-65-B3QZ3SP1oPp1AJcnWNZD4XXsSK8ZTlnVBZIIER6C0cmrFsqrQjpP7VVtA32wAMSSbgI6pcAAIL2iB4aeQXi/w400-h266/Hammer-2nd%20-%206Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Peter Hammer </b>heading for Second Place int he M55 Division at the 6 km Mark of the 10 Km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">Callon won this division at the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships and at the 5 Km Masters XC Championships in Boca Raton FL in October. He started conservatively and gathered strength as he went, moving up from 6th at the end of the 1st loop to 4th at the end of the 2nd loop. <b>Steve Brightman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Central Mass Striders 37:35</span>, meanwhile, had been running within 15-20 meters of Hammer for those two loops. He started to lose ground entering the first of the two 2 km loops that finish the 10 K circuit. By the time they were halfway around the first 2 Km loop, Callon must have felt he had Brightman in his sights. With 2 km to go, they were just 3 seconds apart. Callon made the catch on the forested part of the course and pulled away over the last kilometer to take 3rd in 37:30, five seconds ahead of Brightman. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6nYuFfS1-hNr2ZLY9BSVVhc3kr5Wsix33CM7W2HyJfA2Zs7KiaLZ5Y0PHbfgdQE48ihV76lxKb4nMKG33wkaVcVSBtuqWN8kbrrLeFbjGpajt1cEmi_38WfNnRKqWeGU1wdMAyoklX0gKwChh_jBwgLb4JKhJ7HuVH97YfjtWFN9wLv6K6k3ojwAghtw/s2949/Callon-3rd-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="2949" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6nYuFfS1-hNr2ZLY9BSVVhc3kr5Wsix33CM7W2HyJfA2Zs7KiaLZ5Y0PHbfgdQE48ihV76lxKb4nMKG33wkaVcVSBtuqWN8kbrrLeFbjGpajt1cEmi_38WfNnRKqWeGU1wdMAyoklX0gKwChh_jBwgLb4JKhJ7HuVH97YfjtWFN9wLv6K6k3ojwAghtw/w640-h598/Callon-3rd-6Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Callon</b> running 4th in M55 <span style="font-size: x-small;">but headed for 3rd </span>at the 6 Km mark of the 10 km Men 40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><b>John McMahon</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Checkers AC 38:10</span><b> </b>ran a very steady race, in 5th or 4th the entire way, claiming 5th in the end.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Frank Zoldak</i> 34:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Hammer</i> 37:15 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Callon</i> 37:30</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 107%;">AGE GRADING AWARDS </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">were based on the timing company's age grade package. Awards were presented to <b>Jeannie
Rice, Nora Cary</b>, and <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> from the Women’s Race; <b>Nat
Larson, Mark Zamek, </b>and <b>Rick Becker </b>from the Men’s 60+ Race; and <b>Frank
Zoldak, Jaime Heilpern</b>, and <b>Malcolm Richards</b> from the Men’s 40+
Race.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Note: All of Michael Scott's photos from this race can be found at:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/UFwM9NrNq2eK7uch8" target="_blank">https://photos.app.goo.gl/UFwM9NrNq2eK7uch8</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">That kicks off the 2024 USATF Masters National Grand
Prix! Next up are the January 20th USATF Cross Country Championships at Pole
Green Park outside of Richmond, VA!</span><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><i></i><p></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-28087336633554886012023-12-26T23:07:00.004-05:002023-12-29T20:53:52.504-05:00Masters Races at 2023 USATF Club Cross Championships- Recap No. 2 --TEAMS!<p><b>December 26, 2023. </b>The USATF Club Cross Country Championships draw the attention of Running Clubs from across the country. Bragging rights are on the line, both nationally and regionally. Teams want to be known as the best in the land. Next best to that is to be the strongest team from your association, state, or region. Even if the team does not make the national podium, it is important to have the best outcome of any team from their area. These incentives lead to teams recruiting and motivating the best athletes on their team to be ready for Clubs each year. As a result, the fields at Club Cross are typically the deepest and most talented of the year. One might think it would primarily draw athletes who specialize in races of 10 Km or less. But each year, many talented Marathoners make important contributions to their teams and often contend for individual honors as well. The Women raced over 6 Km at 9 AM, the Men 60+ over 8 Km at 10 AM, and the Men40+ over 10 km at 11 AM. I cover the races in that same order.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Reminders on scoring: The score is found by adding up the finishing places of the team's scoring athletes. In the Women's race and the Men's 60+ race, each team's first three athletes score. If they would finish in 2nd, 5th, and 9th, for example, the team score is 16; the lower the score the better. In the Men's 40+ race, the first 5 athletes for each team score. This is the traditional scoring method in Cross Country. Teams may declare up to 5 runners for the 6 Km and 8Km races and up to 9 for the 10 km race. All declared runners who finish may displace runners on other teams; that raises the score of potential rivals. Unaffiliated runners and all athletes who are on incomplete teams, such as a Women's team with only 2 members, are removed from the scoring. Runners who do not finish, or are disqualified, do not score. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Women 6 Km </b>40+ </span>The <i><b>Boston Athletic Association</b> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">B.A.A. </span>won it all at Tallahassee in 2021 but has not fielded a team since then. The <i><b>Cal Coast Track Club</b></i><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>out of So Cal, finished 2nd two years ago but then dropped to 11th last year in San Francisco, when two of their top three from the year before were unavailable. They were back. Their top runner was coming back from injury but they looked to have a balanced squad that should be competitive. </p><p><i></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHSjNZ9bzzYaAxxcFCuAued657DAW_q1LLDqPku6_yXTE6cwNXjYCpru_uPc2wIS_MkmLmDcIHWxEZoM9zBXeWpkvz5lJVp5Q7vrjGT7fRbw7w1MWvbGvD49CLs_eXwNKdMCpm2lrXX0AviTqoUJ2lio87v0Lo7Q1GA7Xmy9VsAj1KknrpyW9LGeH3Q_k/s1346/Cal%20Coast-Red%20Lizard-GSTC-Early.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHSjNZ9bzzYaAxxcFCuAued657DAW_q1LLDqPku6_yXTE6cwNXjYCpru_uPc2wIS_MkmLmDcIHWxEZoM9zBXeWpkvz5lJVp5Q7vrjGT7fRbw7w1MWvbGvD49CLs_eXwNKdMCpm2lrXX0AviTqoUJ2lio87v0Lo7Q1GA7Xmy9VsAj1KknrpyW9LGeH3Q_k/w640-h426/Cal%20Coast-Red%20Lizard-GSTC-Early.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Top W40+ Teams had Runners in the front of the Chase Pack in the Early Going-From Right-<b>Laura Osman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast</span>, <b>Carre Joyce Heineck</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Lizard</span>, <b>Jennifer Boerner & Mary LeBrun Schultz</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Checkers AC</span>, <b>Rachel Hopkins</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Sirius Athletics</span> (W50+ Race), and <b>Jennifer Pesce</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State</span> in the Women's Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /><b><br /></b></i><p></p><p><i><b>Club NW</b></i> out of the Pac NW, finished 3rd at Tallahassee and 5th at San Francisco, but did not bring a 40+ team back to Tallahassee this year. <i><b>Gulf Winds Track Club</b></i>, the hometown crew had the top runner and a good supporting cast to take 4th in '21. They did not travel to San Francisco this year. They were competing again in 2023 but the support for their top runner, Sherron, did not seem to be there this year. The <i><b>San Diego Track Club</b></i> took it all last year but decided not to defend their title. The <i><b>Garden State Track Club</b> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">GSTC </span>finished 5th in 2021 and 4th last year in San Francisco. GSTC was back with an improved squad; they were, no doubt, aiming for a podium finish. <i><b>Team Red Lizard</b></i>, out of Oregon, had finished 7th in Tallahassee in '21 and moved up to 2nd place at Golden Gate Park last year. With an individual podium favorite as their new #1, their # last year returning as #2, they looked a threat to win it all. <i><b>The Janes Elite</b></i> out of So Cal and <i><b>Checkers Athletic Club</b></i> out of Greater Buffalo NY, who finished 3rd and 13th last year looked solidly competitive for the podium. Two Clubs that have not competed in this team division lately, looked intriguing. The <i><b>Bowerman Track Club</b></i> out of Oregon had one of the prerace favorites leading the way and solid support. The <b style="font-style: italic;">HOKA </b><b><i>Aggies</i></b> out of the Greater Sacramento area in the Pacific Association had a top 10, arguably, top 5, individual prospect as their leader with good support once they tapped one of their strong 50+ runners to race with them.</p><p>For most of the first loop this year, a casual observer would have seen the Bowerman and Red Lizard athletes going 1-2 and other athletes with similar uniforms not too far back in the main field. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwk46qyatcH912x50cUgBMY9hPyrL60yPdEHGbWjNHj6e6U740Zcopmz2O3VlxtDkYfGSFKHpm7FEArc8NhplO32XG-8zYMdypXvi_iF2O6HzT6GBSkO1e0dA4b7xNzYojoLrIXdS3pY7A4X6Gsg_niyb6lK5YBQpVFp-WBtQxsRiVhx29hbrWLkakZwy/s1346/Dimoff-Metivier-3%20km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwk46qyatcH912x50cUgBMY9hPyrL60yPdEHGbWjNHj6e6U740Zcopmz2O3VlxtDkYfGSFKHpm7FEArc8NhplO32XG-8zYMdypXvi_iF2O6HzT6GBSkO1e0dA4b7xNzYojoLrIXdS3pY7A4X6Gsg_niyb6lK5YBQpVFp-WBtQxsRiVhx29hbrWLkakZwy/w640-h426/Dimoff-Metivier-3%20km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carrie Dimoff</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> #531 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman</span> and R<b>enee Metivier</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Lizard </span>racing stride for stride at the end of the first 3 Km Loop in the W40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Had they guessed that those two teams were leading, they would have been right. When the field finished the first 3 Km loop, Red Lizard had the edge with <b>Renee Metivier</b> in 2nd, <b>Carre Joyce Heineck</b> 7th and <b>Kristin Shaw</b> 14th for 23 points. Bowerman had the leader, <b>Carrie Dimoff</b>, along with <b>Kristen Rohde</b> 12th and <b>Lorilee Bloomer</b>, dropped down from 50+ 16th for 29 points. Rohde and Bloomer would have to move up if Bowerman was to challenge for the win. They were solidly in 2nd though, as long as they held their positions. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriS7IdccpYyiaQcQ3JZgJns2HDdWXtlaAISQMFxybQAc2UHB4pLt1IkX8mGtaSEfpVrPVy6RM29jfHkOoEiPfZx6ju3UxQIO0MgBI5UQWUFSGU8BuP_B8xJ_diNwzlxez4r6xd-Kks7wAmTQCMn3KP2ynuNAAOQGYqU1ywyZ7wMlHjLMRkLp1tGYK6OsR/s1346/L%20Bernard-RedL%20&%20L%20Bloomer%20Bwrmn-End%20of%203Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriS7IdccpYyiaQcQ3JZgJns2HDdWXtlaAISQMFxybQAc2UHB4pLt1IkX8mGtaSEfpVrPVy6RM29jfHkOoEiPfZx6ju3UxQIO0MgBI5UQWUFSGU8BuP_B8xJ_diNwzlxez4r6xd-Kks7wAmTQCMn3KP2ynuNAAOQGYqU1ywyZ7wMlHjLMRkLp1tGYK6OsR/w640-h426/L%20Bernard-RedL%20&%20L%20Bloomer%20Bwrmn-End%20of%203Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Liana Bernard </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#632</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Lizard </span>and <b>Lorilee Bloomer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman </span>battling for team Points at the end of the first Loop in the W40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Cal Coast, Checkers, and Garden State were vying for the final podium spot. Cal Coast had a tight pack with E Camy 9th, L Osman 10th and M Shearer 18th for 37 points, and a 4-point lead for the 3rd place finish. Checkers had R Keenan 4th, ML Schultz 17th and J Boerner 20th for 41. GSTC had as tight a pack as Cal Coast but each of their runners was behind their counterpart on Cal Coast: J Pesce 11th, J Hruska 13th, E Wakeling 19th for 43. Before they could challenge Cal Coast, they would need to get past Checkers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrJB6QXIP6n3_b883PUAMYE7w9rmkKzhbUPRryrw1Sh6zCE_k97GWte4HI__LWn72RQMaVcnzlpHLpakHTDMZja803-2Mj7fCU1AWT_YYKsbSm9_5-I1q4GvZ9KGg2-yDlWzmVqiIhIac6-cj0GkYryANBjd9igxVRj1f1Uc18T5hoVFmEy0uuboXpQCb/s1346/J%20Hruska%20GSTC%20&%20kristin%20Shaw%20RedLiz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrJB6QXIP6n3_b883PUAMYE7w9rmkKzhbUPRryrw1Sh6zCE_k97GWte4HI__LWn72RQMaVcnzlpHLpakHTDMZja803-2Mj7fCU1AWT_YYKsbSm9_5-I1q4GvZ9KGg2-yDlWzmVqiIhIac6-cj0GkYryANBjd9igxVRj1f1Uc18T5hoVFmEy0uuboXpQCb/w640-h426/J%20Hruska%20GSTC%20&%20kristin%20Shaw%20RedLiz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Hruska </b>#572 <span style="font-size: x-small;">GSTC</span> and <b>Kristin Shaw </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Lizard</span> racing for Team Points at the end of the 1st 3-Km loop in the W40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Red Lizard exhibited staying power on the 2nd 3 Km loop. All of their athletes held their position; they finished with 23 points and the win. Dimoff led Bowerman with her first place, and Rohde moved up one spot but it was not enough. Bloomer dropped back a few spots as younger legs took over. But Bloomer hung on with grit; she claimed the 20th spot overall that kept Bowerman in the Silver Medal position. Cal Coast was up to the challenge from their rivals for the podium. On the 2nd loop, Camy moved up from 9th to 8th and Shearer, their usual #1 if not rehabbing, moved up from 18th to 16th. Osman was the rock-solid teammate in the middle, holding at #10. That allowed Cal Coast to drop 3 points from 37 to 34 and put the bronze medals out of reach. Garden State's Wakeling moved up, so GSTC dropped their total to 42. That was enough to move past Checkers into 4th, but not enough of a drop to challenge Cal Coast. Checkers finished in 5th with 49, The Janes at 52 claimed 6th place, a single point ahead of the 7th place Aggies!</p><p><b>1st <i>Team Red Lizard</i> </b>23 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Renee Metivier, Carre Joyce Heineck, Kristin Shaw (Wendy Terris) </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2nd </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bowerman</i> 32 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Carrie Dimoff, Kristen Rohde, Lorilynn Bloomer</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">3rd </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Cal Coast</i> 34 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Elizabeth Camy, Laura Osman, Maggie Shearer (Amanda Lankford, Audrey Kroot)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">50+ </span><i><b>Sirius Athletics</b></i> out of Athens GA claimed the 50+ title two years ago in Tallahassee, ahead of <i><b>The Janes Elite</b></i> in 2nd and <i><b>Garden State</b></i> in third. They stayed on the podium in '22 with a 3rd place finish. GSTC moved up to 2nd and <i><b>Club NW</b></i>, the 4th place team in '21, moved up to take the win at Golden Gate Park. The Janes followed their 2nd place finish in '21 with a 5th place last year. They did not bring a complete team east to Tallahassee in 2023. Club NW, Garden State and Sirius all came with solid teams to contend for the 50+ Championship. They would be challenged by teams from well-established clubs that have not competed in the 50+ division lately. The <i><b>Atlanta Track Club</b> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">ATC </span>participated in the Women's 50+ division at Clubs regularly prior to 2020. But they have not entered a W50+ team at Club Cross since the resumption of races in 2021. The <i><b>Boulder Road Runners</b></i> have fielded teams in the Men's divisions, but this was their first team entry in the Women's race at Clubs. The <i><b>Central Park Track Club</b></i> has rarely participated when Clubs has been outside the Northeast. They competed at Lehigh in 2019, for example, finishing mid-pack, but not in Tallahassee in '21 nor in San Francisco in 2022.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL5j87IvXsrllP2XsJjmpuFfst4DoplrB5fRUVwnuyM_OnEkhAYHu1cNjgeX4LEjo2F99FWwU7FTNpWxoWsHkqU0aRNwDHFQq07kTB2D9Jr4gfoomOS3A9zSUkR0HKfwVnyBJGSxXh4C31o9FWIeTtpmeSJ1uh2_dhfeDXD0vnpNErmZw2GWM6QYgOKUv/s1346/W50-GSTC_Boulder-early%20going.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL5j87IvXsrllP2XsJjmpuFfst4DoplrB5fRUVwnuyM_OnEkhAYHu1cNjgeX4LEjo2F99FWwU7FTNpWxoWsHkqU0aRNwDHFQq07kTB2D9Jr4gfoomOS3A9zSUkR0HKfwVnyBJGSxXh4C31o9FWIeTtpmeSJ1uh2_dhfeDXD0vnpNErmZw2GWM6QYgOKUv/w640-h426/W50-GSTC_Boulder-early%20going.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hortencia Aliaga </b>& <b>Kimberly Aspholm </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#'s 568 & 569 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">yellow&black </span>get out ahead of <b>Allyson Serrao </b>&<b> Charlie Woodcock</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#'s 528 & 529 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runnes </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white singlets-center-left of picture </span>in the W50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>For most of the first loop it seemed clear the main battle would be between Central Park and Garden State. Both had two athletes in the top 5-6 and their third scoring runner in the early part of the second ten in the division. Sirius had the leader but no one else in the top ten. By the time the field reached the 3 Km mark, GSTC's <b>Hortencia Aliaga</b> had overtaken <b>Rachel Hopkins</b> of Sirius. With Aliaga 1st, <b>Kimberly Aspholm</b> 5th and <b>Gabrielle Panepinto</b> 11th, Garden State was in the driver's seat with 17 points. Central Park had <b>Jennifer Harvey</b> 4th, <b>Rebekah Kennedy</b> 6th and <b>Ellen Basile</b> 12th; they had work to do if they were to overtake GSTC for the win. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1M0RH7GLgl40d5SO3nghi5i1sNd1KTY3xCREdx2Ode7pFjUjUxmUdDskd43C8ZgakQ91Q_SeBWzVJx80PbE62En9v3ORftXrDjm3GvMzG8tFJ908oaRyGwOWCiuuLFU9Z8SmKbeg7AF6S81ttY4cXtTepngMQFaJqd1ZHgaB5gokFKp1IC04vO5Jnt6-/s1346/W50-Aliaga-Hopkins-3Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1M0RH7GLgl40d5SO3nghi5i1sNd1KTY3xCREdx2Ode7pFjUjUxmUdDskd43C8ZgakQ91Q_SeBWzVJx80PbE62En9v3ORftXrDjm3GvMzG8tFJ908oaRyGwOWCiuuLFU9Z8SmKbeg7AF6S81ttY4cXtTepngMQFaJqd1ZHgaB5gokFKp1IC04vO5Jnt6-/w640-h426/W50-Aliaga-Hopkins-3Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hortencia Aliaga</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#568 </span>pelts down the hill at the end of the 1st 3-Km loop ahead of <b>Rachel Hopkins </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#626 </span>and several W40+ competitors in the W50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Despite Hopkins contending for the win, Sirius was well back from GSTC and Central Park. With <b>Melissa Landers-Potts</b> 13th and <b>Laura Johnson</b> 18th, Sirius was 3rd with 33 points. Boulder lacked a front runner but had a tight pack with <b>Charlie Woodcock</b> 10th, <b>Allyson Serrao</b> 14th and <b>Lesia Atkinson</b> 15th for 39 points. Atlanta was 8 points back in 5th with Club NW 6th at 54. Central Park had what it takes on this day. On the 2nd loop, Harvey and Kennedy both moved up one spot to 3rd and 5th respectively. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkQawkgpsQcPY60wsvrVmaY_YRrP7-DnUp_p14F2RdrQPFL9QaN4_DL6NGIQtnr3dj_0xqwtEKGtsQN72HQu0FbqO6B-LJx1mjxNgbDHuAhZv3DOXf5qFdPdOcukbhVb68buuKv2-H8g6AUtkGlzII6d4NYYx4R5iD7R6pI4aSNhYDDVcORjPEsJ0I49D/s1346/W50-cptc&hayden-Osovski.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkQawkgpsQcPY60wsvrVmaY_YRrP7-DnUp_p14F2RdrQPFL9QaN4_DL6NGIQtnr3dj_0xqwtEKGtsQN72HQu0FbqO6B-LJx1mjxNgbDHuAhZv3DOXf5qFdPdOcukbhVb68buuKv2-H8g6AUtkGlzII6d4NYYx4R5iD7R6pI4aSNhYDDVcORjPEsJ0I49D/w640-h426/W50-cptc&hayden-Osovski.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3><span style="font-size: small;">From right, </span><b style="font-size: medium;">Jennifer Harvey, Rebekah Kennedy</b><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">, and</span> <b style="font-size: medium;">Judy Stobbe</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">all Central Park TC</span><span style="font-size: small;">,</span></span> <b style="font-size: medium;">Kathleen Hayden </b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#507</span></span> <span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">Atlanta TC</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,</span> </span><b style="font-size: medium;">Mary Cass </b><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: normal;">#612 </span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">Liberty AC W60+</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>Ellen Basile </span><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: normal;">#547 </span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">CPTC</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">, and </span>Brenda Osovski </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">#582 </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH </span><span style="font-size: small;">head out in the early going aiming for the W50+ team podium at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i></span></h3></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Basile moved up a whopping 4 positions to claim 8th. That dropped their score to 16 and gave them the win! GSTC could not hold them off but remained in good scoring positions to total 20 points. They were not threatened for 2nd place. For Sirius, Hopkins stayed in 2nd. Landers-Potts moved up three places to cement Sirius's hold on third place. At 34 points Sirius was well clear of Boulder at 41 points. In fact, Boulder just squeaked by Atlanta. ATC's <b>Kathleen Hayden</b> moved up two spots to 7th on the final loop, with both <b>Nancy Meck</b> and <b>Kris Huff</b> picking off a rival. As a result, Atlanta's score dropped from 47 to 43, within two points of Boulder. Club NW was 5th with 51.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">1st </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Central Park</i> 16 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Jennifer Harvey, Rebekah Kennedy, Ellen Basile (Judy Stobbe)</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2nd </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State</i> 20 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Hortencia Aliaga, Kimberly Aspholm, Gabrielle Panepinto (Kathleeen Beebe)</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">3rd </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sirius</i> 34 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Rachel Hopkins, Melissa Landers-Potts, Laura Johnson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span><b><i>Club Northwest</i> </b>finished 2nd at Tallahassee in 2021. Their #1 runner at Tallahassee became their #2 runner at Golden Gate Park. With a new lead runner, Northwest took top honors. They return to defend their title but in a weakened state. They have neither of those two runners who keyed them onto the podium at the last two Club Cross events. A strong crew of the support runners from those two teams would do their best to keep Northwest on the podium. The <i><b>Impala Racing</b></i> did not compete in 2021 but finished 2nd last year. They were back to see if they could move up. They had their top two back from Golden Gate Park, <b>Suzanne Cordes</b> and <b>Eileen Brennan-Erler</b>. <i><b>Liberty AC</b></i> competed in 2022 for the first time, claiming the bronze medal spot with <b>Mary Cass</b> leading them to the title with her 1st place finish. They brought a stronger team this year, at least on paper, with their top two from last year and a third runner, <b>Amanda King</b>, who would add to their strength. </p><p>The <i><b>Atlanta Track Club</b></i> finished 3rd in Tallahassee two years ago, dropped to 7th last year and was looking to bounce back into podium contention. Two years ago in Tallahassee, Suzanne La Burt was in her next to last year in the 55-59 division, leading the <b><i>Shore Athletic Club's</i></b> 50+ team to 5th place. Now La Burt is in the 60-64 division. But could Shore put together a team around her? Nora Cary is in her last year in the 65-69 division but is faster on the turf than most in the 60-64 division. That would help. After those two, Shore would have to rely on a good effort from a strong, supporting runner who would give it her best shot.</p><p>When the gun sounded, no one could match La Burt's quick start for Shore. Cordes was closest, with Cary, La Burt's teammate, a few strides back, with Combs another stride back. Cass had to stretch her legs to catch up to those three. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXHOb3Zqpzy-715lXWFBZNIylW1UBcvTj-KpqgQWDoWx8GllzGUyfOslixGWLzy2jbB67K3m9YSoAkevs3b9kp_qiEGr4vOuwZEegbrVtKtgk8L2uJJYQBxTIkOiJ5Jz-do9Dc-s1lVgWSV0Qm-EAMRgB6L37NcZn1WZjSHcZsDHC4Lz8tlz0AEIe8YFA/s1346/W50-Cordes-Cary-Combs-Cass.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXHOb3Zqpzy-715lXWFBZNIylW1UBcvTj-KpqgQWDoWx8GllzGUyfOslixGWLzy2jbB67K3m9YSoAkevs3b9kp_qiEGr4vOuwZEegbrVtKtgk8L2uJJYQBxTIkOiJ5Jz-do9Dc-s1lVgWSV0Qm-EAMRgB6L37NcZn1WZjSHcZsDHC4Lz8tlz0AEIe8YFA/w640-h426/W50-Cordes-Cary-Combs-Cass.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the Early Going of the W60+ Team Race <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right- </span><b>Suzanne Cordes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white cap</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Impala</span>, <b>Nora Cary</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center #618 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore</span>, <b>Patrice Combs</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">black cap, back and to Cary's left </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta</span>, and <b>Mary Cass </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left of center, blue singlet, sunglasses </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Liberty </span>at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table>At the 1.17 km mat La Burt had over 50 meters on Cass. The Liberty's #1 had caught Cary and the others, and now had a ten-meter advantage. A battle was shaping up between Shore's #2, Cary, and the top 60's runner from Impala, Suzanne Cordes, who were running in tandem. Fifty meters further back, Liberty's #2, King, was about 20 meters ahead of a main group of 12 runners including Impala's #2 and #3, Brennan-Erler and <b>Carol Keller</b>; all 3 of Atlanta's A-team athletes, <b>Mireille Silva, Michelle Allen,</b> and <b>Patrice Combs</b> (plus their top B team runner); Liberty's #3, <b>Victoria Bok</b>; Shore's #3, <b>Deborah Capko</b>; and #'s 1 and 2 from Club NW, <b>Michelle Neal</b> and <b>Gail Hall</b>. That main group was where the podium would be decided. By the time they were headed down the field toward the Jumbotron at the end of the first loop, there was little doubt left that Shore would have the 1-point score in their total. La Burt had a hundred meters on the field. The chase pack of three had fallen apart. It was Liberty's Cass in 2nd, followed by Cary, Shore's #2, and Cordes, Impala's #1. With about thirty meters between each athlete, barring an unanticipated breakdown, that was starting to look like the final order for the top four. Amanda King, Liberty's #2 was 60 meters behind the first four and 50 meters ahead of the rest of the field. She looked a safe bet for #5. With Shore having 1 and 3 and Liberty having 2 and 5, those two teams were looking the favorites for the win. But it would all depend on their #3 runners! <div>And Impala could still have a tighter pack and sneak ahead of either or both. The main group of twelve had also broken up. The Impala's #2, Eileen Brennan-Erler, was leading that group now, in 6th, a couple of strides ahead of Atlanta's #1, Mireille Silva. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq_Z77v33HnhwYv8-j2U37__CFwWxCWwE4-aVeoNOOo5qHNQdeV9hN2th0PXQ6TVnWirc6yDG3_3W9LIVqjawyl1cR6Wm7GXkYxHHYHFabh-pfe_WiUNWD4L48R5tiLqbhk71xJGEHmk87JrNioNPceXzT_6X1GagpBHe24aX_rKMMxS5PgLJUypWy3xA/s1346/W60-Brennan-Erler&Silva.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq_Z77v33HnhwYv8-j2U37__CFwWxCWwE4-aVeoNOOo5qHNQdeV9hN2th0PXQ6TVnWirc6yDG3_3W9LIVqjawyl1cR6Wm7GXkYxHHYHFabh-pfe_WiUNWD4L48R5tiLqbhk71xJGEHmk87JrNioNPceXzT_6X1GagpBHe24aX_rKMMxS5PgLJUypWy3xA/w640-h426/W60-Brennan-Erler&Silva.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Eileen Brennan-Erler </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#605 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Impala Racing (alongside K<b>ris Huff</b>, W50)<b> </b></span>leads <b>Mirelle Silva </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">back right, red singlet </span>in the W60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Club Northwest's #'s 1 and 2, Michelle Neal and Gail Hall, came next, about 25 meters back, with Impala's #3, Carol Keller and Atlanta's #2, Michelle Allen, on their heels and her teammate, Patrice Combs, #3 for Atlanta, just ten meters back. Would that tight pack for Atlanta get them onto the podium or would the lack of a runner in the top 5 keep them off? Liberty's #3, Victoria Bok, was just 20 meters behind Combs, in 14th, with Shore's #3, Deborah Capko, a few strides back in 15th. If they had reported a 60-64 team score at that point, it would have been Shore, Impala, and Liberty neck and neck at 18, 19, and 20 respectively, with Atlanta further back and Northwest a bit further back than Atlanta. The last loop saw the first seven all unchanged. Impala's #3, Keller, did a good job in picking off one runner to lower Impala's total to 19, but that was matched by Shore's #3, Capko, doing the same, and lowering Shore's total to 18. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWOZpMyzlCHrGvqbtYD-IHh8xmYS1Ed-XfBN8cz4ij8R-TMveiVsJLs4SZxN_macf9DcdJzcTI5ewtgJOmhYQp-kfL4HLqJO72V-fqStev6VO5dzQG-yQYlGQOEAtWYYa2As3GihP0YdIPlp99izoNQhkh4UBKqs5mZ1cwVWLTSYMYSaTTZlLMpp2NH5T/s1346/W60-Capko-Lindblom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWOZpMyzlCHrGvqbtYD-IHh8xmYS1Ed-XfBN8cz4ij8R-TMveiVsJLs4SZxN_macf9DcdJzcTI5ewtgJOmhYQp-kfL4HLqJO72V-fqStev6VO5dzQG-yQYlGQOEAtWYYa2As3GihP0YdIPlp99izoNQhkh4UBKqs5mZ1cwVWLTSYMYSaTTZlLMpp2NH5T/w640-h426/W60-Capko-Lindblom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Deborah Capko </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#617 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC </span>helps her team to the win ahead of <b>Bonnie Lindblom</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#580, cap </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH </span>who contributed to GVH's 7th place finish in the W60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>That settled #1 and 2 for Shore AC and Impala Racing. Liberty did not move up but Atlanta, despite their best efforts, could not move up. It was Liberty in 3rd at 23 and Atlanta 4th at 30. Northwest would have to settle for 5th. But one can imagine they are looking forward to next year's Club's which will be held at Chambers Bay Regional Park outside of Tacoma WA. </div><div><p><b>1st </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i>18 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Suzanne La Burt, Nora Cary, Deborah Capko (Debbie Brathwaite, Susan Stirrat)</span></p><p><b>2nd </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Impala Racing</i> 19 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Suzanne Cordes, Eileen Brennan-Erler, Carol Keller (Mo Bartley)</span></p><p><b>3rd <i>Liberty AC</i> </b>23 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Mary Cass, Amanda King, Victoria Bok</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span>As usual, this division was a contest between <i><b>Team Red Lizard</b></i> out of Oregon and the <i><b>Atlanta Track Club</b></i>. Red Lizard is, arguably, without a peer in the Women's 70+ division. In 2021 at Clubs in Tallahassee, Jeanette Groesz led Red Lizard to the win. She and her teammates, Sharon Gerl and Cande Olsen went 1-2-3. Atlanta's A and B teams followed in 2nd and 3rd. At Golden Gate Park, Red Lizard encountered more competition, but came out on top once again. Gerl did not compete. Suzanne Ray, healthy at the time, finished 2nd to Groesz. Olsen was pushed farther down by strong runners from <b>Impala</b>, the <b>Lake Merrit Joggers & Striders</b> (not entered in 2023), and one of the Atlanta runners, Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall. Red Lizard enjoyed the win 12-14-23. This year it was back to the Groesz, Gerl, Olsen lineup. Atlanta's A team was stronger than in 2021 with the addition of Cindy Lucking, who had not run for them in recent years but was their #2 runner in Spokane in 2018 when they finished 4th in the 60+ division. Her focus has been on triathlons in recent years. </p><p>When the gun sounded, Red Lizard's Groesz and Gerl surged to the front of the 70+ division. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfexBQfGWgLas8_Emn3WSa_e2xvlWEobvkdYTaM4DjhAhlyF3rr3Uqn-0CBt654LTS7OOpi9W26hkLJ-RNjj6E0VVmxxtsWB7vo27BJooy7IK-Mm5ySCQ7f3XAYvN8oHUmJeVgOMDTfk4uGOzYuRQnKMp99rXoRBxnwED0sr3sJnw3aAw1j58AvAkspumR/s1346/W70-Groesz-Rice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfexBQfGWgLas8_Emn3WSa_e2xvlWEobvkdYTaM4DjhAhlyF3rr3Uqn-0CBt654LTS7OOpi9W26hkLJ-RNjj6E0VVmxxtsWB7vo27BJooy7IK-Mm5ySCQ7f3XAYvN8oHUmJeVgOMDTfk4uGOzYuRQnKMp99rXoRBxnwED0sr3sJnw3aAw1j58AvAkspumR/w640-h426/W70-Groesz-Rice.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeanette Groesz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Far right #634 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Lizard</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Raced Away from the Starting Line, with <b>Jeannie Rice </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">center, red kit, sunglases </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached </span>the only runner who could stay close in the W70+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>By the 1st split at 1.2 Km, Groesz had 90 meters on Gerl, who had a similar lead on Hudnall and Lucking, running 3-4 for Atlanta. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw7xjo2pVVhthtVNCxT4eddoD5MFHvhTH7MfGqLwSPtG7BwKeYRzMqLt7lg6OuC1XqQWwo-g61SVOKwA2Pv5Wu56ohSLGhJrkJ9YOZoUvpUqIdO2nqwT8TqxX0NaP5_OeRCSHd24YAyPsLIACjdaEy2gZCaKENL7xuBxMTGsuROhasETybLL2a-rgprJo/s1346/W70-Gerl-Early.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw7xjo2pVVhthtVNCxT4eddoD5MFHvhTH7MfGqLwSPtG7BwKeYRzMqLt7lg6OuC1XqQWwo-g61SVOKwA2Pv5Wu56ohSLGhJrkJ9YOZoUvpUqIdO2nqwT8TqxX0NaP5_OeRCSHd24YAyPsLIACjdaEy2gZCaKENL7xuBxMTGsuROhasETybLL2a-rgprJo/w640-h426/W70-Gerl-Early.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sharon Gerl</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center, #633, red shorts, sunglasses</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Red Lizard</span> navigating through younger division runners, helping her team to a 1-2 finish in the W70+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It seemed highly likely that Red Lizard would have 1-2. Could Atlanta's A and B squads put enough runners ahead of Olsen to give them a shot at the win? Hudnall and Lucking were doing their part. Atlanta's #3, Terry Ozell, was 25 meters behind that duo in 5th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvato_u0EXNqKObf-4tDqcYEoIU9puDsWDm1qt3wyzS0cPNt8ApQjjabN_1nDHLcxdBvGj40u3lQOA0i81DSNnmuI_0j-rncLsUMA3XVX-R0LVzUDsnaMgmy2Rg652MUgL9tNlbpfRTuYmnZ1T6G0Thipxau7hltkHI5hsBGC7Yx0G5Y0OzJX4KeYZsKP/s1346/W70-Hudnall-Ozell.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvato_u0EXNqKObf-4tDqcYEoIU9puDsWDm1qt3wyzS0cPNt8ApQjjabN_1nDHLcxdBvGj40u3lQOA0i81DSNnmuI_0j-rncLsUMA3XVX-R0LVzUDsnaMgmy2Rg652MUgL9tNlbpfRTuYmnZ1T6G0Thipxau7hltkHI5hsBGC7Yx0G5Y0OzJX4KeYZsKP/w640-h426/W70-Hudnall-Ozell.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Norma Hudnall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>and <b>Terry Ozell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC </span>on their way to a 2-3 finish and Team Silver Medals in the W70+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Olsen was about 35 meters behind Ozell, running smoothly. She did not have to catch Ozell as long as no one else caught and passed her. At that point it was Red Lizard 1-2-6 for 9 points and Atlanta A 3-4-5 for 12 points. No places changed over the rest of the first loop. On the final loop, Groesz and Gerl encountered no problems, finishing comfortably in 1st and 2nd. Lucking was able to kick away from her teammate, Hudnall, but was not able to get close to breaking up the 1-2 punch of Red Lizard. Olsen was able to catch Ozell on the final loop and move away to finish 5th. That gave Red Lizard 8 points and the win. Atlanta 'A' finished 3-4-6 for 13, with Atlanta's 'B' squad 3rd at 20.</p><p><b>1st </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Team Red Lizard </i>8 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeanette Groesz, Sharon Gerl, Cande Olsen</span></p><p><b>1st <i>Atlanta A</i></b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>13 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cindy Lucking, Norma Hudnall, Terry Ozell</span></p><p><b>1st </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta B 20</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Kathleen Allen, Andrea McCarter, Myrna Barnett</span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">Men 8 Km </b><span style="font-size: large;">6</span><span style="font-size: large;">0+ </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>60+ Championship:</b></span> The top two teams at Tallahassee in '21 were the <i><b>Boulder Road Runners</b> </i>and <i><b>Athletics Boulder</b></i>. They did not compete last year at Clubs and did not enter this year, for a variety of reasons. The 3rd through 5th teams at that Championship in '21, <i><b>TC Running Company</b></i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Twin Cities</span><i>, <b>HOKA Aggies</b></i>, and <i><b>Shore AC</b></i> have been in the thick of it in both '22 and this year. Twin Cities pulled a great team together last year and ran away with the team championship, scoring 16 points to 37 for the 2nd place team, the <i><b>SRA Elite</b> </i>(not entered in '23). and <i><b>Club NW</b></i> (not entered in '23). The Aggies and Shore, 4th and 5th at Tallahassee, performed well at the more competitive championships on the West Coast, falling, nonetheless, to 5th and 6th respectively. The <b>G</b><i><b>enessee Valley Harriers</b> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span> finished 6th at Tallahassee and 9th at San Francisco but brought a more competitive team to this year's championships. Their top runner from those two championships, Joe Mora, would now, more likely, be their #2 behind Alan Evans, who just aged up into the 60+ division. Shore, too, had added firepower up front with a newly minted 60+ runner, Mark Zamek, who was expected to run with teammate, Rick Lee, at the front of the 60+ field, giving them a strong shot at the win. Shore also had one of the strongest lineups overall, providing strong support should either Zamek or Lee run into problems. Twin Cities would again be a top contender; they were marginally weaker without Rob Class, their #2 runner at both Tallahassee in '21 and at San Francisco last year. Atlanta had the same team that finished 9th in San Francisco, with one exception. Ken Youngers was healthy enough to enter. That would likely bolster their squad. Another factor in play is that their top turf runner, Rick Becker, had the rare off day at Golden Gate Park last year. He would likely return to form this year. Of course, at 69, he cannot carry a 60+ team as far as he could when he was in his early 60's. With Lester Dragstedt able to run with or ahead of Youngers, Atlanta would likely have a tight pack that might just edge their way onto the podium. A 'new' team, was also entered. The Playmakers Elite, from a few years back, have reformed as the CHT Elite. They finished 2nd in this division at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis this year in June. They return from that event with 4 of the same 5 they entered there. The new athlete is supposedly better than all but their #1, at least at Cross Country. One of his teammates advised me to keep an eye on him.</p><p>The gun sounded and Zamek and Lee moved to the front of the 60+ field along with Nat Larson, whose <i>Greater Springfield Harriers</i> teammates are 2 years away from competing in the 60+ division. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSomoyyavqZSpqljiO_b06FqXpL8-Se7w7JL4mtuyi-srMfJAoPannB1hGEstVGtBxkz3MHCAgaE_2ilO9zWO_TzDgLDfSqya0bTQppCoO534jV_1BdebEmV1aQzO3w-NYnETo87ekC9z0mD5w0c2VX6QvlWmVpG5OBqdvrSyZxwj7FD9CdyDV_JXH088J/s1346/M60-Lee-Larson-Zamek-Early.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSomoyyavqZSpqljiO_b06FqXpL8-Se7w7JL4mtuyi-srMfJAoPannB1hGEstVGtBxkz3MHCAgaE_2ilO9zWO_TzDgLDfSqya0bTQppCoO534jV_1BdebEmV1aQzO3w-NYnETo87ekC9z0mD5w0c2VX6QvlWmVpG5OBqdvrSyZxwj7FD9CdyDV_JXH088J/w640-h426/M60-Lee-Larson-Zamek-Early.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore</span>, <b>Nat Larson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</span> and <b>Mark Zamek </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore are</span> running 1-2-3 in the early going of the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott<br /><br /></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Hence Larson <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</span> was not scored in the team competition. By the first timing mat at 1170 meters, Zamek and Lee were 1-2 with their #3, Henry Notaro, running with the Aggies #1, Kevin Ostenberg, in 4th and 5th, within 30 meters of the leaders. If Notaro could stay in the top 5, indeed even in the top ten, it was unlikely any other team could stay with them. Van Danacker of Twin Cities was in 3rd, 15 meters behind Lee, and was biding his time. There was plenty of time to move up if that was in the cards. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE0NlJpBY2ZXHTSFuRApAnPP6-g523gOmEBAQmnO05G9Cb88CfOfFS9m5sqtTu3IFLynFiVnKBmhtLjk1o_TyJ4jsAZwYO-hzgw8792UhI4RTCAUntTXyuRCQNv5BGg6011U_GP0R98EQGCvL1HPttB0RApy6zBjP53_wUH_P2is-sPmwTTF9Howf8Q5x/s1346/M60-Chasers-Soares-VanD-thru-Billig-Neff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE0NlJpBY2ZXHTSFuRApAnPP6-g523gOmEBAQmnO05G9Cb88CfOfFS9m5sqtTu3IFLynFiVnKBmhtLjk1o_TyJ4jsAZwYO-hzgw8792UhI4RTCAUntTXyuRCQNv5BGg6011U_GP0R98EQGCvL1HPttB0RApy6zBjP53_wUH_P2is-sPmwTTF9Howf8Q5x/w640-h426/M60-Chasers-Soares-VanD-thru-Billig-Neff.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chase Pack <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right: </span><b>Jeff Soares </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#900 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Santa Cruz-Incomplete</span>, <b>John Van Danacker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TCRC</span>, <b>Henry Notaro </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</span>, <b>Alan Evans </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span>, <b>Joe Mora </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#907 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span>, <b>Patrick Billig </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">TCRC</span>, and <b>Mark Neff </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Montgomery County RR </span>in the early going of the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Next came a group of 9 runners, including the top two GVH runners, Evans and Mora, who were leading the pack. It also included Patrick Billig, the #2 runner for the Twin Cities, Dave Bussard, the #1 for CHT, GVH's #3, Michael Gardella, and Atlanta's #1, Becker. It also included Mark Neff, Steve Schmidt and David Westenberg, all on teams that would not finish in the top 5. How that group sorted out would make a big difference. But the next, smaller group of seven, would prove important too. Dragstedt and Youngers, Atlanta's 2nd and 3rd runners were leading the pack in 15th and 16th, along with Shore's #4, Michael Salamone, in 17th. Tucked in behind those three were the 3rd through 5th runners for Twin Cities, Doug Keller, Allan Bohlke, and Daniel Johnson, in 18th through 20th. Salamone was insurance and was also inflating the scores of some of Shore's rivals. The rest would play an important, direct part in scoring for their teams. </p><p>At the end of the first loop not much had changed. Zamek, Lee and Van Danacker were still 1-2-3. But Ostenberg <span style="font-size: x-small;">Aggies</span>, Schmidt <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor</span> and Evans <span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span> had moved ahead of Shore's Notaro. If Notaro would continue to fall back, that could be a blow to Shore's chances for a win. Notaro was leading the group from 7th to 13th, including Billig <span style="font-size: x-small;">TC #2</span>, Mora <span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH #2</span>, Becker <span style="font-size: x-small;">ATC #1</span>, and Bussard <span style="font-size: x-small;">CHT #1</span>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIm-F5Hr2VO99asCzDMg1tpG4grjmNCc6ZZ4t2r4jh0H5X4zWn2RNsN1ZJsTJykx6ElXUTZgBqCd1wU84Fkh1vjmeyvKrtifCreoIzVI_NXLLX8ZZAqsUCbDRDsfsrk0wFXMBr6mMx6sJu08Raho4HpH2BAhWftXJBQFfblS7h1WRspTqG_eMXIWbNsXuy/s1346/M60-3Km-Notaro-Billig-Mora-Neff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIm-F5Hr2VO99asCzDMg1tpG4grjmNCc6ZZ4t2r4jh0H5X4zWn2RNsN1ZJsTJykx6ElXUTZgBqCd1wU84Fkh1vjmeyvKrtifCreoIzVI_NXLLX8ZZAqsUCbDRDsfsrk0wFXMBr6mMx6sJu08Raho4HpH2BAhWftXJBQFfblS7h1WRspTqG_eMXIWbNsXuy/w640-h426/M60-3Km-Notaro-Billig-Mora-Neff.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left:</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><b>Henry Notaro</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore</span>, <b>Patrick Billig</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TCRC</span>, <b>Joe Mora</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span>, and <b>Mark Neff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Montgomery County RR </span>in 7th through 10th, 3 Km into the M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Gardella was 30 meters behind that group in 14th, running about 50 meters ahead of the following group which still included Dragstedt and Youngers of Atlanta, Keller and Bohlke of Twin Cities and Salamone of Shore. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVn5cHovxaEWbC1eXW36TCp1MhcWdqYK5vH2EFY6VHdjLW6ggYoY1jfA3rcSPBcCEGGEhf2u4Z3qgiBNWBrAaQD3R_2Kmdg9LfUrlR9zbYVLJgNr-wT0FWtRt1TIcb5wc8JvbMDBTeurUYOnwIL9nBnaFfvV66RDuw1_dXCAD4aRlHnNwqOGcJvJAIfiU/s1346/M60-3Km-Keller-Bohlke-Youngers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVn5cHovxaEWbC1eXW36TCp1MhcWdqYK5vH2EFY6VHdjLW6ggYoY1jfA3rcSPBcCEGGEhf2u4Z3qgiBNWBrAaQD3R_2Kmdg9LfUrlR9zbYVLJgNr-wT0FWtRt1TIcb5wc8JvbMDBTeurUYOnwIL9nBnaFfvV66RDuw1_dXCAD4aRlHnNwqOGcJvJAIfiU/w640-h426/M60-3Km-Keller-Bohlke-Youngers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Keller</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TCRC </span>leads his teammate, <b>Allan Bohlke</b> and <b>Ken Youngers </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta</span> - 3 Km into the 8 Km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>If they reported scores at that moment for M60+, it would have been Shore 10; GVH and Twin Cities tied at 29; Atlanta 45; and CHT 54. With Salamone running solidly in support in 16th, even if Notaro would fall back a bit more, Shore looked good for the win. Zamek and Lee might not go 1-2 in the end but it seemed unlikely either would be much outside the top 5. The battle between Mora and Billig would be important for the clash between GVH and Twin Cities. But as long as Gardella could keep ahead of the chase pack with TC's #3 and 4 runners, that would help GVH's cause. </p><p>By the time they finished the 2nd 3 Km loop, they had just 2 km to go. Shore's absolute dominance was looking a little shakier as Lee was dropping back from Zamek. Schmidt had caught him and Van Danacker and Ostenberg were just a few seconds back in 4th and 5th. Schmidt, according to an informal report from Zamek, apparently missed the cut over at the 6 Km mark and lost the lead he had on Van Danacker and Ostenberg. That cost him individually but had no effect on the team podium. But with just 2 Km to go, it seemed unlikely that Lee could fall any lower than 5th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTGnO92-ICKxQ729hzz40MdZjs37Y7LJfvFpru0jXiqI6RT7hYXUf_r-nOuyMmVKcB4vFvIgV92mEDH17iqrt3nS5LPXtHFGjeFAa2wtLuwFFEAqGagYNnECcN1g5tkThXz9DRzYDhrlfRLRgrLWpP-pLJNR4z1EUzgOxUHKxZ4mUme7RAOcwLat8e16d/s1346/M60-2Km2Go-Ostenberg-VanD.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTGnO92-ICKxQ729hzz40MdZjs37Y7LJfvFpru0jXiqI6RT7hYXUf_r-nOuyMmVKcB4vFvIgV92mEDH17iqrt3nS5LPXtHFGjeFAa2wtLuwFFEAqGagYNnECcN1g5tkThXz9DRzYDhrlfRLRgrLWpP-pLJNR4z1EUzgOxUHKxZ4mUme7RAOcwLat8e16d/w640-h426/M60-2Km2Go-Ostenberg-VanD.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kevin Ostenberg </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies </span>, in 4th, enjoys a slim lead over <b>John Van Danacker</b> with 2 Km to go in the 8 Km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Evans was solidly in 6th, well behind those first five, and 40 meters ahead of a group of 5. The group was not tight but there were only a few strides between each athlete, sometimes less. In order it was Becker, Neff, Mora, Billig and Notaro, in 7th through 11th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQfV-gU4w9KT0PIV29F6RlWTYNUt36AUt5b39CTAOLhBAGiEUOriK4bSC6YakTw6K_vYnjRwLi8W1FRZhKHlo_0sB4KPz2Crkr8T8x3ONn3ayltF9khCepbI2fDLpb0OShCh3kXnkRfAiRxLyq9DHW3Z1m2exWfeShBmcEAq7dZ1QAWrgnOHCjA4haafH/s1346/M60-2Km2Go-Becker-Neff-Mora.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQfV-gU4w9KT0PIV29F6RlWTYNUt36AUt5b39CTAOLhBAGiEUOriK4bSC6YakTw6K_vYnjRwLi8W1FRZhKHlo_0sB4KPz2Crkr8T8x3ONn3ayltF9khCepbI2fDLpb0OShCh3kXnkRfAiRxLyq9DHW3Z1m2exWfeShBmcEAq7dZ1QAWrgnOHCjA4haafH/w640-h426/M60-2Km2Go-Becker-Neff-Mora.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Becker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC </span>in 7th, leads <b>Mark Neff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Montgomery County RR </span>and <b>Joe Mora</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH </span>with 2 Km to go in the 8 Km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It was 40 meters back to the next runner, Westenberg, and another 35 back to Dragstedt and Bussard.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VD3ZYG6sTltWcP1ytfzWqVZTV2vZsM96XRmynIosD9nwHvvPrpGeomlVzaqkZ3K8NSsz8R5uwg8nwVTNKWnBs9IWzdYEyFZyYvnN-mJCNEctMkUaFXZbGrKqXARQAz7UswO0Tar4tkW2XQ2pWUsgrBysF6S8iFIbNhiRN4B7ZaaG4hkTRfFxMG_g2OBw/s1346/M60-2Km2Go-Bussard-Dragstedt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VD3ZYG6sTltWcP1ytfzWqVZTV2vZsM96XRmynIosD9nwHvvPrpGeomlVzaqkZ3K8NSsz8R5uwg8nwVTNKWnBs9IWzdYEyFZyYvnN-mJCNEctMkUaFXZbGrKqXARQAz7UswO0Tar4tkW2XQ2pWUsgrBysF6S8iFIbNhiRN4B7ZaaG4hkTRfFxMG_g2OBw/w640-h426/M60-2Km2Go-Bussard-Dragstedt.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lester Dragstedt </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">right </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta</span> and <b>Dave Bussard</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">CHT Elite </span>battling for Team Points with 2 Km to go in the 8 Km M60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> Gardella was 40 meters behind that air in 15th. If Notaro could hold at 11th or higher, Shore had no worries. It would be tight between GVH and Twin Cities for 2nd. GVH had Evans in 6th and Mora in the 7-11 group and Gardella in 15th, so a working point total of 28-32. Twin Cities had Van Danacker in the 2nd-5th group and then Billig in the 7th-11th group, but their next runner, Bohlke, was in 18th, almost a hundred meters back from Gardella. Their working total was 27 to 34. The pressure was on. It looked like Atlanta, despite their strength, might not make the podium. Even if Becker stayed at the head of the 7-11 group, and Dragstedt stayed at 13th and Youngers in 17th, that suggested 37 points might be their limit. But they were well ahead of CHT for 4th. CHT's top runner, Bussard, was in 14th, with their next two in the 20's, for a total up into the 50's at least.</p><p>Shore did, indeed, take top honors, with Zamek, Lee and Notaro in 1st, 5th and 10th. Notaro held his ground over the final 2 Km and passed one of the 7-11 group. Sixteen points made for a solid win. Atlanta did well over the last 2 Km. With Becker claiming the 8th place out of the 7-11 group, Dragstedt moving up to 12th and Youngers to 15th, they nearly pulled it off. At 35 points, they were off the podium by just 4 points! CHT claimed 5th place with 61 points, with Aggies just 4 points back in 6th and the Montgomery County Road Runners, another 2 points back in 7th. </p><p>What about 2nd and 3rd with GVH and Twin Cities? No one expected Van Danacker to catch Zamek over that last 2 km and he did not. But he did everything else he could, nailing the 2nd spot out of the 2-5 group. Billig was not able to work his way up through that tough group of 7-11 runners, taking 11th. Bohlke also, despite a terrific effort, remained in 18th. That gave TCRC 31 points, a great score. But GVH had the answers, barely! Evans, the Marathoner, had to hang tough to the end! The 7-11 group was roaring down the final hill behind him and he needed to get across the finish line in 6th. He just made it, by two seconds! That was critical! His teammate, Mora, was in that group but did not make it to the front. He finished in the middle of it in 9th. That gave GVH 15 points off their top two compared to 13 for TCRC. It would come down to the #3 runners. Gardella had to finish 3 places or more ahead of Bohlke, right where he was with 2 Km to go. Gardella did that and more, passing a runner to move into 14th. When Bohlke came across in 18th, GVH had a 4-point differential, to swing the score to 29 for GVH and 31 for TCRC-what a battle!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC</i> 16 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Mark Zamek, Rick Lee, Henry Notaro (Michael Salamone, Donald Schwartz)</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">GVH </i>29 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Alan Evans, Joe Mora, Michael Gardella (John Van Kerkhove, Gary Passamonte)</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">TC Running Company</i> 31 <span style="font-size: x-small;">John Van Danacker, Patrick Billig, Allan Bohlke (Daniel Johnson, Doug Keller, John Mirth)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>70+ Championship</b>:</span><span> The only constant in this division for the podium, over the last two Club Cross competitions, has been that a San Diego team is in the mix for the win. At Tallahassee in '21 it was the <i><b>San Diego Striders</b>, </i>finishing 2nd to the<i> </i>Boulder Road Runners. A year later in San Francisco, many of those runners had gone over to the <i><b>Jamul Toads</b></i> (named after the Club team from the San Diego area, coached by the renowned Bob Larsen). The Toads won it all in 2022 with <b>Greg Wilson</b> and<b> Rick Pfeiffer</b> leading the way. They were back in 2023 seeking another podium finish, but without Wilson. The other constant has been that the <i><b>Boulder Road Runners</b></i> would be somewhere in the top 5 at least. In '21, they won it all, with <b>Doug Bell</b> leading <b>Mike Wien</b> and <b>Rick Katz</b> to the win over the Striders. Bell was not at his best in 2022 when Boulder fell to 5th. The <i><b>Atlanta Track Club</b></i> took 3rd in Tallahassee but fell to 7th in San Francisco, partially due to the presence of West Coast teams who had not traveled to Tallahassee. <i><b>Club Northwest</b></i> did not compete at Tallahassee in '21 but took 2nd in San Francisco and were making the trip east to Tallahassee this year, albeit without their #1 runner from last year. </span>Their #1 from last year, <b>Scott Harvey</b>, would not be with them. But <b>Leslie Sharpe, David Longmuir</b>, and <b>Dennis Foster</b>, their #2, 3, and 4 runners. were entered and were still a threat for the podium. The <i><b>Syracuse Track Club</b></i> had finished 6th in '21 and moved up to 4th in San Francisco, with <b>Ted Larison</b> leading the way and with <b>Jim Foster</b> and <b>Doug Wood</b> in support. This year, based on Pete Glavin Cross Country outcomes this fall, it appeared that Foster might be at the head of the STC crew this year. The <i><b>River City Rebels</b> </i>showed up at Golden Gate Park last year to contest Clubs M70+ for the first time. With, arguably, the fastest 70-year-old in the country in <b>Robert Qualls</b>, River City had the best #1 runner. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirkyExNzewFLT4-pGZZOo_lQR6di7q4q_2j21jOD-kqFyRN4X5Yj2A0zDcHjrJdMkAFOK2iXBPpK-rKjpVkS5blL0F1GEmBbIky5Sp0f9Nth86SIIySS1QS714qCEo1lc4fxCK-h0NzHBEwlzv7_s9wjvWFf8fE105vrvfLMBinHR0O24wGMo8_ZjxTQk/s1346/M70-Qualls-early-1st.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirkyExNzewFLT4-pGZZOo_lQR6di7q4q_2j21jOD-kqFyRN4X5Yj2A0zDcHjrJdMkAFOK2iXBPpK-rKjpVkS5blL0F1GEmBbIky5Sp0f9Nth86SIIySS1QS714qCEo1lc4fxCK-h0NzHBEwlzv7_s9wjvWFf8fE105vrvfLMBinHR0O24wGMo8_ZjxTQk/w640-h426/M70-Qualls-early-1st.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls</b> strides out along with 60's runners at the head of the M70+ field at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Perry Linn</b> added solid depth at the #2 spot. But they did not have a 3rd runner of that caliber last year. Nor does it look like they will this year either. But the Rebels will give it all they have! Atlanta's <b>Dave Glass</b> and <b>Jerry Learned</b>, their 1-2 punch, led the team to a 3rd place finish at Tallahassee two years ago. They are back, but with Glass out of commission this year, having heart surgery, Atlanta would not be competitive this year. The <i>Cal Coast Track Club</i> have a legitimate 'top 5', maybe top 3 athlete, in <b>Tomas Rodriguez</b>. If <b>John Combs</b> and <b>Bill 'Coach' Sumner</b> could finish in the 20's, Cal Coast might be pushing other teams for that final podium position! Though their runners are very competitive in 75-79, GVH does not have a legitimate top 15 threat for Club Cross 70+. <b>Terry McCluskey</b>, who finished 1st in M70+ at Lehigh in 2019, is probably a top 15 threat for Ann Arbor. Low 20's is my (your reporter, <b>Paul Carlin</b>) likely limit right now. Goodhue would have to be running ahead of me for Ann Arbor to have a shot at top 5. At Lehigh 4 years ag0o, Goodhue was almost three minutes ahead of me, but that has not been true recently. </p><p><span><b>The DQ of</b> <b>Robert Qualls was a mistake that was corrected before the Awards ceremony. </b>Before recapping the M70+ race, note that there was a problem with the bibs and chips for River City. The problem apparently cropped up during packet pickup. The Rebels had to return later in the day to get their bibs. I have not heard a definitive story. But it appears the chips for both Qualls and their third runner, <b>Steve Swindel</b>, registered at the splits for Qualls. When the timing company did the math between Swindell's time at one of the splits, listed for Qualls, and Qualls's finishing time, they flagged him for an impossibly fast time between those timing mats, concluding that he must have skipped a lap. But, upon appeal, everything was sorted out when they consulted the video. That clearly showed Qualls ahead in the 70+ race at important junctures. The DQ was reversed and, at Awards, Qualls received the Gold medal for winning the M70 division. But, so far, the 'Live results' have not been corrected so there are no splits for Qualls. I observed on usatf.tv that Qualls was running even</span>, at the 1170 Km split, with <b>Michael Lebold</b>, of the Toads, and about 9 seconds ahead of <b>Thomas Cushman</b>, listed as the winner in the Live Results. But most of the video did not show the leading 70's runners; they were focused more on the leading and top twenty or so 60's runners. Because of the bib/chip problem, or because once Qualls appeared to be DQ'd the rebels did not have a complete scoring team, it was also true that <b>Perry Linn</b>, River City's #2, did not show up in the splits either. In the corrected results, Qualls finished 1st, Linn 9th and Swindell 37th. River City finished 4th with 50 points. Because of the mix-up and the lack of details, the recap below proceeds without information on the Rebel runners, relying on 'Live Result' splits except for Final.</p><p><span>Boulder and the Toads were the favorites to duel for the win. Northwest, River City and Syracuse would likely battle for the final podium spot. At the first split at 1170 meters, Bell of Boulder and Pfeiffer of the Toads were both in the 2-4 group along with Larison of Syracuse. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TJfy8XFLj0zQmQyCvhyoX0ZLMiindmcDh3T_6nRkhYsd4kFyJ1vbnoJKrw-4gi2FWXGA1Lf70g5OdPtZIDQ2xgoHyLnKSDGBY18xMB4sfai-ROa9NFDgOiHH_tW60U8uEXS6Pw3yWWo4fF1MqSSxVClExD3LWj5BD0M3_quRa9m9-V6JDbUPWoHQo4ka/s1346/M70-Bell-Pfeiffer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TJfy8XFLj0zQmQyCvhyoX0ZLMiindmcDh3T_6nRkhYsd4kFyJ1vbnoJKrw-4gi2FWXGA1Lf70g5OdPtZIDQ2xgoHyLnKSDGBY18xMB4sfai-ROa9NFDgOiHH_tW60U8uEXS6Pw3yWWo4fF1MqSSxVClExD3LWj5BD0M3_quRa9m9-V6JDbUPWoHQo4ka/w640-h426/M70-Bell-Pfeiffer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Bell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#697 center </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>and <b>Rick Pfeiffer </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#869 to Bell's left - blue cap </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jamul Toads </span>getting out fast in 3rd and 4th in the M70+<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>Boulder had <b>Bruce Kirschner </b>and <b>Douglas Chesnut</b> in 5th and 6th. The Toads had J<b>ack Nash </b>in 8th. Both <b>David Dunbar</b> and <b>Ron Wells</b> were in the 9th-12th group, along with Boulder's #4 at the moment, <b>Gary Ostwald</b>. Boulder had a slight edge in the early going. In the race between Syracuse and Northwest, Larison of Syracuse was 4th, with his teammate, Foster in 7th, right behind Kirschner and Chesnut. Wood, their #3 runner was in the 18th - 21st pack. Northwest had Longmuir in 12th, with Sharpe in the 18th-21st with Wood, and <b>Ray Leone</b> in 21st. Syracuse was ahead in the early going.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6no-7N7yJ3ZU9B97PaPQ0XVXUIQvVE-BN4izqHdQc3M3JnK8B7kKM-R9f7SjKsXMXjiPqrFGt0vVcmx1judoMl83_LgaotmGNf4cQv2_NYQa1X1GlbYd_LK_DMEdYktPzTRa5D2DkKRXoYIfMAzkJg8To13krg8BNB6FllHdEUQgHNL4h6W4vv9ziIX5-/s1346/M70+-Kirschner-May-McMullen-McCluskey.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6no-7N7yJ3ZU9B97PaPQ0XVXUIQvVE-BN4izqHdQc3M3JnK8B7kKM-R9f7SjKsXMXjiPqrFGt0vVcmx1judoMl83_LgaotmGNf4cQv2_NYQa1X1GlbYd_LK_DMEdYktPzTRa5D2DkKRXoYIfMAzkJg8To13krg8BNB6FllHdEUQgHNL4h6W4vv9ziIX5-/w640-h426/M70+-Kirschner-May-McMullen-McCluskey.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right: </span><b>Bruce Kirschner </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#705 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>and <span style="font-size: xx-small;">left of center </span><b>Jim May </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">804 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span>, <b>Tim McMullen </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#805 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span> and <b>Terry McCluskey </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#657 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor TC </span>running in 5th through 8th in the early going of the M70+<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>At the end of the first loop it was Rodriguez and Pfeiffer in the front (behind Qualls) followed by the Boulder pack of Bell, Kirschner, and Chesnut in 3rd through 5th (not counting any Rebels). As long as that pack held together, Boulder would keep the edge. Nash was in 8th, with Boulder's #4, Ostwald, in 9th, and Dunbar and Wells in 10th and 11th. Boulder had 12, not counting the Rebels, and Toads were at 20. Either Nash, Dunbar or Wells would have to move up to rbeak up the Boulder pack for the Toads to have a shot at the win. By the end of the 2nd loop, with just the short 2 Km loop left, Pfeiffer had moved 40 meters ahead of Rodriguez. That improved the Toads' score by a point. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFwA83rpsYfNKd086hLeFNrcK2EOmum03C0hpLuQL4s8y9a8lwEh9Pa3IV3_SLamhheDq3Dcwr4RNFzZzS0A_bWMPCDcaQLbVkapCX2mERTDRtCfU1qF-uMjtpPzXVsMlVPKazSMH3ikr0mD8Sydnuf1fEDO4nK887L-u0-l6qZJ05FnSI21HFHTJIiQB/s1346/M70-Learned-Swindel-Katz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFwA83rpsYfNKd086hLeFNrcK2EOmum03C0hpLuQL4s8y9a8lwEh9Pa3IV3_SLamhheDq3Dcwr4RNFzZzS0A_bWMPCDcaQLbVkapCX2mERTDRtCfU1qF-uMjtpPzXVsMlVPKazSMH3ikr0mD8Sydnuf1fEDO4nK887L-u0-l6qZJ05FnSI21HFHTJIiQB/w640-h426/M70-Learned-Swindel-Katz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Steve Swindel </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">River City Rebels</span>, <b>Rick Katz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">sunglasses </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners</span>, and <b>Jerry Learned</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#680</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Atlanta TC </span>battle for Team points at the 3 Km mark of the 8 Km M70+<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>But the other development was that Ostwald had left Dunbar and Wells behind and had expanded the Boulder 3-runner pack to a string of 4. There were now some small gaps between the 4 but they occupied 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, with Ostwald well over 150 meters up on Wells and Dunbar, running together in 8th and 9th. The final loop saw Pfeiffer hold onto the top spot (#2 after Qualls), with Wells and Dunbar in 9th and 10th, for 21 points. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-C9GeUXlVoYCyy783941pPckFikFfNt0LtUNU0hWmzkuC509wMcC0LSPgr5mkCgqUz-qQtg3Q69yohxUT4Z3t2CBArk1IRx0cv0cIVASWuhLTww1gV_nYWP3FBu9NrJx28XEqh6iQQc42Ye3VkubCk8DY5v6lnEIk6KWfJcWYUQZP5LLSbO4el_wk5Ar/s1346/M70-Kirschner-Chesnut.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-C9GeUXlVoYCyy783941pPckFikFfNt0LtUNU0hWmzkuC509wMcC0LSPgr5mkCgqUz-qQtg3Q69yohxUT4Z3t2CBArk1IRx0cv0cIVASWuhLTww1gV_nYWP3FBu9NrJx28XEqh6iQQc42Ye3VkubCk8DY5v6lnEIk6KWfJcWYUQZP5LLSbO4el_wk5Ar/w640-h426/M70-Kirschner-Chesnut.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bruce Kirschner </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#705 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>and <b>Douglas Chesnut</b> packing it together 3 Km into the 8 Km M70+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>Boulder had the win with their string of 5th-6th-7th and 8th for Kirschner, Ostwald, Bell and Chesnut in that order. Their 18 points gave them the win. The Toads could not quite keep pace but they were only 3 points out of first at 21!</span></p><p><span>Larison, for Syracuse, ran into trouble after the first loop and slowed substantially. Whether there was a physical problem or there was some other problem is unclear, but his kilometer split for 6 Km to 7 Km, when compared to the kilometer split from 3 Km to 4 Km, the same portion of the course, just on different loops, was 45 seconds slower on the final loop. His place plummeted from 7th at 3 Km to 14th at 6Km. Over the last loop, Larison fell further, to 19th place. But that was good enough for the podium. Jim Foster had a great day, finishing 4th behind Qualls; Wood held steady in 18th. Those 41 points gave Syracuse a good cushion over River City with 50 and Northwest with 52.</span></p><p><span>It was a terrific win for Boulder, redeeming themselves after last year's 5th place at Golden Gate Park. Kirschner is running better than he has in years. The Boulder pack got it done! At the finish, Boulder had only a 26 second spread between their #1 and #4, that is tight! Equally important, no runner from another team was able to break them up!</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder Road Runners</i> 18 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruce Kirschner, Gary Ostwald, Doug Bell, (Douglas Chesnut, Rick Katz)</span></span></p><p><span><b><i>Jamul Toads</i></b> 21 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Rick Pfeiffer, Ron Wells, Dave Dunbar (Jack Nash, Daniel Diehr)</span></span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Syracuse Track Club</i> 41 <span style="font-size: x-small;">James Foster, Douglas Wood, Ted Larison</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>80+ Championship</b>:</span><span> The <i>Atlanta Track Club</i> made it to the starting line. That was half the battle. When <b>Ed Bligh, Art Must</b>, and <b>Andrew Sherwood </b>all made it to the finish line 8 kilometers later, that was the other half of the battle. They won unopposed!</span></span></p><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXyL8OZZoB-HKeehbvSYPKRZKf2JBr9X7T4sBoJVZYz22KJNe696WJ-vQnKWF1WwI8HZREVYahf06Mbo0Wz4rcoMUdNBKPjBfeXn7IgkCE6wkv-D_a-HlKsPiNgr41fk7CEmHUwfz6PpiHyt8RXsDwBxWH6jtGDC8tDQygxzTWBct8-Kr8oeD0cGW0Vnu/s1346/M80-Ed%20Bligh-start.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXyL8OZZoB-HKeehbvSYPKRZKf2JBr9X7T4sBoJVZYz22KJNe696WJ-vQnKWF1WwI8HZREVYahf06Mbo0Wz4rcoMUdNBKPjBfeXn7IgkCE6wkv-D_a-HlKsPiNgr41fk7CEmHUwfz6PpiHyt8RXsDwBxWH6jtGDC8tDQygxzTWBct8-Kr8oeD0cGW0Vnu/w400-h266/M80-Ed%20Bligh-start.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ed Bligh </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1 runner for Atlanta M80+</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkJRdrW92tHN-W7sALOS8rZYk-xDbfDDmj36cJwVlVijX_u1hP9yAcdrp6ypKuAf5gB5vFRuj2Fvp2KNXd_6YXHRY3RRvteK3I3VEzBRSlekq_BW4JomLFuEiwM8-D7khqaODHWw7mCoRg_K3uN3tZenmS4og4uBnkmRY9bILylXzLi-zQAGfTFQd21D-/s1346/M80-Art%20Must.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkJRdrW92tHN-W7sALOS8rZYk-xDbfDDmj36cJwVlVijX_u1hP9yAcdrp6ypKuAf5gB5vFRuj2Fvp2KNXd_6YXHRY3RRvteK3I3VEzBRSlekq_BW4JomLFuEiwM8-D7khqaODHWw7mCoRg_K3uN3tZenmS4og4uBnkmRY9bILylXzLi-zQAGfTFQd21D-/w400-h266/M80-Art%20Must.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Art Must </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#2 Runner for Atlanta M80+</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8A1bzcicPOJFJM1J2mI27doAZZf89MrmE54u9TyWHtVNa96N1h9heFAwCwdH5zFmmPRIOue3-NgX0IBR1nFRmESp-A0Ij54DJO8mPqqiRK-hZWgYFVwkaFBhd0SG7D2ATKOSVth3BAPhzin6UzJ8K6ae6GACqE4ZKbV3zf3WPhhEGqU-YcDoJVkISuZb/s1346/M80-Andrew%20Sherwood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8A1bzcicPOJFJM1J2mI27doAZZf89MrmE54u9TyWHtVNa96N1h9heFAwCwdH5zFmmPRIOue3-NgX0IBR1nFRmESp-A0Ij54DJO8mPqqiRK-hZWgYFVwkaFBhd0SG7D2ATKOSVth3BAPhzin6UzJ8K6ae6GACqE4ZKbV3zf3WPhhEGqU-YcDoJVkISuZb/w400-h266/M80-Andrew%20Sherwood.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andrew Sherwood</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">the all-important #3 runner for Atlanta M80+</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">Men 10 Km 40</b><span style="font-size: large;">+ </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: A reminder that in M40+ and M50+, the first 5 runners on each team to finish contribute to the score.</span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>40+ Championship: </b></span>The <b style="font-style: italic;">Indiana Elite Athletic Club</b>, out of the Greater Indianapolis area, took top 40+ honors in Tallahassee two years ago. The <b style="font-style: italic;">West Valley Track Club</b>, out of the San Francisco Bay area, finished just three points back; the score was 85-88. <b>Jesse Davis </b>led Indiana to victory, taking first place. The following year, West Valley had a new #1, <b>Malcolm Richards</b>, who came in ahead of Davis, taking 3rd to Davis's 4th in the team competition. But again, Indiana came out on top, this time by a score of 54 to 81. In 2021, the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bowerman Track Club</i> finished 3rd, dropping to 4th the next year in San Francisco. They did not make the trip this year. A number of their 40+ stalwarts from past years have moved up to 50+. They may be reloading. The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Boston Athletic Association</i> was a single point back in '21. Two years later, the Greater Boston area is represented in the top echelons of Club Cross M40+ by <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</i> (which has some former BAA members). The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cal Coast Track Club</i> finished 6th in '21 and 5th last year. They are back again this year. Last year a strong squad from <i style="font-weight: bold;">Team Run Flagstaff</i> made a splash, finishing 3rd, just 5 points behind West Valley. They bring a strong team again although their top three runners from last year are not entered. The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State Track Club</i> has not factored into the last two Club Cross 40+ podium competitions, finishing 9th in Tallahassee two years ago and 8th last year in San Francisco. They are back in the hunt again this year.</p><p>Even if the squads are primarily made up of the same individuals, the team is different each year because individuals have different challenges they have been dealing with. A runner who was training pain-free one year may be working around an issue the next. Challenges of all sorts make a difference for Masters Runners who are not professional athletes.</p><p>The gun sounded and the athletes accelerated across the open field, down past the Jumbotron and around the bend to the grassy path to the end of the back field. They passed the 1170 meter mark where the first timing mat records a split. At that point it was already looking like West Valley had the athletes to take top honors this year. </p><p><br /></p><p>Richards and Davis were at the front of the field. <b>David Cisewski</b>, <b>Neville Davey</b>, and <b>Kevin Pool</b>, WVTC's #2, 3, and 4 were running in the first chase pack, from 7th through 11th, along with <b>Bryan Lindsay</b>, Indiana's #2. The next chase pack was huge and everyone important from West Valley and Indiana was in it. But at that point, West Valley had 4 runners in the top 11 with just two from Indiana. The Hares had <b>Ed Baker</b> in 3rd, and <b>Neil Davis </b>in the 7-11 pack with Cisewski et al. Indiana's #3 and 4, <b>John Poray</b> and <b>Mike Haschel</b>, were well positioned but their #5 and 6, <b>Tom Burns </b>and <b>Mark Guyer</b> were too far back in the big pack. The Hares, at this point, had their #'s 3.4.5 and 6 ahead of Indiana's #5. Flagstaff had their top 4 runners together, well positioned in the big pack, ahead of Indiana's #5 and 6. Garden state had <b>Brian Flynn</b> in the lead pack and their #2, A<b>aron Totten-Lancaster</b> well positioned toward the front of the big chase pack. <b>Joseph Gaynor</b>, GSTC's #3 was running with Indiana's<b> Burns and Guyer </b>but their #4 and 5 were much further back. </p><p>By midway through the race at 5 Km on the back, forested part of the 3 km loop, it appeared West Valley was headed for a dominant win. Richards continued to lead Davis. </p><span style="font-size: x-small;">W</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3tQKrkW24LlJawf0IUA0gL3BvbOIxMut1f9LcZJ0Qv6cnLyMZTBa8Z1iEytg-BZdlnlp_Fm-nlEk0ByHRmlGaLlj1D1HVYb8HBK5HOcuztR_jyR-Hlo8WLasDi7e6HOjOZhk6UpultxXFfnR8rfW6gvLbKPtD8u4pfrJhN-nzPmabKqlLrWG85K-vsa3/s1346/M40-Malcolm%20Richards-6%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3tQKrkW24LlJawf0IUA0gL3BvbOIxMut1f9LcZJ0Qv6cnLyMZTBa8Z1iEytg-BZdlnlp_Fm-nlEk0ByHRmlGaLlj1D1HVYb8HBK5HOcuztR_jyR-Hlo8WLasDi7e6HOjOZhk6UpultxXFfnR8rfW6gvLbKPtD8u4pfrJhN-nzPmabKqlLrWG85K-vsa3/w400-h266/M40-Malcolm%20Richards-6%20Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span>, firing on all cylinders, had built a 120 meter lead on the field by the 6 Km mark in the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But that was not as important as the support runners. West Valley had Cisewski in the 3-athlete chase pack in 3rd through 5th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVz99vBEhSzJT6nWPzxdqrgy3nLoABW-XM3FA-RvMEu6BRBxXypLvtpQporv-dWEfUzcOR8HwI0nhaHoqTnYLcTurEt_iy-F6VJE2bi-PCRHhxW6CrVSbTQHazrVWyuydZgS-FnmkLPYE7dWOgmg5jH1gTH3Z7z9W-lZEJO35xFrtVMwp6HeVyB6AVNg6/s1346/M40-Jesse%20Davis%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVz99vBEhSzJT6nWPzxdqrgy3nLoABW-XM3FA-RvMEu6BRBxXypLvtpQporv-dWEfUzcOR8HwI0nhaHoqTnYLcTurEt_iy-F6VJE2bi-PCRHhxW6CrVSbTQHazrVWyuydZgS-FnmkLPYE7dWOgmg5jH1gTH3Z7z9W-lZEJO35xFrtVMwp6HeVyB6AVNg6/w400-h266/M40-Jesse%20Davis%206%20Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jesse Davis</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite</span>, solidly in 2nd with a 50-meter lead at the 6 Km mark in the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Lindsay, Indiana's #2 was running with Pool, West Valley's #3 in 8th-9th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MF-nbCRkcv08RDSTHMtZoCgpC7Ffot48PExZKXdMmScIJnPPGAJ31VM0okAHYJcidkEALHrvp9gKwijipzXXHA8qu2k92Nd6o6pB8yMgGPbLJ2vL4hUQd4VVnorIROm53cNS_HtrsKYaXQP0KkHER8xkijgcPMcK3n6X0sX8x-VvnetAFtmA_i3B-c2X/s1346/M40-Cook-Baker%206Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MF-nbCRkcv08RDSTHMtZoCgpC7Ffot48PExZKXdMmScIJnPPGAJ31VM0okAHYJcidkEALHrvp9gKwijipzXXHA8qu2k92Nd6o6pB8yMgGPbLJ2vL4hUQd4VVnorIROm53cNS_HtrsKYaXQP0KkHER8xkijgcPMcK3n6X0sX8x-VvnetAFtmA_i3B-c2X/w640-h426/M40-Cook-Baker%206Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roosevelt Cook</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">sunglasses </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>battles <b>Ed Baker </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares </span>as they run 4th and 5th at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>But then West Valley's #4 and 5, Davey<b> </b>and <b>Ben Koss, </b>were in 10th and 11th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoL3TI172kWMcWSPXqO79BIaUzy4nVtDaW2rBwwzHY3yO2_59xSIRLGDDflwuPXAGPO2Dv8CsPks9RPdwEzs-0ZwjjAxJuI7XK-eK8AI7BjaJ5blR_qjr9nrQjL8dFQ95Tsd8K7Xap9iNgC6Jms9Aak1qcFbUSceT6zJZn3aVSaRRQwi9Hq4vpFxRowzh/s1346/M40-Lindsay-Schroeder.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoL3TI172kWMcWSPXqO79BIaUzy4nVtDaW2rBwwzHY3yO2_59xSIRLGDDflwuPXAGPO2Dv8CsPks9RPdwEzs-0ZwjjAxJuI7XK-eK8AI7BjaJ5blR_qjr9nrQjL8dFQ95Tsd8K7Xap9iNgC6Jms9Aak1qcFbUSceT6zJZn3aVSaRRQwi9Hq4vpFxRowzh/w640-h426/M40-Lindsay-Schroeder.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right: </span><b>Bryan Lindsay</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite</span> in 7th place, pushing to shake loose from <b>Adam Schroeder</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Club NW </span>at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>And West Valley now had their #'s 6 and 7 ahead of Indiana's #3 and 4, Poray and Guyer. The good news for Indiana, however, was that they had the edge over the Hares, at least for now. Davis was 2nd to Baker's 4th. Lindsay was 7th to Daniel Smith's 10th and so on. At each position the Indiana runner was now ahead of his Hare counterpart. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQRUR4Nssn92QmZN4RomtvcfUzh7ta6SYJYdtwcsP-UOsEad2zAomJJ6n9IYw7EJwvRP7PRtgjKse0LMj90BH_3m_ammmkESwhVbhDWupa5h8crEN7nRtNUVhDHxcBq5j4YV6BC7Z0gbpuOLnX8LICTTi3sADCAxvOuPyAjICNkRa9305xyr-U6jQsoTJ/s1346/M40-deHeer-Poray-M%20Taylor%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQRUR4Nssn92QmZN4RomtvcfUzh7ta6SYJYdtwcsP-UOsEad2zAomJJ6n9IYw7EJwvRP7PRtgjKse0LMj90BH_3m_ammmkESwhVbhDWupa5h8crEN7nRtNUVhDHxcBq5j4YV6BC7Z0gbpuOLnX8LICTTi3sADCAxvOuPyAjICNkRa9305xyr-U6jQsoTJ/w640-h426/M40-deHeer-Poray-M%20Taylor%206%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right: </span><b>Dirk de Heer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Run Flagstaff</span>, <b>John Poray</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite</span>, and <b>Matt Taylor </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</span> battling hard for Team honors at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Michael Scott</i> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Garden State and Flagstaff were close for 4th but not close to the Hares or Indiana. Garden State had the advantage of having Flynn in the top 7 and Totten-Lancaster in the 13th-15th group. But Flagstaff had a tighter pack overall with their top 5, <b>Dirk de Heer</b>, <b>Jason Troxler</b>, <b>Jesse Chettle</b>, <b>Mike Madsen</b>, and <b>Sean Baker</b>, running from 24th to 43rd place. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePyn2-MqwR5PvhWNRalmPfsEW-WYdw1STxvtiloghkQeox6SKIyDfTMMwfyWnRRdFsrB0Gcgagv0awS5WLnjY1DJPfnhPcyOyqk-rGPj1NH8qhhy7BWZZsopS4E-RotVbUWKUXx0EZVR_FV3tsIjKCx3enHvP-zLe236Zq-PxZZfJL31mTygaWJXqU8_W/s1346/M40-NDavis-Haxton-Ban-Guyer-fraioli.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePyn2-MqwR5PvhWNRalmPfsEW-WYdw1STxvtiloghkQeox6SKIyDfTMMwfyWnRRdFsrB0Gcgagv0awS5WLnjY1DJPfnhPcyOyqk-rGPj1NH8qhhy7BWZZsopS4E-RotVbUWKUXx0EZVR_FV3tsIjKCx3enHvP-zLe236Zq-PxZZfJL31mTygaWJXqU8_W/w640-h426/M40-NDavis-Haxton-Ban-Guyer-fraioli.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Trenches at Club Cross-<b>Neil Davis </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#3 for Tracksmith Boston Hares</span> leading <b>Tom Haxton </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#6 for West Valley</span>, <b>Charlie Ban</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#879 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1 runner for GRC</span>, <b>Mark Guyer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#3 for Indiana Elite</span>, <b>Mario Fraioli </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#7 for West Valley</span>, and <b>David Angell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</span> at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>After <b>Jason Gaynor</b> in 34th for GSTC, <b>Chuck Schneekloth</b> and <b>Marco Cardoso</b>, as #4 and 5, were in the low to mid-50's. It would probably be tight all the way to the finish. </p><p>At the end of the race, West Valley had exorcised any demons from the past two Club Cross Championships, enjoying a splendid win with just 36 points. Richards and Cisewki led the way with their 1-3 finish. But all 7 of West Valley's athletes finished in the top 20. But Indiana held tough and gutted it out to get 2nd place. Davis and Lindsay kept their 2nd and 7th places all the way to the end. Guyer moved up to 13th and Jackson closed strong, moving from 27th at the halfway point to 14th at the finish. Haschel closed off the scoring at 23 to give Indiana 59 and 2nd place with 15 points to spare. It was not the win they were hoping for, but they defended their title in grand fashion, giving them 2 golds and a Silver medal in 3 years! The Hares finished 3rd. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H-hqeDYbtY3zI1cyHbIjXamZ8d_uLG8u_BzzmL5fEesYaYvM2BfVkSTRyhucoPjPv1Cub9lBEeq_RCJrWEZDg7_V_7SXIqVAiBTiKyfq99JAudTlmYPVw9QrxewAiHv4Kk88ifee0a2nBmzYbUD9CO_EEmKBEgLwB_59K6ec2FaIacUyYuADkCD3677P/s1346/M40-Reilly-Burns-Haschel-Troxler%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H-hqeDYbtY3zI1cyHbIjXamZ8d_uLG8u_BzzmL5fEesYaYvM2BfVkSTRyhucoPjPv1Cub9lBEeq_RCJrWEZDg7_V_7SXIqVAiBTiKyfq99JAudTlmYPVw9QrxewAiHv4Kk88ifee0a2nBmzYbUD9CO_EEmKBEgLwB_59K6ec2FaIacUyYuADkCD3677P/w640-h426/M40-Reilly-Burns-Haschel-Troxler%206%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crucial places at stake-<b>Jason Reilly </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#5 for Tracksmith Boston Hares </span>trying to pull away from <b>Tom Burns </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#5 for Indiana Elite</span>, <b>Mike Haschel</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#6 for Indiana Elite</span>, and <b>Jason Troxler </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#946 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#2 runner for Team Run Flagstaff </span>at the 6 Km mark of the10 Km M40+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Baker and Smith kept their positions in 4th and 10th. <b>Matt Taylor, Jason Reilly</b>, and <b>Neil Davis</b> finished with just 37 seconds between them in 18th, 20th and 22nd. That gave the Hares 74 points and a 70-point edge over the 4th place team. Garden State edged Flagstaff for 4th by a mere 2 points, 144 - 146! Flynn and Totten-Lancaster, #1 and 2 for GSTC came in ahead of their opposite numbers on Flagstaff. </p><p>That was enough to offset Flagstaff's #3, 4, and 5 coming in ahead of their opposite numbers on GSTC. The result was so close there is no general lesson. Had a runner for GSTC finished 1 place back and a runner from Flagstaff finished 1 place forward, they would have tied. It was a hard-fought battle between two well-matched Clubs. Both had a fine effort to celebrate! And both, no doubt, returned home with the idea that it would be an even better celebration next time if they could land on the podium!</p><p>Indiana Elite went for the three-peat and was just short. Still, they had a nice run of 1st-1st-3rd from 2021-2023. Will they be able to come back next year and take the title back. It will be interesting to see. Bowerman took the Clubs 40+ title three years in a row from 2014 at Lehigh through to 2016 at Tallahassee. West Valley kept them from getting a 4-peat by winning in Lexington in 2017. Bowerman came back the next year to take top honors at Spokane in 2018. They had 4 wins in 5 tries, the best recent stretch. West Valley has now won three of the last six Club Cross M40+ championships. They just have not been consecutive. Perhaps West Valley can start putting a string together with a win on the Chambers Bay course in Tacoma next December.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">West Valley Track Club </i>36 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Malcolm Richards, David Cisewski, Neville Davey, Ben Koss, Kevin Pool (Tom Haxton, Mario Fraioli)</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Indiana Elite Athletic Club</i> 59 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Jesse Davis, Bryan Lindsay, Mark Guyer, Mike Jackson, Mike Haschel (Thomas Burns, John Poray)</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</i> 74 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Edward Baker, Daniel Smith, Matt Taylor, Jason Reilly, Neil Davis (Ryan Kenny, Anthony Johnson, Chris Georgules, Ryan Davenport)</span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">50+ Championship: </b>Like Indiana Elite in 40+, the <i>West Valley Track Club</i> was going for a 3-peat in 50+. The <i>Greater Springfield Harriers</i> won four Club Cross 50+ Championships in a row, starting at Tallahassee in 2016, running through, Lexington KY, Spokane WA, and finishing up with Lehigh in 2019. We will never know if they could have gotten the elusive 5-peat had Covid not taken away the 2020 season. But West Valley is not there yet. Their task was to get #3 and they came loaded to get it! They brought back much of the team that has won the last two 50+ titles. <b>Mark Yuen</b> and <b>Ivan Lieben </b>went 1-2 for WVTC at Tallahassee. A year later it was Lieben and Yuen going 1-2 at Golden Gate Park. Both were back this year but have had to overcome some setbacks. Yuen appeared to be further along on the road to full fitness than Lieben. But Lieben had made great progress recently. <b>Todd Rose</b>, newly aged up from the 40+ division and <b>Mark Callon</b> who was their #5 runner at both Tallahassee and San Francisco, would have to carry more of the weight. <b>Jonah Backstrom</b>, also recently aged up out of the 40's would help. Their main competition would come from the <i>Boulder Road Runners</i> who finished 8th in Tallahassee but brought a stronger team to Golden Gate Park; they claimed the team bronze medals. It appeared Boulder might have an even stronger team this year. Their president, Chris McDonald, indicated that the strength is a reflection of focused efforts to build Club participation along the front range of the Rockies in Colorado, as well as good recruiting. They were coming with two individuals, <b>Frank Zoldak</b> and <b>Chris Grauch</b>, who looked like they might come in ahead of the athlete who ran in the #1 slot for them a year ago. Two other teams that could not be ignored included the <i>Central Mass Striders </i>and the <i>Bowerman Track Club</i> who finished 3rd and 5th in Tallahassee 2 years ago. CMS did not travel to San Francisco last year; Bowerman finished 4th. CMS was returning with largely the same cast of characters'; Bowerman included three new 50-year-olds in their lineup.</p><p>When the gun sounded, Boulder immediately made it clear as their top 2, Zoldak and Grauch raced to the front of the 50+ field. Zoldak did not let up and soon had a substantial gap on his teammate. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVj8LAIONPTJa9M65l4Sq6Afij6leUZubfzuIXn1CDEHodg3dGcQFOQtCrWiV8JjT3jmNnIpWqBXjk_a-wIwI5kuAnbytQEaa61dv8_ZnCpTAcVgh1Hh0y09E4p0TmAcmelggrl7YfuAFtRRjFfHeRVZBUtx7TNPwxeQgDMAR8d9jqKinOrIwqnx5txLn/s1346/M50-Zoldak-6Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVj8LAIONPTJa9M65l4Sq6Afij6leUZubfzuIXn1CDEHodg3dGcQFOQtCrWiV8JjT3jmNnIpWqBXjk_a-wIwI5kuAnbytQEaa61dv8_ZnCpTAcVgh1Hh0y09E4p0TmAcmelggrl7YfuAFtRRjFfHeRVZBUtx7TNPwxeQgDMAR8d9jqKinOrIwqnx5txLn/w400-h266/M50-Zoldak-6Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Frank Zoldak</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>with a 150-meter lead on the field on his way to the win in the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Zoldak hit the 1170 meter mat at 3:39.4. That was a pace for a 15:40 5K! Zoldak would not keep that pace going but it was a pretty clear signal of what he is capable of. At that point, Grauch was 15 meters ahead of a 5-athlete chase group. Bowerman's trio, <b>Gregory Mitchell, Paul White</b>, and <b>Ahrlin Bauman</b> led the group in 3rd, 4th and 5th., with TCRC's <b>Kurt Keiser</b> 6th and WVTC's #1, <b>Todd Rose</b> 7th. A 2nd chase group of 5 was 25 meters behind Rose, including, Boulder's #3 and 4, <b>Glen Mays</b> in 8th and <b>Flavio De Simone</b> in 12th. Packed in the middle of the Boulder sandwich, in 9th through 11th, were West Valley's #2, Yuen, and CMS's top two, <b>Gregory Putnam</b> and <b>Steve Brightman</b>. The main chase pack was 25 meters behind Brightman. Club NW's <b>Emmet Hogan </b>led that pack but had no teammates near him. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR35r1pwW_llNvTOUlrvVDe-Kt87UXkQ24slvcNF43f-Oa5HGC0bWKNKG7I2oHuLqOt03ZjrFHSzFrTxn_lmqLBaU6pMAaXJqdra7y1DviQvnkOryB4NA5TfVQqTvGOCphyVXSpn-r53Lak_k6T0nRHs7Q__ZrFmbyMSjGzOquZyJFhJnwt4mAdARsb4lK/s1346/M50-Rose%206Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR35r1pwW_llNvTOUlrvVDe-Kt87UXkQ24slvcNF43f-Oa5HGC0bWKNKG7I2oHuLqOt03ZjrFHSzFrTxn_lmqLBaU6pMAaXJqdra7y1DviQvnkOryB4NA5TfVQqTvGOCphyVXSpn-r53Lak_k6T0nRHs7Q__ZrFmbyMSjGzOquZyJFhJnwt4mAdARsb4lK/w400-h266/M50-Rose%206Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Todd Rose </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1 for West Valley</span> in 3rd place at the 6 km mark of the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>West Valley's trio of #3-5, Lieben, Backstrom and Callon were running toward the front in that pack. CMS's <b>Scott Grandfield</b> and <b>Joseph Shairs</b>, CMS's #3 and 4, were also well situated toward the front. Boulder's #5, <b>Chris McDonald</b>, was right behind Grandfield. Bowerman's #4, <b>Paul Smith</b>, and #5, <b>Oscar Bauman</b>, were a couple of strides back from Shairs, with CMS 's #5, <b>Todd Callaghan</b> on his heels. So the top 5 of Boulder, Bowerman, West Valley and Central Mass Striders were lall in the top 25. And just outside the top 25 and inside the top 40 were three more Boulder, three more West Valley, another Bowerman and 4 Club NW athletes. But that was just the beginning; things could change over the rest of that first loop.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The front of the field did not change. Zoldak kept pouring it on, crossing the 3 Km mark in 9:46, with an 80-meter lead on his teammate, Grauch, who had, in turn, a </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">thirty-meter</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> lead on the first chase pack. That pack was down to four, the three Bowerman's, Mitchell, White, and A Bauman, and Rose of West Valley. But there was some good news for West Valley and CMS. Yuen, Putnam and Brightman had been able to drop Boulder's Mays and De Simone. It was not a tight pack anymore. Yuen, in 8th, had 30 meters on Putnam who had a similar gap back to Brightman. Mays and DeSimone were only twenty meters behind Brightman so changes were still possible, especially if Mays and DeSimone could work together. </span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJDicqmzL-b8y5mgEagW-wBk2EVlFrXGOoAjOCqJITCwp1j30SpyNWaMvgbLHfZbySBY3QDVGL1yyKgy1gpk8D1KwLIhmGBUVRWpZG1NB9afPjf6OpQPz05LjCaMo3kVbpHr4MVzRzljLL8r9H0KveshsuBlbyH7X00Ue5GZanZhRIbmHF5knE18rPq-h/s1346/M50-DeSimone%206Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJDicqmzL-b8y5mgEagW-wBk2EVlFrXGOoAjOCqJITCwp1j30SpyNWaMvgbLHfZbySBY3QDVGL1yyKgy1gpk8D1KwLIhmGBUVRWpZG1NB9afPjf6OpQPz05LjCaMo3kVbpHr4MVzRzljLL8r9H0KveshsuBlbyH7X00Ue5GZanZhRIbmHF5knE18rPq-h/w400-h266/M50-DeSimone%206Km.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Flavio De Simone</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#3 for Boulder </span>running in 12th at the 6 km mark of the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The main pack had been blown apart. But the front of it was intact. West Valley's trio of Lieben, Callon and Backstrom were right on the heels of DeSimone. If that trio could move ahead of Mays and De Simone it would help West Valley's cause immensely. Boulder had their scoring athletes in the top 20, as did West Valley. In fact, West Valley's 5th athlete, was now 40 meters ahead of Boulder's #5. But with Zoldak and Grauch setting the pace in 1st and 2nd, West Valley needed their runners to move up.</span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">West Valley moved up over the 2nd 3 Km loop. Zoldak and Grauch were still leading. But now Grauch had only 15 meters on Rose who was pressing to close with Grauch. Mitchell tried to go with rose and was now just 15 meters back. Yuen was a hundred meters behind Mitchell. Those four, Zoldak, Grauch, Rose and Mitchell, were starting to look like the top four for the race. </span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtZa20nwEwu9Dh6JnemCYV2WEqzEtQVHExZ9Xq_ljUg_S5jSun4Y9U3QxMFmdTJ7ja4w13rjHaXjoF-ywdq84M4NN6kt7tSJdDkLsy2YI20WiMuGBZ-n6pzpRbaeV67uItN82RoIrGvH9zR-Fgia6r_QN09nmxQeBWkvuGifHHdUzRjb3SXqt-YxLRbb_/s1346/M50-Yuen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtZa20nwEwu9Dh6JnemCYV2WEqzEtQVHExZ9Xq_ljUg_S5jSun4Y9U3QxMFmdTJ7ja4w13rjHaXjoF-ywdq84M4NN6kt7tSJdDkLsy2YI20WiMuGBZ-n6pzpRbaeV67uItN82RoIrGvH9zR-Fgia6r_QN09nmxQeBWkvuGifHHdUzRjb3SXqt-YxLRbb_/w640-h426/M50-Yuen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Yuen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#2 for West Valley </span>racing in 5th place at the 6 km mark of the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There were </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">25 meters between Yuen in 5th, and White in 6th and then another 30 meters back to A Bauman and Putnam, running in tandem in 7th and 8th. DeSimone was now Boulder's #3, running in 12th. </span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCcBfCtcOfG7LyG8-pUlALlSFqQmNG7RYzEhAwRv__jlu2S0wOXUNkPF4zKk9wTlQ7XwoeBGYuizx4PTjDkqCxRN1o7qes0L6bxIq9UpE2OuarJdLxiy7f_tyDo6KC-W05GmIv4k62VI1D3gERBjUgVwyt58rUbnq-yHrGfonG82iimu4OuqbfZGVOf0F/s1346/M50-A%20Bauman-G%20Putnam%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCcBfCtcOfG7LyG8-pUlALlSFqQmNG7RYzEhAwRv__jlu2S0wOXUNkPF4zKk9wTlQ7XwoeBGYuizx4PTjDkqCxRN1o7qes0L6bxIq9UpE2OuarJdLxiy7f_tyDo6KC-W05GmIv4k62VI1D3gERBjUgVwyt58rUbnq-yHrGfonG82iimu4OuqbfZGVOf0F/w640-h426/M50-A%20Bauman-G%20Putnam%206%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ahrlin Bauman</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> #713, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#3 for Bowerman</span>, leading <b>Gregory Putnam</b><b style="font-size: small;"> </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">blue shoes, obscured otherwise </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Central Mass Striders</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>with a critical 7th place at stake, with 4 Km to go in the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTK2hQt_8TJ6GNTEngmgLWF0-o1XMyLQ9QF8xQwhKILwmrBwnMHkvIoSrRsFkxJ7QfFQ9CrdhT_ANZa3qVoU077iKA1OFp4kg9QXg4BJGFZLxNITbyd8kAZCU8zW_inir62b2ypBAfV7hzIbDij4eKgwZnmRX71A6JLMYInf2DE6BaHDCnn7U6gzBDxib/s1346/M50-Putnam.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTK2hQt_8TJ6GNTEngmgLWF0-o1XMyLQ9QF8xQwhKILwmrBwnMHkvIoSrRsFkxJ7QfFQ9CrdhT_ANZa3qVoU077iKA1OFp4kg9QXg4BJGFZLxNITbyd8kAZCU8zW_inir62b2ypBAfV7hzIbDij4eKgwZnmRX71A6JLMYInf2DE6BaHDCnn7U6gzBDxib/w400-h266/M50-Putnam.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gregory Putnam </b>unobscured by Bauman as they race for 7th and 8th at the 6 Km mark of the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mays, who was fighting the good fight in 14th must have worried that he was adrift in the West Valley River flowing around him. Callon was past and ten meters ahead. </span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9MWHtz5WJ702iRrCzc8yk6JLwysncp7LIQ2V2mbo069Hi5jeid8aS9q_gpRT-DbC7LHgbsJtXmbxU_gh4No1Tz-tV8MkYtb-iMVR5ajgN8PpUAnbPjLgKWWAZtmDu6jGH0RZVMR1cZ21TWj0aKQFPsGZP9WK67afPQKKLilKeZq5LLUfJihqlNMVCa2S/s1346/M50-Callon%20with%20Mays-Lieben.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9MWHtz5WJ702iRrCzc8yk6JLwysncp7LIQ2V2mbo069Hi5jeid8aS9q_gpRT-DbC7LHgbsJtXmbxU_gh4No1Tz-tV8MkYtb-iMVR5ajgN8PpUAnbPjLgKWWAZtmDu6jGH0RZVMR1cZ21TWj0aKQFPsGZP9WK67afPQKKLilKeZq5LLUfJihqlNMVCa2S/w640-h426/M50-Callon%20with%20Mays-Lieben.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Callon </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#978 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#3 for West Valley </span>in 13th, leading <b>Glen Mays</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">back left-white singlet </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#4 for Boulder</span>, and his teammate, <b>Ivan Lieben </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">back left, cap </span>at the 6 km mark of the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lieben was only ten meters back now in 15th! With Backstrom in 16th, West Valley still had </span></span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">their</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">scoring</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> runners well inside the top 20. Boulder's #5 was now </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Todd Stockford, </span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">in 25th. That difference meant that West Valley had a slim lead on the course, with 4 Km to go. Bowerman's top three were looking strong but they were now well back from West Valley and Boulder. CMS's #2 runner, Brightman, was not in the intermediate splits after 500meters but he was there in the end. Club NW, meanwhile, had kept a reasonably tight pack. Hogan led the way in 11th. </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3WRHQotq1yDipMwnfRtowU1U1st21odDffVZUjimU40GCaukxKm9CTLCdV2FIb5OStvdLCFp-3WFdoCGoXn1WrlspWqD0r_eIUcMSgW3_8g-RMZaOMrbkeryeYnr7Zp73n0n7-3GtqShYynp1O91ixs-OKQkbs98Hp09ENx4fBO2q-e7sIjxaSq6v2TW/s1346/M50-Fields-Hogan%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3WRHQotq1yDipMwnfRtowU1U1st21odDffVZUjimU40GCaukxKm9CTLCdV2FIb5OStvdLCFp-3WFdoCGoXn1WrlspWqD0r_eIUcMSgW3_8g-RMZaOMrbkeryeYnr7Zp73n0n7-3GtqShYynp1O91ixs-OKQkbs98Hp09ENx4fBO2q-e7sIjxaSq6v2TW/w640-h426/M50-Fields-Hogan%206%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Emmet Hogan </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#779 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1 runner for Club NW </span>and <b>Brent Fields </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#674 </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1 runner for Atlkanta </span>challenge each other with 4 Km to go in the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">But Northwest also had </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Craig Maclean</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> and </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Paul Mannino</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> in 18th and 19th, </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Jason Hecht</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> in 23rd, and </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Blair Cossey</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> 30th. </span></h3><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The final 4 Km saw some minor changes with the top teams, but the main drift did not change. The Central Mass Striders Putnam passed Yuen to take 5th, and their #4 and #5 runners moved ahead of West Valley's #5. But it did not matter. West Valley had 5 scoring runners in the top 20. With Rose 3rd and Yuen 6th, their point total was 56, giving them the win by 3 points! Boulder had the honors up front but their top 5 were a bit too spread out. They enjoyed their best finish ever in M50+, 2nd place at 59 points. Bowerman's top 3 ran well, all in the top 10, but they were even more spread out than Boulder. If Bowerman can retain Mitchell, White, and A Bauman, but bring </span><b>John Howell</b> and <b>Orin Schumacher</b>, who were mainstays of their 40+ team for years, onto the squad at Chambers Bay, they will be formidable. But, on this day, CMS had their number. Putnam passing Yuen did not matter for West Valley's win but it was an important component of CMS overtaking Bowerman to claim the final podium spot by a single point, 78 to 79. </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjua_C-vPgB_f_Q2O_w8EId32RzXbt0gN25yzeodmB6y3vLQowub3Y4szeuIE5VeDpsSCgVwTX8zqCTuzlivfCDkCUbUNroySHIHx26H3C5kiBVzOLUmaX6xadN4858dVRcuRPIVFxK5v7t38ZVoR0K-w7GMhpV0OtcSNWiYnXd7NjwM6S5e4D_qbbRp1YT/s1346/M50-Grandfield-Shairs-Smith-Hecht%206%20Km.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjua_C-vPgB_f_Q2O_w8EId32RzXbt0gN25yzeodmB6y3vLQowub3Y4szeuIE5VeDpsSCgVwTX8zqCTuzlivfCDkCUbUNroySHIHx26H3C5kiBVzOLUmaX6xadN4858dVRcuRPIVFxK5v7t38ZVoR0K-w7GMhpV0OtcSNWiYnXd7NjwM6S5e4D_qbbRp1YT/w640-h426/M50-Grandfield-Shairs-Smith-Hecht%206%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right: </span><b>Scott Grandfield </b>and <b>Joseph Shairs</b><span style="font-size: x-small;">, #3 and 4 for Central Mass Striders </span>working against <b>Paul Smith</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#4 for Bowerman </span>and <b>Jason Hect</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#4 for Club NW</span> for critical places in the Team Competition with 4 Km to go in the 10 Km M50+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></i> <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></h3></td></tr></tbody></table>Brightman finished 12th, with Callaghan and Shairs tight in 18th and 19th, and Grandfield not far behind in 24th. All five in the top 25-Good for the bronze medals!</div><div><span style="font-size: small;">Pretty fair outcome for a team in M50+ that ranges in age from 54 to 58! Bowerman was way clear of Club NW but it must have been disappointing to miss the podium by a single point!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">West Valley Track Club</i> 56 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Todd Rose, Mark Yuen, Mark Callon, Jonah Backstrom, Ivan Lieben (David White, Anthony McGrath, Charles Mullane, John Markell)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder Road Runners</i> 59 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Frank Zoldak, Chris Grauch, Flavio Simone, Glen Mays, Michael Mallon (Todd Stockford, Chris McDonald, Todd Straka, Ian Berman)</span></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Central Mass Striders</i> 78 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gregory Putnam, Steve Brightman, Todd Callaghan, Joseph Shairs, Scott Grandfield (David Harper, John Raguin, </span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>That concludes the recap of the Team Races at Club Cross, the focal point of the event! Hats off to the winners!</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Team Red Lizard................... </i>Women 40+ and 70+</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Central Park Track Club</i>...... Women 50+</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore Athletic Club</i>............... Women 60+ and Men 60+</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder Road Runners</i>......... Men 70+</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i>............... Men 80+</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">West Valley Track Club</i>........ Men 40+ and Men 50+</div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-15039569958477250632023-12-16T22:47:00.001-05:002023-12-16T22:47:59.221-05:00Masters Races at 2023 Club Cross - Did the Favorites Deliver in the Overall Championships?<p><b>December 13, 2023 Tallahassee FL </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">USATF Club Cross Country Championships</i>. On Saturday, December 9, 2023 the Cross Country course at Apalachee Regional Park, was the site for the 2023 edition of Club Cross. The Masters Races were scheduled for the morning, with Women, over 6 Km, at 9 AM, Men 60+, over 8 Km at 10 AM, and Men 40+, over 10 Km, at 11 AM. The weather conditions for the later races were warm and humid. For most athletes it did not seem to be a major problem, but the humidity took a toll on those who are more affected by that factor. There were no medical problems that I know of. The course has hosted national cross country championships in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2021. It was selected this year to be the site of the 2026 World Cross Country Championships!</p><p>This recap focuses on the competition to be the Overall Winner in each Masters race. After the gun sounded to start the race, who crossed the finish line first?</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span> The Women's 6 Km race is two loops of 3 Km each. It is a rolling course, mostly grass, with a sandy stretch for about 800 meters, sometimes referred to as the 'Shell Path.' There are no steep hills. The steepest and longest is referred to as 'The Wall' and comes about 2.3 Km into the 3 km loop. </p><p>There were co-favorites in this competition, both running for Oregon teams. <b>Carrie Dimoff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman Track Club</span> and <b>Renee Metivier</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </span>were going head-to-head as Masters athletes for the first time. It was the track ace vs. the Cross Country specialist. Dimoff had an outstanding Open career on the track and later, on the roads. She made Team USA in the Marathon for the Doha World Championships, finishing 13th. That was the race held at midnight with temperatures around 90F and 73% relative humidity. Only 40 of the 68 starters were able to finish. We can presume Dimoff knows how to run in warm and humid conditions. Of course, it is too simplistic to label Dimoff a track ace. She has good XC credentials too. She ran in San Francisco last year at Clubs as an Open runner. She finished 51st out of 264, finishing a minute behind the winner, Stephanie Bruce. Metivier counters with being on team USA for five World Cross Country Championships between 2006 and 2010, usually finishing among the top 3 Americans. Her best year, overall, was 36th in 2007. Metivier broke into the Masters ranks in January of 2022 when she entered the USATF Cross Country Championships at Mission Bay in San Diego. Running away from a strong field, she won by 1:46. Others who were expected to contend included <b>Katie Sherron</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gulf Winds Track Club</span> who took overall honors two years ago, clocking 22:09 at 2021 Clubs on this same course. Running out of Tallahassee, she has the home course advantage. She has raced on it before as well as trained on it. And she is used to running in humid conditions. She also won the Masters overall competition at the Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis with a 5:05. A 17:30 5K along with a 1:20:17 half marathon shows that she has both speed and endurance. <b>Julia Webb</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached </span>also ran in the Open race at Clubs last year, finishing 37 seconds behind Dimoff. Metivier's teammate, <b>Carre Joyce Heineck</b> and <b>Vivien Hyman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">The Janes Elite Racing</span> ran in San Francisco as Masters athletes finishing 5th in 22:51 and 6th in 22:55 respectively. Two others who would be in the action included <b>Jenny Kadavy </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies</span>, who was the top Pacific Association Masters runner this year in Women's Cross Country and also finished 2nd in the 10 Mile Masters National Championships in Sacramento. <b>Jennifer Keenan</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Checkers AC </span>has been the top woman at the Pete Glavin XC Series in upstate New York this year and backs it up with a 17:45 5K and a 37:33 10K.</p><p>The gun sounded and Dimoff and Metivier raced to the front; Sherron moved quickly to stay within a few strides. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Wjpa6i8mqdcozcCs4FG47LZ169Kro4Ivqd1QZIziRAkeQLOLUsu911jz6msrnGXfnyq1uT-TyxHEm9pp5TGgo1KHfo0Cdj10eXLD-ZWLOVIVIUeUXWmFuwLWg5IqOewEAYgBpnQETha9_n0sqqlO52w89r3lw65J5NTqeZrbzEHjVTAxRAA-szCbHT-1/s897/Dimoff-Metivier-300M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="717" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Wjpa6i8mqdcozcCs4FG47LZ169Kro4Ivqd1QZIziRAkeQLOLUsu911jz6msrnGXfnyq1uT-TyxHEm9pp5TGgo1KHfo0Cdj10eXLD-ZWLOVIVIUeUXWmFuwLWg5IqOewEAYgBpnQETha9_n0sqqlO52w89r3lw65J5NTqeZrbzEHjVTAxRAA-szCbHT-1/w512-h640/Dimoff-Metivier-300M.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Renee Metiver</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">left</span> and <b>Carrie Dimoff</b> sprint to the front of the field in the early going of the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The main pack was a few strides back from Sherron. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXPsaPjFOoFNmeOsDrIlYMP69iJr-hOv8PMeOmPb6xANdIo_9yXiJRuGQfD0L59nprnwaQgaBfZWcjghmEHM71pMeC6RRibTJ_W-Qs_fixLlzQ488TlueH0SpQgPFqlIhPavIr1ii7kgymwK8LW_bl0wXvvw59669nzvcvo9V8lyVtiAqOYtWi9SYJej1/s1346/ChasePack%20Forming%20early%20going.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXPsaPjFOoFNmeOsDrIlYMP69iJr-hOv8PMeOmPb6xANdIo_9yXiJRuGQfD0L59nprnwaQgaBfZWcjghmEHM71pMeC6RRibTJ_W-Qs_fixLlzQ488TlueH0SpQgPFqlIhPavIr1ii7kgymwK8LW_bl0wXvvw59669nzvcvo9V8lyVtiAqOYtWi9SYJej1/w640-h426/ChasePack%20Forming%20early%20going.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chase Pack Forming Up Behind the Early Leaders- From Right-<b>Laura Osman, Carre Joyce Heineck, Mary Le Brun Schultz, Jennifer Boerner, Jenny Kadavy, Jennifer Pesce </b>in the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>They pushed up the rise towards the back loop, bending around to the north. The first timing mat was at 1170 meters. Dimoff and Metivier approached it locked in stride at 4:00. Sherron was 4 seconds back with another 3 back to Keenan. Hyman and Kadavy trailed Keenan by 4 seconds. Heineck and Webb started more conservatively and were at the front of a 6-athlete chase group 7 seconds behind that duo. They zipped around that back field and headed onto the shell path through the woods. Metivier was glued to Dimoff although it was Dimoff setting the pace. Sherron struggled to maintain contact and, in the process, separated herself further from the rest of the field. The second mat was a kilometer along at 2170M. Dimoff and Metivier crossed it at 7:33, with just two seconds on Sherron. The pace of those three had blown apart the chasers. It was now ten seconds back to Keenan and another 7 to Kadavy. Hyman was 4 seconds behind Kadavy with Heineck and Webb now running in tandem at 8:01. Dimoff and Metivier continued up the 'Wall' and along behind the starting area as they battled toward the end of the first 3 km loop. Sherron started to lose some ground as they approached the 'Wall'. Dimoff and Metivier continued to battle as they raced downhill toward the Jumbotron screen at 3 Km. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf8rm68E3mVoZf9YwDzNKlGaTLsE5Iw7dLKnOTs9TaKxrUfItwukomvUHITGQ5DIa4XHJHOM6kQkZuvIs6K7FbMa_TSXaHQ7npzva7sESqEj35T9QXUWMW08ScffXNqvmBjbUcAoewN3w8BLKY0FTm1EEetSoEXePHMhW7f_OZXzwFp68GJRSJyRxF1YC/s1346/Dimoff-Metivier-3%20km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf8rm68E3mVoZf9YwDzNKlGaTLsE5Iw7dLKnOTs9TaKxrUfItwukomvUHITGQ5DIa4XHJHOM6kQkZuvIs6K7FbMa_TSXaHQ7npzva7sESqEj35T9QXUWMW08ScffXNqvmBjbUcAoewN3w8BLKY0FTm1EEetSoEXePHMhW7f_OZXzwFp68GJRSJyRxF1YC/w640-h426/Dimoff-Metivier-3%20km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carrie Dimoff </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#531 </span>and <b>Renee Metivier</b> locked in a Duel Halfway through the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>They crossed that mat at 10:38. Sherron had lost close contact, running alone about 25 meters back. But Sherron was still pulling away from the rest of the field. It was 40 meters back to Keenan in 4th, with Kadavy almost another 40 meters back. Hyman, in 6th, was only ten meters back from Kadavy though, with Webb, in 7th, just a couple of strides behind Hyman. If those two could keep working together they might be able to move up. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fyaCb0393ObhFCz70rDtYzhTI2T-q7XupjZmVmf4H6FKycE3Bbs00m_qQFFq_F_IVgYj1iOFksCwagfcrkfDcc1Hr-BSEskGwr_I-VTnsx0ZQjorLb0Lkd6rDYyPvPbXQqkqBlNdSU3Zs4sKgh3jIQRlXgL_bmzId-gnafn58goMPjvcIQQCOJ6mVPPP/s1346/Hyman%20&%20Webb%203%20km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fyaCb0393ObhFCz70rDtYzhTI2T-q7XupjZmVmf4H6FKycE3Bbs00m_qQFFq_F_IVgYj1iOFksCwagfcrkfDcc1Hr-BSEskGwr_I-VTnsx0ZQjorLb0Lkd6rDYyPvPbXQqkqBlNdSU3Zs4sKgh3jIQRlXgL_bmzId-gnafn58goMPjvcIQQCOJ6mVPPP/w640-h426/Hyman%20&%20Webb%203%20km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Vivien Hyman</b> leads <b>Julia Webb</b> at the halfway point, 6th and 7th in the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As they crested the hill up to start the 2nd loop, Metivier, for the first time, allowed a small gap to open up. Dimoff continued to press. By the time they crossed the 4000M mark, Dimoff, at 14:13, had a good 20 meters on Metivier. Sherron had neither gained nor lost ground relative to Metivier but had stretched her lead over Keenan to a hundred meters. Kadavy and Webb were now running together, in 5th and 6th, 40 meters back from Keenan. Hyman was another 20 meters behind Hebb, with Heineck another 15 meters back in 8th. It was time for Dimoff to put on the pressure; she did just that, opening the lead over Metivier to 50 meters. Metivier was not giving up but could not match Dimoff's killer pace. Metivier was falling back from Dimoff but Sherron could not take advantage, finding herself now 60 meters back from Metivier. Keenan was soldiering along in 4th just over a hundred meters back from Sherron. Webb had separated herself from Kadavy and was now only 30 meters behind Keenan in 5th. Kadavy, in 6th, was 20 meters behind Webb but still had 30 meters on Hyman, with Heineck a few strides behind her in 8th.Dimoff had no problems as she climbed up The Wall and hugged the trees on the edge of the top field, heading down toward the finish next to the Jumbotron with a commanding lead. Dimoff took 1st in 21:18, an average pace of 3:33 per Km. She enjoyed the win with 100 meters to spare. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusR3OJ-v1HbWGXtLPHVQxSZ9kfBkaLPAU6ikTKqzpwv8T2siiav-a_cxD1hEPZip6zL4mZiUexsdePIuH6Hs8bZjqx-p9zEZpZL-6-Ou43N4Yx8gEyevZJlmwLqGBKqgcDgj9d5pxFTVihO8tlrwffi5wwYZ0ZTcMZWHH0KwOa5jfRAAjtiKVazP-s9AL/s1346/Dimoff%20wins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusR3OJ-v1HbWGXtLPHVQxSZ9kfBkaLPAU6ikTKqzpwv8T2siiav-a_cxD1hEPZip6zL4mZiUexsdePIuH6Hs8bZjqx-p9zEZpZL-6-Ou43N4Yx8gEyevZJlmwLqGBKqgcDgj9d5pxFTVihO8tlrwffi5wwYZ0ZTcMZWHH0KwOa5jfRAAjtiKVazP-s9AL/w400-h266/Dimoff%20wins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carrie Dimoff </b>takes the win in the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Metivier never gave up, claiming the Silver overall medal in 21:41. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHVnDmHKL9w4WSbi7MO34ciMgAez3ClbgyyEGwS4zeJumnh5vbSQo19ekZWmDAjPCCuxoY4rMgJJ7qZ22h-og-2k2b0XrI2pF0J7NuhVcykIGVr5jcJgANDZXz2bZ8rxFFDw8DUxLpbO85ghXGdI-rMGbCfPNtR-DYXKaEQMPWbNrt_XLflJqzWXJ7t9J/s1346/Metivier%202nd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHVnDmHKL9w4WSbi7MO34ciMgAez3ClbgyyEGwS4zeJumnh5vbSQo19ekZWmDAjPCCuxoY4rMgJJ7qZ22h-og-2k2b0XrI2pF0J7NuhVcykIGVr5jcJgANDZXz2bZ8rxFFDw8DUxLpbO85ghXGdI-rMGbCfPNtR-DYXKaEQMPWbNrt_XLflJqzWXJ7t9J/w400-h266/Metivier%202nd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Renee Metivier</b> finishing 2nd in the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Sherron performed well, taking 3rd in 22:06, three seconds faster than her winning time two years earlier. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SacosqCAwf5aWm0mw43uup8Moxv5S8YA104B5uDy0sFzwr-IhswvaYvTaW80kNSA0bdXYTtQLHwALS9NbKRq1rbJPg0EB86W_eYrAzE29ttf5j1NsXqO_mlbTVClEvswwkW2DQo-ae7N5ZPERi6fMsyhVY_-N8QcbLyqzG6JT59DkS6C_hbEN57QMYzS/s1346/Sherron%203rd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SacosqCAwf5aWm0mw43uup8Moxv5S8YA104B5uDy0sFzwr-IhswvaYvTaW80kNSA0bdXYTtQLHwALS9NbKRq1rbJPg0EB86W_eYrAzE29ttf5j1NsXqO_mlbTVClEvswwkW2DQo-ae7N5ZPERi6fMsyhVY_-N8QcbLyqzG6JT59DkS6C_hbEN57QMYzS/w400-h266/Sherron%203rd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Katie Sherron</b> closes off the podium with her 3rd place finish in the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Webb continued to move up, edging Keenan for 4th by 15 meters, in 22:24. Hyman, Kadavy and Heineck finished in 6th through 8th respectively. Heineck edged <b>Jennifer Lutz</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Battle Road Track Club </span>and <b>Elizabeth Camy</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast Track Club </span>by a single second. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXp9jOHNbLmp_rX8rFThYI9N23-dYNByljIR6dgu1p0WI-uQ3lfWoEhR4Tn3PXG1YkzhY6e3bYdMr1fIN4Unnql0sfb2kNP_0KbZwly_mshUFakH6EGbmO37503bu_pEw105Dfh5UP2kJrv2J-VTXuU2ds75Acm3GJnd-nMaFfI0LJIoaV2gOuOVR5jT4/s1346/Heineck%20outkicks-Lutz-Camy-Braley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXp9jOHNbLmp_rX8rFThYI9N23-dYNByljIR6dgu1p0WI-uQ3lfWoEhR4Tn3PXG1YkzhY6e3bYdMr1fIN4Unnql0sfb2kNP_0KbZwly_mshUFakH6EGbmO37503bu_pEw105Dfh5UP2kJrv2J-VTXuU2ds75Acm3GJnd-nMaFfI0LJIoaV2gOuOVR5jT4/w640-h426/Heineck%20outkicks-Lutz-Camy-Braley.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carre Joyce Heineck </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#636 o</span>utkicks <b>Jennifer Lutz </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">mostly obscured, pink shoes </span>and <b>Elizabeth Camy </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lime green singlet </span>in the Masters Women's 6 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was a great victory for Dimoff who now has Oregon XC bragging rights! Metivier will hope for another chance to match up against the fleet runner from Bowerman.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Carrie Dimoff</i> 21:18 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Renee Metivier</i> 21:41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Katie Sherron</i> 22:06</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 60+ </span>Last year in San Francisco, the top 60-64 runners, and <b>Jacob Nur</b>, from 65-69, (not entered this year) met to sort out who was the fastest XC runner. <b>Nat Larson </b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">29:24 </span>pulled away from the field. <b>Steve Schmidt </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">29:43 </span>closed strong to take 2nd place ahead of Nur, with <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">29:52 </span>and <b>John Van Danacker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">29:59 </span>4th and 5th. Those four, Larson, Schmidt, Lee and Van Danacker would meet again to test their prowess on the turf. They would have some new challengers as well. Two newly minted 60-year-olds, <b>Alan Evans</b> and <b>Mark Zamek</b>, would be in the mix. As always there was an elder statesman who could not be ignored. <b>Rick Becker</b>, 69, three-time Masters Harrier of the Year, was a longshot for the podium, but would almost surely be in the top ten overall. Others who could make some noise included: <b>Joe Mora</b>, 9th overall in San Francisco but the winner of the 2022 5K 60-64 championship in Atlanta; <b>Mark Neff</b>, 4th at Cross Nationals in Richmond this past January; and <b>Kevin Ostenberg</b>, who finished 11th in San Francisco but 5th in Tallahassee the year before.</p><p><b>Larson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers </span>was the strong favorite, not only because he won by 19 seconds last year, but because this year he set numerous American 60-64 Records on the roads, at distances from the 8Km to the Half Marathon. He already owned the 1 Mile and 5K records from 2022 performances. <b>Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore Athletic Club </span>and <b>Van Danacker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Company </span>had been able to defeat <b>Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor Track Club </span>on the roads, Lee at the 5K and 12K and Van Danacker at the 5K and 10K. But the three had not met again on the turf after San Francisco. Van Danacker came in ahead of Lee at Cross Nationals on the turf but a month later Lee took Van Danacker's measure at the 5K Championships. How would those three sort out this time? </p><p><b>Evans</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers </span>has not competed at Clubs recently but finished 6th in 55-59, with a 37:13 over 10K, at Lehigh in 2019. At those championships he finished 1:13 behind Larson and 1:06 behind Zamek. In addition to that history, <b>Zamek</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</span> came out of rehab just as he aged up to the 60-64 division. He finished 3rd, ahead of Schmidt, at the 10K national championships and took 1st, ahead of Schmidt, on the turf at the 5Km XC Masters on a warm, muggy day in Boca Raton. <b>Becker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>had an off day at San Francisco last year, finishing 3rd in 65-69 behind Nur and <b>David Westenberg</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">reater Lowell Road Runners</span>. Becker had his mojo back in Boca Raton, where he took the 65-69 win in 18:57, a time that would have put him 3rd had he been in 60-64, just a half minute back from Schmidt.</p><p>When the gun sounded, Larson went to the front, with Zamek falling in right behind him. Lee went past after the first hundred meters but then settled in, next to Larson. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgox04-i9oSKysHHmaZ_wSA_QYyBNgSAxoeaD3HLySjAJ-rolx9GvOENu_oRq7_8koCcy8196HOwuiXl3nGCgwo0r0FVn0AigApHo1ITOaeXXBu-d-Rt4H4KVkbC4OtNYK-eZvu9LaX7Mouv6FM6L_CnMHOS__7FK1zChuM8OmQsonkCcvUMgk55THb6-Nn/s1346/Lee-Larson-Zamek-early%20going.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgox04-i9oSKysHHmaZ_wSA_QYyBNgSAxoeaD3HLySjAJ-rolx9GvOENu_oRq7_8koCcy8196HOwuiXl3nGCgwo0r0FVn0AigApHo1ITOaeXXBu-d-Rt4H4KVkbC4OtNYK-eZvu9LaX7Mouv6FM6L_CnMHOS__7FK1zChuM8OmQsonkCcvUMgk55THb6-Nn/w640-h426/Lee-Larson-Zamek-early%20going.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Right-<b>Rick Lee</b>, <b>Nat Larson</b>, and <b>Mark Zamek</b> surge to the lead in the early going of the Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>By the time they passed the Jumbotron and headed up the hill, Lee had fallen in behind Zamek, leaving Larson to set the pace.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yvq8WYw_UNhShsiGeVt6haFmGqd9J4LFb14hYYQkwjGpKfSRsLx7dqroJMxW_bYprruEjehsK1ifWK1n4XpcDs1gnZomdLfuxcjdi6pBHIRdDM0AJ5oiEYFVrtS_Y1aLuzCRNZ3M6KtIQ_rP_van4N-8BKA77E2eMllrJS4avWFZmkDHtyeDfOTXQ7lt/s1346/ChasePack-Soares-VanDanacker_Notaro_Evans_Mora_Billig_Neff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yvq8WYw_UNhShsiGeVt6haFmGqd9J4LFb14hYYQkwjGpKfSRsLx7dqroJMxW_bYprruEjehsK1ifWK1n4XpcDs1gnZomdLfuxcjdi6pBHIRdDM0AJ5oiEYFVrtS_Y1aLuzCRNZ3M6KtIQ_rP_van4N-8BKA77E2eMllrJS4avWFZmkDHtyeDfOTXQ7lt/w640-h426/ChasePack-Soares-VanDanacker_Notaro_Evans_Mora_Billig_Neff.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chase Pack forming up behind the leading Trio- from right-<b>Jeff Soares, John Van Danacker, Henry Notaro, Alan Evans, Joe Mora, Patrick Billig</b>, and <b>Mark Neff</b> - The Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>When they passed the first split at 1170M, those three were still leading, with Van Danacker, 4th, 12-15 meters back, followed by Ostenberg and <b>Henry Notaro</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</span>, about the same distance behind Van Danacker. A few meters back was a chase pack that was led by Evans but included the other main contenders, Mora, Neff, Schmidt and Becker, and a few others, including Becker's rival for the 65-69 crown, <b>David Westenberg</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>.</b></span> Westenberg finished 2nd in San Francisco and won the division in Richmond. Around the back field and into the forest for the first time, Larson continued to apply the pressure from the front, with Zamek hanging on gamely. Lee allowed a small gap to develop but then closed it up. They were blasting the chasers apart though. Van Danacker was over 30 meters back, with Ostenberg a few strides back in his wake. It was another ten meters back to the Schmidt-Mora-Neff- chase pack. Larson was firing on all cylinders, but his gait is so smooth you could hardly tell. Up 'The Wall' and onto the flat section behind the starting line, and then down past the Jumbotron. Zamek was now pressing to hold on and Lee had been dropped by the duo. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaOmbmignkahEwQmTHUtMHHgj8FEve9BOVeR0_DJy5HTgD2oFL9KiaIeQz4oRCM-V1AzLhDetpOb2c3F_T0tS6RHw8Q4rZVkd3GJMDP_ZNhf-Zps2rm9wgFqHyWaYtXa0J8J3b1Nv1tRRsD60SGOXVXg1kKZNXvE1OjWLXntBYtA4zvMgUN_cljUtG795/s1346/Larson-Zamek-3%20Km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaOmbmignkahEwQmTHUtMHHgj8FEve9BOVeR0_DJy5HTgD2oFL9KiaIeQz4oRCM-V1AzLhDetpOb2c3F_T0tS6RHw8Q4rZVkd3GJMDP_ZNhf-Zps2rm9wgFqHyWaYtXa0J8J3b1Nv1tRRsD60SGOXVXg1kKZNXvE1OjWLXntBYtA4zvMgUN_cljUtG795/w640-h426/Larson-Zamek-3%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson</b> driving fromt he front with <b>Mark Zamek</b> matching the pace at the end of the first 3 Km Loop of the Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>There was a 30-meter gap back to Lee, with another 40+ to Van Danacker. Ostenberg was trying to bridge the gap up to Van Danacker and had only 20 meters to worry about. Schmidt and Evans were now about 15 meters behind Ostenberg. Mora, Neff, and Becker made up a group about 15 meters behind Evans. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4ff8j8Ui4exjYDmX2JqDhOhBEjjgD1z8oGfYg8N6khXLlSaIENzU3UGEwMgGz9nANHFxWlisWlZtU7m1M89vZXw6RtmwO6J9laMXAQF9AoyA6SZDDbv4JQ-pkLEiriGg9aFJPFMZbNmQeb5q1DQehRz_jRNoxblrLkisArb2eMe2q9TnnqWbW-7nlnsk/s1346/Notaro_Billig_Mora_Neff%20at%203%20Km.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4ff8j8Ui4exjYDmX2JqDhOhBEjjgD1z8oGfYg8N6khXLlSaIENzU3UGEwMgGz9nANHFxWlisWlZtU7m1M89vZXw6RtmwO6J9laMXAQF9AoyA6SZDDbv4JQ-pkLEiriGg9aFJPFMZbNmQeb5q1DQehRz_jRNoxblrLkisArb2eMe2q9TnnqWbW-7nlnsk/w640-h426/Notaro_Billig_Mora_Neff%20at%203%20Km.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Henry Notaro</b>, in 8th place, leads <b>Patrick Billig, Joe Mora</b> and <b>Mark Neff</b> as they approach the 3 Km timing mat in the Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>They had another 3 km loop to go, followed by a 2 Km loop. The big news on the second loop was that Larson's inexorable pressure wore down Zamek, who was 20 meters down at the 4000-meter mark, which Larson hit in 14:26. By the end of the 2nd loop, Zamek was still in 2nd place, but now over a hundred meters back, with Lee in 3rd another 120 meters further back. Schmidt had pushed past Ostenberg and Van Danacker and was running alongside Lee in 4th. Ostenberg had caught up with Van Danacker at the 4000-meter mark and by the end of the loop they were 5th and 6th, running in tandem 120 meters behind Zamek and ten meters ahead of Ostenberg. Evans was a half-minute behind Van Danacker in 7th with a 3-athlete chase group of Neff-Becker and Mora ten seconds behind in 8th through 10th. Larson took the last 2 km loop on cruise control, breaking the finish line tape in 29:34.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ_AnnHGRe5hFf15L3I2Nqp_Wf1iM_9zNZ-80Bec7ec2nqDvezg9ndc-6vQQfYvqupMZVygQTtM1WrlPxXODHvI1odVHjUhElEeBxxNi0EAcV7XSHXaJ8Hc3C5-S6hUisGDe_OaYx2PGuwpM4ZMJgyGnnpSKzllw19ReFsN_K3PmE7hvHce_PEBgzAx3j/s1346/Larson%20cruising%20to%20Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ_AnnHGRe5hFf15L3I2Nqp_Wf1iM_9zNZ-80Bec7ec2nqDvezg9ndc-6vQQfYvqupMZVygQTtM1WrlPxXODHvI1odVHjUhElEeBxxNi0EAcV7XSHXaJ8Hc3C5-S6hUisGDe_OaYx2PGuwpM4ZMJgyGnnpSKzllw19ReFsN_K3PmE7hvHce_PEBgzAx3j/w400-h266/Larson%20cruising%20to%20Finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larson's Stride Eats Up the Yardage--All alone as He Cruises to the Win in the Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Zamek lost more ground in the first kilometer of that loop but gained back in the 2nd kilometer what he lost in the first. Still there was a good 75 meters of daylight between Larson and Zamek. There was even more daylight between Zamek and the rest of the field. He took 2nd in 29:53. Schmidt had moved up quite a bit in the last 2 kilometers of the 2nd loop. But that was his high point. Early in the last 2 Km loop, Van Danacker and Ostenberg swept past. Lee tried to go with them. Even though that was not successful, he did succeed in opening up a small gap on Schmidt. But Schmidt kept the legs churning and moved past Lee again as they hit the bottom of 'The Wall.' Van Danacker kept his arms pumping and claimed third in 30:26, 7 seconds ahead of Ostenberg in 4th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEtU2Bqi-HdeR9cfogUjeprUvDqJrVbVPc4Lk4gloUmFb1mQxlQnTQqjVgzvqHAljzuAxaZDBIrc0xBwJ2gdqQDPQuUBBK6RpffjqH218jsLRbtJal-e5iSt17M5pUbXi6S3hq2Hh5JSb0qBgsEyZ5DZhDZdzIHrzx1vY8nvLjsy6TrKswHOwmgMnotj2/s1346/Schmidt-Ostenberg-400meters%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEtU2Bqi-HdeR9cfogUjeprUvDqJrVbVPc4Lk4gloUmFb1mQxlQnTQqjVgzvqHAljzuAxaZDBIrc0xBwJ2gdqQDPQuUBBK6RpffjqH218jsLRbtJal-e5iSt17M5pUbXi6S3hq2Hh5JSb0qBgsEyZ5DZhDZdzIHrzx1vY8nvLjsy6TrKswHOwmgMnotj2/w640-h426/Schmidt-Ostenberg-400meters%20to%20go.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Schmidt</b> in 3rd with 2 Km to go. <b>Kevin Ostenberg </b>and <b>John Van Danacker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">obscured behind Ostenberg </span>are closing in. In the Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Schmidt kept ahead of Lee all the way to the finish line, taking 5th in 30:38, 5 seconds in front of Lee. Neff, Becker and Mora all had strong finishes, but they could not catch Evans who gutted it out to take 7th in 31:19, with Neff, Becker and Mora, two, three, and five seconds behind in 8th, 9th and 10th!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjsVczQbGNqalljJjYA-nxE6HiIoOZpNPKUcPwn0G7HLgwke9DEFH5NBvtmrg0ZFDaZBwszVYtDWO9DkTvpT5KtZwzm2GYxCUVyUCqxIYLlybnuBBNZ-i1Y285BRd3dJ7hbOXpCFtcT5t9Tk1EmJKLi1H8bGOlSi2wm9-tKVRswidsySH9u2-kHqWUXZf/s1346/Larson%20heads%20for%20finishing%20tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjsVczQbGNqalljJjYA-nxE6HiIoOZpNPKUcPwn0G7HLgwke9DEFH5NBvtmrg0ZFDaZBwszVYtDWO9DkTvpT5KtZwzm2GYxCUVyUCqxIYLlybnuBBNZ-i1Y285BRd3dJ7hbOXpCFtcT5t9Tk1EmJKLi1H8bGOlSi2wm9-tKVRswidsySH9u2-kHqWUXZf/w400-h266/Larson%20heads%20for%20finishing%20tape.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larson is about to break the tape as he claims the win in the Masters Men's 60+ 8 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Larson proved once again that he is the man to beat in the 60+ races!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson </i>29:34 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Zamek </i>29:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Van Danacker</i> 30:26</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">MEN 40+</span>. Two years ago, at Clubs on this same course, <b>Jesse Davis</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite Athletic Club </span>drove the bus, setting a pace at the front of the pack until everyone had to fall back. He won by 17 seconds in 32:56. <b>Roosevelt Cook </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast Track Club </span>finished 40 seconds back in 4th. Last year at Clubs in San Francisco, the weather was horrendous. The rain and the wind picked up as the M60+ athletes competed in near gale conditions. A huge tree toppled, falling right next to one of the Club tents; the Parks Department wanted to cancel the remaining races. The only option for USATF was to move the event to a concentrated area of the park that was away from trees. The M40+ and both Open races were conducted on the Polo Fields track in Golden Gate Park. This was not a modern 400 meter track it is a track designed for horses and is more like 1200 meters around. In any case, the course was not a full 10K and was not a normal Cross Country surface either. But it made for an interesting competition. The times should not be compared directly to times at other 10K XC races though, because it was short. At that race, <b>Malcolm Richards</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley Track Club </span>led through the early laps, giving way eventually to finish 3rd at 29:10. Davis was 5th at 29:27. Davis's teammate, <b>Bryan Lindsay</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite</span>, was 10th at 30:15, with Cook 17 seconds back in 12th. </p><p>In September, Davis finished 3rd overall and 1st Masters at the Quad City HM in 1:08:11. He ran his PR Marathon in 2:17:30 at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, finishing 8th Overall, in early November. Cook is the speedster of these three. His 30:58 at the Dana Point 10K in November stands out. But he has also claimed 2nd Masters at Carlsbad this year in 15:12. He took 1st Masters at the So Cal Association XC Championships this fall, with a 20:45 over 6K. Richards clocked a 2:16:15 at Grandma's Marathon in 2022 and racked up a 2nd place at the USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships behind Fernando Cabada in 49:39. He took 1st at the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships in November with a 25:08 over 5 miles.</p><p>Those three will be challenged for the overall title by four other athletes from the youngest Masters division; <b>Edward Baker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</span>, <b>David Cisewski </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span>, <b>Brian Flynn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State Track Club</span>, and<b> Adam Schroeder</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Club Northwest</span>. </p><p>Two years ago in August, <b>Baker</b> took first Masters at the Ironman 70.3 in Maine, with a 1:14:19 Half Marathon. A month later he was the outright winner of the Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz, albeit with a slower 1:19:13 HM for this final leg. Perhaps more relevantly, Baker took 4th Masters at the prestigious Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine on August 6th with a 33:37. He showed his prowess on the turf by taking 1st Masters at the Boston Mayor's Cup XC race in late October with a minute to spare. In 2021 <b>Cisewski</b> ran 1:11:18 at the Rock N Roll San Jose Half and a year later clocked 2:32:29 at Berlin. This fall he finished 2nd to Richards, 16 seconds back, at the Pacific Association XC Championships. Flynn took 1st at the USATF Masters 12 km Championships in New Jersey this September, clocking a nifty 39:00. That equates via age grading to a 32:11 10K effort. <b>Flynn</b> took 3rd Masters this summer at the Utica Boilermaker 15K with a 49:12 and finished 2nd overall at the Ashland Half Marathon in Virginia with a 1:11:50. <b>Schroeder</b> finished 14th in the 35-39 division of the Open race at Golden Gate Park last December. He ran a 2:44:54 Eugene Marathon in April and followed that with a 1:11:40 HM at the Redmond Harvest Marathon in September.</p><p>Three athletes out of the 45 and up divisions deserve mention. Six years ago at Lexington KY, <b>Neville Davey</b> was the main man, storming to Clubs victory overall on a day cold enough to freeze the muddy ruts hard on the course! That day he led his team to victory. More recently he has played a supporting role; he finished 25th overall last year in San Francisco and has been running better this fall. <b>Jaime Heilpern</b> from the 50's is also a stretch to make the podium but he was just 7 seconds behind Davey last year and the year before in Tallahassee was 13th. <b>Frank Zoldak</b> is a new recruit for his 50's team in Boulder. He clocked a 34:17 10K at altitude this year.</p><p>When the gun sounded, Richards moved out fast, right to the front. Davis did not react as fast but closed up quickly after the first hundred meters. Heading down the hill toward the Jumbotron it was Richards, Davis, Schroeder, Cook and Flynn, leading the way in that order. There was a tightly bunched field right behind them. By the time they made the turn after climbing the first upslope, Baker and Zoldak had joined the lead pack. By the time they crossed the first timing mat halfway down the back field at 1170 Meters, the lead pack consisted of a tight 7, Richards, Davis, Baker, Cook, Schroeder, Zoldak. There was a Chase Pack about 30 meters back that included Cisewski, Davey, Lindsay, and Heilpern. After circling the back field they head into the forested section with a sandy path to run on. At that point Richards injected some pace and moved nearly ten meters ahead of a Chase Pack consisting of Davis, Cook and Baker, with 20 meters further back to the Schroeder-Flynn-Zoldak group. and then another 40 meters to the Cisewski- Davie-Lindsay secondary chase group. Then it was up 'The Wall' behind the starting area and on down to the end of the first 3K loop. Now Richards had opened up a 25-meter lead on the Davis-Baker Cook chase group. Cook was struggling to keep in contact and Flynn was starting to come across from the 2nd chase group, now just 20 meters behind Cook. Flynn had left Schroeder and Zoldak 20 meters back. They had one more 3K loop and two shorter 2K loops (leaving off most of the back field) to go.</p><p>The second loop saw Richards solidify his lead; he had a hundred meters on Davis. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDLjGJy_kEuCyuA57c3T864mFVIJlj4ORTYxvtht1pAgS9BzUPm9BqO_WXQu5umIVohOQ04S2axwrcSliYMV9KAyhJPtRbQ1J1sDUrA_a4cTF6CXrGTEriY3_xfnOWOxs2T9ww_xq1UfkFFP6V8jr7dRKKoIV9BrSuh2jMoOTclahaOFTiMnh6y1jx_r5/s1346/Malcolm%20Richards%20firing%20on%20all%20cylinders-2%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDLjGJy_kEuCyuA57c3T864mFVIJlj4ORTYxvtht1pAgS9BzUPm9BqO_WXQu5umIVohOQ04S2axwrcSliYMV9KAyhJPtRbQ1J1sDUrA_a4cTF6CXrGTEriY3_xfnOWOxs2T9ww_xq1UfkFFP6V8jr7dRKKoIV9BrSuh2jMoOTclahaOFTiMnh6y1jx_r5/w400-h266/Malcolm%20Richards%20firing%20on%20all%20cylinders-2%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards</b> Firing on all Cylinders with a Commanding Lead in the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Davis was running well though, on his own, with 50 meters on the rest of the field. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPF2c42LmHlpjChPOwyTygQzzP4hXBS6D5zXfkw97ca7DWbPYuFiUq_dfxZNb1hz3gYaQVf25o3c8-34WwLrd8fokeprD6c88_kIBOO0b_uyWuMr7OXzTTzpYNMaCM_P9-Cb_aJExww-TJsvYcBBCNF08Ekif-d2f38rRS_2_c9FXZRVJA74Z41JGFJUUa/s1346/Jesse%20Davis-solidly%20in%202nd%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPF2c42LmHlpjChPOwyTygQzzP4hXBS6D5zXfkw97ca7DWbPYuFiUq_dfxZNb1hz3gYaQVf25o3c8-34WwLrd8fokeprD6c88_kIBOO0b_uyWuMr7OXzTTzpYNMaCM_P9-Cb_aJExww-TJsvYcBBCNF08Ekif-d2f38rRS_2_c9FXZRVJA74Z41JGFJUUa/w400-h266/Jesse%20Davis-solidly%20in%202nd%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jesse Davis</b>, solidly in 2nd place with 2 km to go-In the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Cisewski caught up with Baker and Cook going up 'The Wall'. Once up and running along the top field, Cisewski was able to quickly pull away and create a gap. By the time they passed the Jumbotron for the 2nd time, the gap was over 40 meters, Cisewski in 3rd, with Cook and Baker chasing. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq59Q_5ZOpsk_Nc9P4Jct6tZhoMeZs6hF6tNbV5Y_sg8O3yOPWtuvKqXGOvCOds_foTcaX6V2i_mH2Qvkr8dWonM8Yf7Y8h6Qs3srTotSA3fF8Hho7nwq8TdEMQpqea5ZKEgvnEgXgG0mv3HL6zVBSWdYpqEYyCJcbTHwJ3DwHWN_z0a2JsmoyJMHTqmqr/s1346/Cisewski_David-3rd%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq59Q_5ZOpsk_Nc9P4Jct6tZhoMeZs6hF6tNbV5Y_sg8O3yOPWtuvKqXGOvCOds_foTcaX6V2i_mH2Qvkr8dWonM8Yf7Y8h6Qs3srTotSA3fF8Hho7nwq8TdEMQpqea5ZKEgvnEgXgG0mv3HL6zVBSWdYpqEYyCJcbTHwJ3DwHWN_z0a2JsmoyJMHTqmqr/w400-h266/Cisewski_David-3rd%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Cisewski</b> moved into 3rd place with one 2 km loop to go in the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> <br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was another 80 meters back to Flynn in 5th; Flynn, in turn, had 15 meters on Schroeder now. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI9AZJR-uK1mqsYrehfskPNDYi9sdzpJPt_3Tn1E1R-Q0EBxCURACKE648RyJuk8nhFPz-83wexxivBzyh8Ghmmp-VGQL6XTr31yIVONO5jTAMaTrpL7yp_IUVNL_vzKa9Wv9Iyc50ko-fpyM2kRzrKl4fOue9cbA4uLD1QYBLVMSyQTdV8fUXDcAd0LR/s1346/Flynn_Brian-6th%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI9AZJR-uK1mqsYrehfskPNDYi9sdzpJPt_3Tn1E1R-Q0EBxCURACKE648RyJuk8nhFPz-83wexxivBzyh8Ghmmp-VGQL6XTr31yIVONO5jTAMaTrpL7yp_IUVNL_vzKa9Wv9Iyc50ko-fpyM2kRzrKl4fOue9cbA4uLD1QYBLVMSyQTdV8fUXDcAd0LR/w400-h266/Flynn_Brian-6th%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brian Flynn</b> running in 6th with 2 Km to go in the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Lindsay had caught and passed Schroeder with his aim on Flynn. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr0rFjP-1ZMCgntpVo9S_qZETGr9DBniEIU7bFe4DGI9zh2lpTT0PHny6ufwqVwi6lZCQwISyCkC21aC7Xk3MJpJO-7Qk1oAqeSWSThcMfdCmz7feWlRnGykoa-EK_OfI99o_ASsr2g9v-LCQe8PlVorhtHXuXPynIBktVFNUHpZAEZ3hGd57GCMy4yKg/s1346/Lindsay%20&%20Schroeder%207th%20&%208th-2%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr0rFjP-1ZMCgntpVo9S_qZETGr9DBniEIU7bFe4DGI9zh2lpTT0PHny6ufwqVwi6lZCQwISyCkC21aC7Xk3MJpJO-7Qk1oAqeSWSThcMfdCmz7feWlRnGykoa-EK_OfI99o_ASsr2g9v-LCQe8PlVorhtHXuXPynIBktVFNUHpZAEZ3hGd57GCMy4yKg/w640-h426/Lindsay%20&%20Schroeder%207th%20&%208th-2%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Right-<b>Bryan Lindsay</b> and <b>Adam Schroeder</b> battling for Individual Top Ten and Team Points in 7th and 8th with 2 Km to Go in the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>It was now 30 meters back to Zoldak, the elder statesman of the contenders at 57. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX8Fvxt70fftDWLIjJaNGAtYqGydk8jlBHSQNquTLwNiwcG0cNMnyMlNZPOB_9t1tnbtOUFl230yHpu650XtGrY1ziSUS-gWTCEm-tyjbDxHv7a483WWRgCIhJ1nPB1YUHqilPiw_GSxHo7B9p0INW-XXLF11vK962vQNT4OyvVvB_w0vdDbu4xzMU8t0/s1346/Zoldak_Frank-9th%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX8Fvxt70fftDWLIjJaNGAtYqGydk8jlBHSQNquTLwNiwcG0cNMnyMlNZPOB_9t1tnbtOUFl230yHpu650XtGrY1ziSUS-gWTCEm-tyjbDxHv7a483WWRgCIhJ1nPB1YUHqilPiw_GSxHo7B9p0INW-XXLF11vK962vQNT4OyvVvB_w0vdDbu4xzMU8t0/w400-h266/Zoldak_Frank-9th%20with%202%20Km%20to%20go.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Frank Zoldak</b>, 57, in 9th place overall, with 2 Km to go in the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Davey was 80 meters behind Zoldak in 10th with Heilpern another 80 behind Davey in 11th. Just two 2Km loops to go. By the 8Km mark, it was Richards-Davey-Cisewski going 1-2-3. Baker had dropped Cook who was now being tracked closely by Flynn. It had looked like Lindsay might close on Flynn, but Flynn battled and actually grew the gap by 5 meters or so. Nonetheless, Lindsay had 13 seconds on Schroeder who had 15 on Zoldak. Davey was 11 seconds behind Zoldak with Heilpern another 15 seconds back. The final loop saw no change among the leaders. Richards had been driving the bus alone for most of the race. He now enjoyed the cruise into the finish, taking the win in 32:09, with Davis a good 150 meters back in 2nd. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU6H0IUTBNnh1CrHDgrLePLinZ1420Qo19e16mCQ1e-hNat97tMNtMeYblC8efjWb4tcPoYqWFMlTu3UoVSyJ1-gHzEh6tMAUYSChu-EKm0x8plaEmcUDVIEbG5j6pdYvPDwtoiHESe8kaUYPZUWdcxUDyPCNIKqxOwGMHXJg_7dmD6kd-LEDNjV0DLzS/s897/Malcolm%20Richards%20about%20to%20cross%20the%20Finish%20Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="693" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU6H0IUTBNnh1CrHDgrLePLinZ1420Qo19e16mCQ1e-hNat97tMNtMeYblC8efjWb4tcPoYqWFMlTu3UoVSyJ1-gHzEh6tMAUYSChu-EKm0x8plaEmcUDVIEbG5j6pdYvPDwtoiHESe8kaUYPZUWdcxUDyPCNIKqxOwGMHXJg_7dmD6kd-LEDNjV0DLzS/w309-h400/Malcolm%20Richards%20about%20to%20cross%20the%20Finish%20Line.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards</b>, about to cross the Finish Line and take the Win in the Masters Men's 40+ 10 Km Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Davis had no serious rivals at that point. His 32:44 allowed him to take 2nd with 70 meters and 14 seconds to spare. When Cisewski crossed the line in 3rd, it was 200 meters back to his nearest rival, Baker. Baker took 4th in 33:45, with ten seconds on Flynn in 5th. Cook finished 6th in 34:02 with Lindsay twenty seconds behind in 7th. Schroeder's 34:29 nailed down the 8th spot. Heilpern, surprisingly came sailing through with the fastest last kilometer of all the contenders, save the first three. That enabled him to claim 9th in 34:50, a fraction of a second ahead of Davey in 10th. Zoldak finished 3 seconds behind that duo, 11th overall, an incredible performance for a 57-year-old.</p><p>Two years earlier, when Richards was still an Open runner, Davis drove the bus to victory. That was Richards's role this time! Davis had a fine outing though, running 11 seconds faster than he had run here in 2021. Cisewski not only claimed third as an individual he really helped his team by giving West Valley 1st and 3rd from their top two runners. Not a bad year for Richards-He became a new Dad and won at Club Cross!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtc0MthqNiCkuEsf9df3qIbNsof0LwXpuLrooif6bsEEnOx1mSuTkp9m7Du5fPLOpTDP67eoTP8EqjYedleFHAvykNblUXfusUwSrwO4ef80UHsjom1LJCsePMi7AL7_aIgZUWNXhckre_5WDZ75BWoAruEieWH6auTukrgP9GawIX_t4mEXuo7s-Sn89/s1346/Richards%20with%20winner's%20tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtc0MthqNiCkuEsf9df3qIbNsof0LwXpuLrooif6bsEEnOx1mSuTkp9m7Du5fPLOpTDP67eoTP8EqjYedleFHAvykNblUXfusUwSrwO4ef80UHsjom1LJCsePMi7AL7_aIgZUWNXhckre_5WDZ75BWoAruEieWH6auTukrgP9GawIX_t4mEXuo7s-Sn89/w400-h266/Richards%20with%20winner's%20tape.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since the Finishing Tape somehow failed to be stretched out for his win, Richards got to borrow it for a picture--I wonder if he got to keep it as a souvenir!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Richards rules! At least for this year!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Malcolm Richards</i> 32:09 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Davis</i> 32:44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Cisewski</i> 32:58</p><p><br /></p><br />The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-220976780161422042023-12-08T10:12:00.000-05:002023-12-08T10:12:00.711-05:002023 USATF Club Cross Championships - Men's 40+ Race<p><b>December 7, 2023 </b>It looks like a great day for spectators at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee Florida this Saturday! The Women's race goes off at 9AM, followed by the Men's 60+ Race at 10 AM and Men's 40+ at 11 AM. Open races start at noon. Temperatures are forecast to be in the low 60's for the first race, rising through the mid 60's to the upper 60's and, possibly, low 70's for the Men's 40+ race. And there will be plenty of humidity. Runners will need to hydrate, wear caps, sunglasses possibly, and apply sunscreen.</p><p>There will be some dandy races within the Men's 40+ division. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44 </span><b>Malcolm Richards </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley Track Club</span> and <b>Jesse Davis</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite Athletic Club, </span>who finished 3rd and 5th last year, in 29:10 and 29:27, respectively, return to try to lead their clubs to victory. Davis will be joined by his teammate, <b>Bryan Lindsay</b>, who finished 10th and <b>Roosevelt Cook </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Call Coast Track Club</span>, who finished 11th, will also join the fray. <b>Alexander Taylor</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</span>, who finished 6th in 2021 at Tallahassee, is back to lead his new team. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_dVJ5kLVqX2RN2M7dtDTZyde_bwlCXlYr37b4SM15iHaZ0rkABAhkKgMR2Y024n6JKTm4qF2fDandUJY_kYVIs9SWx60sN4iNzJ54HhyQmW1xRWLxNHBZFL-gNcV3Snd2Zzit1N4XUmEZKGz9DAvZhNtHa7wJ6V4iW6A4emCOFimu9YN18u2eErT9a5D/s960/Early_Cushing-Murray_Heilpern_ATC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_dVJ5kLVqX2RN2M7dtDTZyde_bwlCXlYr37b4SM15iHaZ0rkABAhkKgMR2Y024n6JKTm4qF2fDandUJY_kYVIs9SWx60sN4iNzJ54HhyQmW1xRWLxNHBZFL-gNcV3Snd2Zzit1N4XUmEZKGz9DAvZhNtHa7wJ6V4iW6A4emCOFimu9YN18u2eErT9a5D/w640-h426/Early_Cushing-Murray_Heilpern_ATC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Time for men's 40+Across the Polo Field 'Track' at Golden Gate Park in 2015 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As always there are new challengers! <b>Brian Flynn </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State Track Club </span>took the win at the Masters 12 Km Championships with a nifty 39:00. That is age grade equivalent to a 32:11 10K. Apart from that, however, Athlinks has little information about Mr. Flynn. There is a talented Brian Flynn out of Virginia who runs his Half Marathons in the 1:10 to 1:11 range. But unless they are the same person, that provides little added information. Our Flynn resides in New Jersey. <b>Jesse Chettle </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Run Flagstaff </span>has sub-16 5K speed, including a blazing fast 14:52 in the 5K at Grandma's marathon in Duluth in 2022. That speed was almost enough to deliver a victory at Boca Raton. But finished in third place, twenty-three seconds back in 3rd and 2 seconds behind his <i>Flagstaff </i>teammate, <b>Dirk de Heer</b>.<b> </b>The winner of that race, <b>Christopher Miller</b>, is not entered at Tallahassee. <b>Kevin Pool</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley Track Club </span>last competed at Clubs as an Open athlete at Lehigh in 2019. He finished 46 seconds behind his teammate, Richards, at the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships in November. His 33:57 time would have been good for 8th in the Masters 40+ race. More recently he clocked a 1:08:52 to finish 4th Masters at the Urban Cow HM this September. He ran Boston this past April in 2:27:29.</p><p><b>Richards</b> finished 2nd to <b>Fernando Cabada</b> in the Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento with a 49:39. In 2022 he posted a 2:16:15 at Grandma's Marathon. <b>Davis </b>has also had a good year. He rana 1:08:11 Half Marathon at the Quad Cities Marathon and clocked his PR Marathon of 2:17:30 at the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis. <b>Taylor </b>looks fit; he clocked a 31:23 10K at Lone Gull in September and matched Davis's marathon time with a 2:17:30 at Grandma's in June. He could not stick with Davis two years ago. How will it turn out this Saturday on the same course? <b>Cook</b> is in great form. He ran a 31:19 10K at the Dinosaur Dash and even faster, 30:58, at the Dana Point Turkey trot! But, truth be told, he ran similar times before Clubs last year and finished 11th. He will have to show that he can convert that speed into similarly great outcomes on the turf. Cook is not just a speedster, though. He has 5 Half Marathons this year between 1:08:39 and 1:10:37! But that is also not new to 2023. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikg54LzNG4qppyJUly_W6DQ_SujK4QwUmYIej_rfwHY7Ye8aV9MFA10C5kekK1tH7ojZITMCtpmLq4Pb-fSM2WLpaur-ncCjJwVjwssyxqUDERr9zujSPM_XHm3UnuqlCGuY5Tg_aYsy24qwP07FPRJyyuOlMRfQAaUcYsSt_teTY4Y4nXcalKhzO-OhmZ/s1275/Lead%20Pack-500m-Davis_Blake_Cook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1275" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikg54LzNG4qppyJUly_W6DQ_SujK4QwUmYIej_rfwHY7Ye8aV9MFA10C5kekK1tH7ojZITMCtpmLq4Pb-fSM2WLpaur-ncCjJwVjwssyxqUDERr9zujSPM_XHm3UnuqlCGuY5Tg_aYsy24qwP07FPRJyyuOlMRfQAaUcYsSt_teTY4Y4nXcalKhzO-OhmZ/w640-h428/Lead%20Pack-500m-Davis_Blake_Cook.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lead Pack in the Early Going at Tallahassee in 2021 - Photo Credit: Michael Scott</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>It looks as if the winner should come out of the Richards-Davis-Pool-Taylor group. Flynn is a bit of a wild card but with no information on cross country races, I am reluctant to put him in the mix for the podium. I will let him prove me wrong if he can. He certainly had an impressive performance at the Jersey Shore in the 12 Km! Lindsay, like Chettle, has speed to burn. The trick for the mid-distance aces is to be close enough to the leaders without having depleted ones stores too much--easy to say but tough to do. If the race turns tactical that moves the needle in their favor. At Tallahassee, Davis pushed the pace at the front. Eventually everyone else fell back. He did not do that in San Francisco. it will be interesting to see what he does this time around. Richards has had some minor niggles, but it did not prevent him from running very well at the PA XC Championsh54ips. There seems no reason to move him out of the favorite's role he earned last December in San Francisco. Davis seems a good bet for 2nd place. It might be Pool in 3rd but I will go with Taylor as he aims for a better outcome than in 2021. Richards-Davis-Taylor.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order</i></p><p><i><b>Jesse Davis Malcolm Richards Alexander Taylor</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Top contenders in this division include: <b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</span>, <b>Neville Davey</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley Track Club</span>, <b>Mike Jackson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite Athletic Club</span>, and <b>Jacques Sallberg</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast Track Club</span>, and <b>Jason Troxler </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Run Flagstaff</span>. Others who could work their way onto the podium include: <b>Daniel Smith</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</span>, his teammate, <b>Matt Taylor, Aaron Totten-Lancaster</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State Track Club</span>, and <b>David Wertz</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Pacers Running/GRC New Balance</span>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5v28IxIa13IJTUgScwVXlIfBs9bvqumrdxDMvNO3qq4kPQHXJRKP9P1uwDM6kX4OCQtHTUz5rfbpvYWKvfuTeFgD0YlczascOo6RKEU8SYTKLUUMODV81elxlxylnqV6VduQCH5FcW5AH0HoFnY_1FInBNF6SV7Sju9tesmgv1qjYhRpUTbbgc02LlhC/s960/MainChasePack-Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5v28IxIa13IJTUgScwVXlIfBs9bvqumrdxDMvNO3qq4kPQHXJRKP9P1uwDM6kX4OCQtHTUz5rfbpvYWKvfuTeFgD0YlczascOo6RKEU8SYTKLUUMODV81elxlxylnqV6VduQCH5FcW5AH0HoFnY_1FInBNF6SV7Sju9tesmgv1qjYhRpUTbbgc02LlhC/w640-h426/MainChasePack-Finish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading for Home in 2016 at Tallahassee-The Race to the Finish Line <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Angell</b>'s high point for Clubs was 2018 in Spokane when he was among the three leaders pulling the field around the course. In the end, he finished 3rd, ahead of, among others, Sallberg. It was a rare victory over Sallberg. Angell has had more success on the roads including national championships at Mile, 5K, 8K, 10K, 12K and 15K. The last two years have been more of a struggle in terms of injury and rehab. He has been just outside the top ten at Clubs starting at Lehigh in 2019. He began a comeback in early 2023 with a 2nd place division finish to Sallberg at Cross Nationals in Richmond, leading until midway through the final loop. In the middle of the year things were looking good with a 2nd place finish in M45 with a 33:15 at the Masters 10Km national championships and an M45 win at Indianapolis with a 4:42 road mile. In between, he found time to run a 15:48 5K in May and a 16:01 in October. He ran at Boca Raton, finishing 3rd in M45, with a 16:49, to two runners who will not be competing at Tallahassee.</p><p><b>Davey</b> had his high point with Clubs a year before Angell in Lexington KY. He claimed the overall crown in 32:43, with Angell 28 seconds back in 4th. He was away from USATF Championships for a while but started to appear again in 2022 when he ran for his <i>West Valley </i>team at Boulder in the Masters 5 Km Championships, finishing 13th overall, at altitude, on a challenging course in 17:37. He followed that with a 31:01 at San Francisco, finishing 6th in M45. By May, Davey's fitness had advanced enough that he was able to rip off a 4:40 Mile at the Devil Mountain/Mile of Truth, taking 2nd Masters and first M45. On the 4th of July, Davey claimed the Masters win at the Morgan Hill Freedom Fest 5K with a 16:06. Davey is ready for the turf; he took 1st in M45 at both the Matt Yeo Aggies XC and the Pacific Association XC Championships. He was not able to keep pace with <b>Jaime Heilpern</b>, however, who, luckily for Davey and his fellow 45–49-year-olds, is in the 50-54 division.</p><p><b>Jackson </b>does not share the longer pedigree of Angell and Davey but he deserves to be named a top contender because he came in well ahead of both of them in San Francisco last December. He finished 2nd in this division, almost a half-minute ahead of Davey and a good 19 seconds ahead of Sallberg, who finished 3rd in the division. He took 1st M45 in the 1500M at the Indoor Masters Championships with a 4:17 and was in Oakland CA over Thanksgiving, posting a 16:06 Turkey Trot win.</p><p><b>Sallberg </b>had an enviable string of Cross Nationals overall wins, starting with Boulder in 2015, continuing through two years at Bend, OR. He missed the 2018 and 2019 Championships in Tallahassee but enjoyed the win in January 2020 at Mission Bay in San Diego. Success was harder to come by at Clubs, but Sallberg climbed to the top of the pile at Lehigh with a dramatic surge away from <b>Peter Gilmore</b> in the final 400 meters, claiming the Overall win in 32:55! Coming back to Clubs in 2021 at Tallahassee as a 45-year-old, Sallberg finished 11th overall and 2nd in his new division. In San Francisco, Sallberg took 3rd in the division with a 30:57. He took the division win ahead of Angell at Richmond. </p><p><b>Troxler</b>, like Jackson, makes the list because in San Francisco, Sallberg edged him by just a single second. Of course, that means he came in ahead of Davey and Angell. Troxler also claimed 3rd in M45 at Carlsbad with a 16:21 and ran a 33:22 10K in Phoenix.</p><p>Among the other three mentioned, <b>Smith</b> gets a look due to his 33:10 at the USATF-NE Championships at Lone Gull in September. he also clocked a 57:39 Ten-Miler and a 26:40 5-Miler at the Bobby Doyle race. <b>Totten-Lancaster</b> was a half-minute behind Davey at San Francisco. This fall he took the M45 win at the 12 km Masters Championships in 40:34 <span style="font-size: x-small;">age grade equivalent to a 33:28 10K. </span>Wertz finished 2 seconds ahead of Totten-Lancaster in San Francisco. Since then he has clocked a 15:59 5K and finished 3rd in M45 at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 54:43 <span style="font-size: small;">age grade equivalent to a</span><span style="font-size: small;"> 33:08 10K. </span>They are all talented and hard working. If things break right, one of them could be on the podium.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYs0haD61gudmHVXFRE0JvKOAlBLvvuV9nGRHb4dVDKsAliCv_dOa1NHjSB-ZpwMjnooY0lD8H1_IrzSpp979q3168seBrAvgaqMo-Kt_-hatVN3JsQ1S6aihxypO0KZYHr9RLyexUx2olmjlKmJ789UzpVhrUB1zaDaZKyLBFrki8pmgwLZUdAhuqD_W/s960/Lap%201_Richards_Bruce_Reyes_Cook_McDonagh_Davis-%232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYs0haD61gudmHVXFRE0JvKOAlBLvvuV9nGRHb4dVDKsAliCv_dOa1NHjSB-ZpwMjnooY0lD8H1_IrzSpp979q3168seBrAvgaqMo-Kt_-hatVN3JsQ1S6aihxypO0KZYHr9RLyexUx2olmjlKmJ789UzpVhrUB1zaDaZKyLBFrki8pmgwLZUdAhuqD_W/w640-h480/Lap%201_Richards_Bruce_Reyes_Cook_McDonagh_Davis-%232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Lap Around the 'Track' at the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco-2023- <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Still, if last year's championships are a good indicator, the likely finishing order this year would be Jackson-Sallberg-Troxler. But Davey has been running better this year and was only 3 seconds behind Troxler last December. Perhaps Davey's experience will help him find a way onto the 45-49 podium while helping his team to as high a finish as possible. Angell, after having a very good middle of the year, has been a bit more up and down in the last third. Yet his training has been very solid. He could surprise! I will opt for a likely order of Jackson-Sallberg-Davey and let the others prove me wrong.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order</i></p><p><i><b>Neville Davey Mike Jackson Jacques Sallberg</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><span>The list of top contenders in this division are starting to look a lot like the top contenders in the 40's a few years back: <b>Ahrlin Bauman, Jaime Heilpern, Ivan Lieben, Gregory Mitchell, Gregory Putnam, Sandu Rebencuic, Todd Rose, </b>and <b>Mark Yuen</b>. The West Valley team has been on top for the last couple of years. Bowerman has moved a few of their athletes up into the 50's and should give them a challenge.</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBCfLPjFuR4fc5rZ_NUQeiHHXZMBXDzJVgDWlvbF9ZSP0z4okhFR2KrmnFkJgHNRGWoYj9t9UBVoFKgFoS5vsZyJ3nrnu5nAg1d3S7aVoq-vhSSk9TE1FfSDLwyJb0mit-rR0Tb8GS3MLlcANBAVMyodCJklW_Oe2Rx9xwcnFLZbygofNdpXqmtlHGgek/s960/Men40+%20Lead%20Pack%20half%20thru%201st%20loop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBCfLPjFuR4fc5rZ_NUQeiHHXZMBXDzJVgDWlvbF9ZSP0z4okhFR2KrmnFkJgHNRGWoYj9t9UBVoFKgFoS5vsZyJ3nrnu5nAg1d3S7aVoq-vhSSk9TE1FfSDLwyJb0mit-rR0Tb8GS3MLlcANBAVMyodCJklW_Oe2Rx9xwcnFLZbygofNdpXqmtlHGgek/w640-h426/Men40+%20Lead%20Pack%20half%20thru%201st%20loop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lead Pack Toils Uphill at Lexington Kentucky in the Early Going, 2017- Photo Credit: Michael Scott</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p><span><b>Bauman </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman </span>ran 32:18 at San Francisco to finish 20th in M45. Two years earlier he finished 6th in M45 at Tallahassee Clubs with a 36:09. Over the winter Bauman aged up and ran a 27:28 over 8K t Richmond to take 1st M50 in his debut. This year he ran a 1:14:38 Half Marathon at Eugene and a 16:18 to take first Masters at the Bowerman 5K in August. He should be ready to keep rolling!</span></p><p><span><b>Heilpern</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies </span>has been in many a tussle with the Bowerman and West Valley crews over the years. Recently he has been coming out on top. After finishing 2nd to West Valley's Yuen at Tallahassee in 2021 with a 34:34, he moved up to take the win in M50 at San Francisco with a 31:08. Both Stow Lake and Morgan Hill provided him an opportunity for sub-16 5K's at 15:52 and 15:58. He added a 33:45 10K at the Oakland Running Festival. He also took first at the USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento.</span></p><p><span><b>Lieben</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span>, after finishing 2nd to Heilpern at Clubs in San Francisco at 31:40, ran a 1:19:44 at the Kaiser-Permanente San Francisco HM. And then nothing. I understand he has been rehabbing much of the year. Nonetheless, some of his teammates have been encouraged by how well his recent workouts have been coming along.</span></p><p><span><b>Mitchell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman </span>finished either first or 2nd in each of his first four Club Cross Championships from 2013 in Bend Or to 2016 in Tallahassee. In two of those years, he was the first runner across the line who did not subsequently accept a USADA sanction. More recently he ran 34:42 at Tallahassee to take 3rd in 45-49. A year later in San Francisco he finished 5th M45 at San Francisco at 30:58. He won the division this spring at Carlsbad with a 15:59. His 'turkey trot' this year was a 15:28. He will be looking to do well in his first Clubs as a 50-year-old.</span></p><p><span><b>Putnam</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Central Mass Striders</span> had a good year, winning national 50-54 championships at the Half Marathon, 10 Km, 12Km and Masters 5 Km XC in Boca. Putnam has often competed at the 5 Km XC Championships but more sparingly at Clubs. It appears this may be his first appearance at Clubs since 2017 when he claimed 7th, just behind Yuen in 6th. He has yet to claim a podium finish at Clubs that I know of. Will this be the year?</span></p><p><span><b>Rebencuic</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers </span>is a bit of a wild card. He does not often compete at National Championships and his Athlinks profile is not public. In 2016 he ran 33:27 at Clubs in Tallahassee, finishing 12th overall and first in M45. At Lehigh 4 years later, Rebencuic ran 34:44 to take 1st in M50. He ran a 17:27 5K this September. It appears he is in his last year in this division.</span></p><p><span><b>Rose</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span> finished 5th in M45 at Lehigh in 2019 with a 34:20. A 34:14 at Tallahassee two years later netted him the M45 win. Rose had an off year in 2022, finishing 15th in M45, perhaps due to the weather or the odd nature of the 'cross country' race being held on the 'track' at the Polo Fields. With nothing on the books for 2023 that I can find, any projection would be based solely on history.</span></p><p><span><b>Yuen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span>, like his WV teammate, Lieben had some rehab to do this year. The general impression I had was that Yuen is a bit further along because the onset of problems was earlier. Yuen was dominant in 2022, winning M50 at Tallahassee with a 34:07 over 10K and a 1st at Cross Nationals in San Diego over 8K in 28:47. He had a good outing at the WMA Outdoor Championships in Finland in June, finishing 3rd in the 1500M in 4:21 and 2nd in the 5000M at 16:02! But by the time the 5 km Masters XC Championships at Boulder rolled around, Yuen was running for the team, finishing 8th in M50. His rehab has improved his fitness. But he was still not all the way back this September 30th when he ran a 1:16:30 at the Rock n Roll San Jose Half Marathon. He had clocked 1:13:28 in the run up to Tallahassee in 2021. Not that a 1:16:30 HM in your 50's is shabby; it is not! But it does indicate that Yuen is not quite as far along as he might be.</span></p><p><span>I look for Mitchell to take the win with Heilpern 2nd and, perhaps, Yuen in 3rd. But there are many imponderables.</span></p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order</i></p><p><span></span></p><p><i><b>Jaime Heilpern Gregory Mitchell Mark Yuen</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">55-59 </span>The top athletes in this division include: <b>Mark Callon, Roger Dix, Peter Hammer, Mark Hixson, Michael Mallon, Anthony McGrath, Mike Nahom, Matthew Waite</b>, and <b>David White. </b></p><p><b>Callon </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span> finished 24th in M50 last year at San Francisco with a 34:35 but he should move up in his new division. His fitness is not where he would like it to be but he clocked a 1:17:54 HM at the end of September and a 37:02 10K at the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. He also tested himself in the warmth and humidity of Florida, taking an M55 win at the Masters 5 Km XC in Boca Raton on October 7th. Back in California for the Pacific Association XC Championships, he took 1st there as well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QwX3KRUqJiZtNpDlLoAypz7tyzjTXbuxRuekvbggjSAcqunqoTPPK_bi5MgIK290Wy-LmcftcFntY-cG5e604gsifn0GH6PLYJbWLayrkTgvU74-TonoCdylzmqF3Eers2Y4rKEp3427d1DIAO36zASvDQrcSkwOIoyVSWdqCyq6BkyTuccXlEBKTidq/s2048/Start-10K-Cush%20et%20al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QwX3KRUqJiZtNpDlLoAypz7tyzjTXbuxRuekvbggjSAcqunqoTPPK_bi5MgIK290Wy-LmcftcFntY-cG5e604gsifn0GH6PLYJbWLayrkTgvU74-TonoCdylzmqF3Eers2Y4rKEp3427d1DIAO36zASvDQrcSkwOIoyVSWdqCyq6BkyTuccXlEBKTidq/w640-h424/Start-10K-Cush%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Hundred Meters into the Course at Spokane WA in 2018 <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit-</span><span style="color: #ba0001; font-family: "helvetica neue", "segoe ui", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Robyn Doloughan</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Dix </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies</span> was 12 seconds behind Callon last year in San Francisco, taking 10th in 55-59. He ran a 1:23:23 Half Marathon at the Clarksburg Country Run in November and ran the equivalent of a 38:44 10K earlier at the Wharf to Wharf 6 Mile Run.</p><p><b>Hammer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boston Athletic Association</span> lost the M45 title at the 2014 Club Cross Championships by 6 seconds. No one would have guessed that would be the last time Hammer would fail to win his divisional championship at a Club Cross Championship for at least 7 consecutive championships, 2015-2019, and now 2021 and 2022. That is astounding! One of these years he will lose again. But there is no particular reason to think this would be the year. He has already taken M55 1sts at the USATF New England XC Championships and at the Boston Mayor's Cup XC.</p><p><b>Hixson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Association </span>is feeling his oats again after being away for a couple of years. He finished 7th in this division in Tallahassee in 38:21 (over a full 10K, unlike SF). He finished 4th at Richmond over 8K in 29:52. He clocked 37:12 to take 5th in 55-59 at the Masters 10 Km Championships and posted a 17:48 5K on Labor Day.</p><p><b>Mallon</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>has no recent cross country results I can find. But he won this division at the Quad City Bix in 42:25, equivalent roughly to a 37:22 10K. He also ran a 1:19:56 Half Marathon at the Illinois Marathon.</p><p><b>McGrath </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span><b> </b>another athlete with no recent cross country experience I have found, finished 2 seconds ahead of his teammate, Callon, at the San Jose race on September 30th. A few weeks before he ran a 19:35 5K. No doubt they will be packing it up, at least through the early stages of the race.</p><p><b>Nahom </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers </span>is a very tough runner on the turf. He finished 9th in M50 at Tallahassee with a 36:57. Two years later at San Francisco, he had moved up to 55-59 and was 5th in 34:15. Nahom took 1st in the division at Richmond with a 28:29 over 8K. To be fair, the field at Richmond was not as deep as it typically is at Clubs.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOWjrs0hiYyxkhC02uWI7uDS9lLQA_ezgH8K3tfFTxJmpsIxqP_hdZCmXAX-5Kmtdx9cIUQiCmMgWO5B5RiTjdlqJrhsHNcImfv6SnERdossIyhCNcflUgRKUuMIPcPVX2mEHYOwHL7FAvHH9kArnlSi_Ju2r739LxDx6CgGi7CEAA8xmmXKs-8KJJM6v/s1316/Sllberg-Gillmore-Maravilla-Loeffler-Gordon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1316" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOWjrs0hiYyxkhC02uWI7uDS9lLQA_ezgH8K3tfFTxJmpsIxqP_hdZCmXAX-5Kmtdx9cIUQiCmMgWO5B5RiTjdlqJrhsHNcImfv6SnERdossIyhCNcflUgRKUuMIPcPVX2mEHYOwHL7FAvHH9kArnlSi_Ju2r739LxDx6CgGi7CEAA8xmmXKs-8KJJM6v/w640-h426/Sllberg-Gillmore-Maravilla-Loeffler-Gordon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lead Pack Treading the Mud at Lehigh in 2019- <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Waite </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Company [TC=Twin Cities] </span>was 21 seconds ahead of Nahom at San Francisco, finishing 14th in M50. He has a couple of 17:30-ish 5K's and a 1:20:07 at the City of Lakes Half Marathon this fall.</p><p><b>White</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley </span>was the closest runner to Hammer at both Tallahassee, with a 36:41, and San Francisco, finishing 2nd both times, 55 seconds back at Tallahassee, and 29 seconds behind in San Francisco, 32:37. Will this be the year he closes the gap?</p><p>The favorite's role keeps going to Hammer until someone takes the honor from him. After that, I have no information about results this year for White. There are many David White's running out there but I find no results for any of those that would plausibly be the David White who is such a good 55-59 runner. Yet, with no added information, it is hard to go against success. And let us go with Waite to give us one newly minted 55-year-old on the podium. And he is a Midwesterner, nicely balancing off the East of Hammer and the West of White! So, Hammer-White-Waite.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order</i></p><p><span></span></p><p><i><b>Peter Hammer Matthew Waite David White</b></i></p><p>If there is time, I will post a few thoughts on teams late this evening. The team races look to be hotly contested for sure!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-2042305933746965182023-12-06T12:15:00.004-05:002023-12-06T12:15:34.333-05:002023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships-Masters Men 60+<p><b>December 6, 2023</b> Hold onto your hats, sunglasses, sunscreen & water bottles! The weather forecast is holding at low 60's for the Women's race at 9AM, mid-60's for the Men's 60+ race at 10AM and upper 60's for the Men's 40+ race at 11AM. Latest forecast on humidity is a bit more forgiving, dropping from high 80's relative humidity to low 80's for the young Men's Masters race! That means the dew point will remain at or below 60 for all three races. A dewpoint of sixty seems to be a dividing line, at least according to some sources, between 'not bad' and 'kinda uncomfortable.'</p><p>One way or another, the races will go off and we will persevere. On the plus side it looks like a dandy day for spectating! In this section of the preview, we see which old guys will rule the day....maybe! This race is over 8 Km. The first 6 Km is just like the Women's course described in their preview posted a few days ago. Check there for more detail. There will be two 3 Km loops, followed by the shorter 2 Km loop which cuts off the kilometer around the furthest back field. Folks are moving pretty fast by the time they make the last turn into the woods, heading for the 'Shell Path', just over a kilometer to go! They want to go up 'The Wall' with momentum! </p><p>These previews celebrate the top runners in each division based on recent and sometimes not so recent history. Podium predictions should be taken with several grains of salt. But I take it seriously and do the best I can with the information available. Of course, I do not know fitness on the day of the event. Someone can be in the best shape of their life on paper but if the hamstring, Achilles, ankle, back, etc. does not cooperate the day of the race, all bets are off! Here we go!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPm-_fgIjZXlpht9_gOb8uZwQO2UfVKz9XJp_Z4MMJf3OIKaJgVKWSnYbkjhg6bxtkjB_L30Znmty3VjFh6TZsZ5dt-rmXXrtWLSS0qRcLYImLnd2ZMFvs2HAgEWW-Y-zMroxwz_JzWXjbKSxWMbDqMx-NUU5J5u08nTjUI8G44e4E-UXJ4eb7KzfoYDwa/s960/Start_BarbourStirratEtAl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPm-_fgIjZXlpht9_gOb8uZwQO2UfVKz9XJp_Z4MMJf3OIKaJgVKWSnYbkjhg6bxtkjB_L30Znmty3VjFh6TZsZ5dt-rmXXrtWLSS0qRcLYImLnd2ZMFvs2HAgEWW-Y-zMroxwz_JzWXjbKSxWMbDqMx-NUU5J5u08nTjUI8G44e4E-UXJ4eb7KzfoYDwa/w640-h426/Start_BarbourStirratEtAl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's 60+ Race at Golden Gate Park-Club Cross 2015-San Francisco <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64</span> There are 61 athletes entered in this division. Men's 50-54 is the only division with more. Those most likely to compete for the podium include: <b>Alan Evans, Nat Larson, Rick Lee, Kevin Ostenberg, Steve Schmidt, John Van Danacker</b>, and <b>Mark Zamek.</b></p><p><b>Evans </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers</span> is known primarily as a marathoner and a stalwart competitor for GVH in the Masters National Grand Prix events. His most recent effort was a 2:57:17 at Grandma's Marathon in June, when he took the 60-64 title. At Syracuse in March, his 1:22:26 left him 7th in 55-59. Had he been a few months older, he would have been on the podium in 3rd. Evans's most recent Club Cross effort was at Lehigh in 2019 when he finished 6th in M55 with a 37:13 [age grade equivalent to a 29:36 for comparing to 8K XC]. He just ripped off a 36:42 10K on Thanksgiving Day; he is fit!</p><p><b>Larson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers</span> is a heavy favorite. The three-time Masters Harrier of the Year has been doing it on the roads this year. He holds the ratified American 60-64 Record on the roads for the 1 Mile <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:49 </span>and 10 Mile <span style="font-size: x-small;">57:24</span>. He also holds 60-64 American records that were just ratified at the USATF Annual Meeting for 5 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">16:35</span>, 8 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">27:45</span>, 10 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">34:25</span>, 12 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">42:26</span>, 15 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">53:32</span>, Half Marathon <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:15:27</span>. All have been set in the last 16 months. Larson is also the defending Club Cross 60-64 Champion; he won last year, by 19 seconds, in near gale conditions at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, clocking 29:24. He also took the 60-64 win at Cross Nationals in Richmond over 8 Km at Pole Green Park, winning by over 40 seconds, in 28:33! Larson, at times, seems unbeatable. He is so determined in his training and his racing! He is that rare runner who excels on the roads and on the turf! He will often pick out a faster, younger runner and stick with him until forced to give up, or not! The strategy usually pays off handsomely. But it can backfire, as it did, once at least, in Tallahassee in 2021.</p><p><b>Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore Athletic Club</span> is in his 5th year of running. During that time, he has run distances from the Mile to the Marathon to Ultra Marathons, including a multi-day event across the Sahara and, recently the Comrades Marathon in South Africa over 90 Km. Lee also runs on the track, the XC turf and the roads. He wins his age division most of the time; Lee holds the American 60-64 Records at 50 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:31:44</span> and at 50 Miles <span style="font-size: x-small;">6:27:30</span>. To give an idea of his range, Lee won the 60-64 Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis this year in 5:06 and was the first 60-64 American to finish with a 2:48:17 at the Chicago Marathon. Lee finished 3rd at Club Cross in San Francisco with a 29:52 and at Richmond with a 29:52.</p><p><b>Ostenberg</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies Running Club</span> deserves a mention. At Clubs in Tallahassee in 2021, he finished 5th in 31:12, closing fast to finish just 24 seconds off the podium! He fared less well at San Francisco last December but was still just outside the top ten of 105 finishers! At Carlsbad this year he took the 60-64 crown in 18:08! An interesting footnote: Athlinks informs me that Ostenberg ran in the 2001 Club Cross Country Championships and in most of them since. It did not retrieve times for 2001, 2002, nor 2003 but it did tell me that as a 44-year-old runner, Ostenberg finished 11th in the 40-44 division in the 2004 Clubs in Portland OR. </p><p><b>Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor Track Club</span> first came to my attention as one of the first two entrants into Amby Burfoot's 6DS3 Marathon club a few years back. The 6DS3 club consists of those individuals who have run a sub-3-hour marathon in 6 decades of their life. He was credited by the other fellow who made it on his first try in the same race with helping him to get through the last few miles on pace. Having gotten to know Schmidt as a teammate this year, that selfless act does not surprise me in the least. Schmidt is also a determined runner. He finished 2nd to Larson at Clubs in San Francisco, closing hard to pass Lee for 2nd and finish within 20 seconds of Larson. He typically wins his division at important races and has almost always been on the podium, even in this highly contested division, at national championships, including the 5 km <span style="font-size: x-small;">17:39 on the 'Atlanta Flat' course</span>; Half Marathon <span style="font-size: x-small;">1:21:12 on the hilly Syracuse course on an unseasonably warm day. </span>He finished 2nd to Zamek on a warm day in Boca Raton at the Masters 5Km Championships. That should be good preparation for the outing in Tallahassee this coming weekend.</p><p><b>Van Danacker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Company [TC = Twin Cities] </span>finished 7 seconds behind Lee at Clubs in San Francisco, just off the podium. He rectified that at Cross Nationals in Richmond. Finishing behind Larson again, this time Van Danacker took 2nd, putting a 26 second gap on Lee. When these two tangled again on the roads, this time with Schmidt in the mix, it was Lee, Van Danacker and Schmidt in times ranging from 17:31 to 17:39! Zamek emerged from a long rehab and joined the 60-64 crew for the first time at the 10 Km. Larson took top honors, setting the American record at the same time. But Van Danacker took 2nd, 19 seconds ahead of Zamek. Schmidt, apparently on an off day, was a half-minute back in 4th. Van Danacker ran a 1:20:12 Half Marathon in August but I find nothing for him from this fall. That could mean something is afoot but it has been his pattern at least as far as I can tell on Athlinks. There are few results in the fall and then Van Danacker hops into Clubs and is one of the top competitors. Most likely it will be the same this time around.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiudnK2m_B6Pd93vNlqrS3PffGzuBjVQ812wxzJ04KH7cW6ShI4WZ-V3kF427ibRw4kOPgHDMJLe2_pdd2hBGLD7-v57_8skhaDNB43uzOUxY3T49HB5ED_mYbIwl8kp3ML44IprDu1CpMQ51_RtSdX-H3Tv6UaoUrt58bnkrqiAB9rm_ex5Alj-WtoHM/s420/Larson_Westenberg_Lee_King%20et%20alCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="420" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiudnK2m_B6Pd93vNlqrS3PffGzuBjVQ812wxzJ04KH7cW6ShI4WZ-V3kF427ibRw4kOPgHDMJLe2_pdd2hBGLD7-v57_8skhaDNB43uzOUxY3T49HB5ED_mYbIwl8kp3ML44IprDu1CpMQ51_RtSdX-H3Tv6UaoUrt58bnkrqiAB9rm_ex5Alj-WtoHM/w640-h620/Larson_Westenberg_Lee_King%20et%20alCROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Gate Park-San Francisco CA - Men's 60+ Race-2022 Club Cross Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>Zamek</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore Athletic Club</span>, as noted, emerged from a long period of rehab to finish 4th in Atlanta at the 5 Km and then land on the 60-64 podium for the first time at the Masters 10 Km Championships, hosted by the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham MA. Zamek has not competed recently at Cross Country Championships but finished 2nd to Larson in M55 over 10 Km at Lehigh in 2019. His 36:07 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[age grade equivalent to a 28:44 8K for comparison purposes]</span> left him 12 seconds behind Larson. As noted, he bested Schmidt at the 10Km Championships by a good half minute in April. This October, over 5 Km on a warm day in Boca Raton, the race was closer, but Zamek won this time, with Schmidt 2nd, 13 seconds back.</p><p>Dubbed the 'Big 4' after Clubs in San Francisco, Larson, Schmidt, Lee and Van Danacker slugged it out at various venues, always with a slightly different set of 4. It would have been 5 had <b>Dan King</b> been able to stay healthy. Even so he finished within a few seconds of Lee at the Road Mile Championships and pipped him in age grading. King is rehabbing this winter; if all goes well, I am sure we will hear about some 65-69 record attempts in his new age division. Once Zamek came out of rehab, it became the Big Five, even without King.</p><p>There are many fine runners entered who may sneak in under the radar and land on the podium. In addition to Evans and Ostenberg mentioned above, there is <b>Paul Thiels</b>, out of New Orleans, who may run well in the warmth and humidity. He is a talented runner, no doubt. He enjoyed a 2:49:17 marathon at Houston in January of 2022. Thiels ran a neat 38:22 at the Crescent City 10K, also in early 2022. If either of those had been more recent, his name would have made it in the top list. His outing at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2021 appeared to be a little off relative to those of the Big Five who were there. <b>Joe Mora </b>gives these contenders a run for their money at shorter distances like a Mile or a 5K. He came in 3rd behind Lee and King at the 60-64 Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis, clocking 5:13. In 2022, He took the 60-64 honors at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, kicking away from <b>Tim De Grado </b>and Lee to take the win in 18:02. But his outings at Tallahassee and San Francisco make it a little doubtful that he can stay close enough over 8 kilometers of turf to do damage with a closing kick. Watch out if he is close though, after getting up 'The Wall' for the last time.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCHOACxFY1SZB9XnigBFo1wgnyYcF-obCawPvEJ5dThX2W2UyT-ZWpKcmcZIZbb6KlpKhyphenhyphenWg_dCyJwXc3wfZPme7Q01Qst4V938GIcYlg4kBOYMip-z7bZnlj2gJ3veLz40wzj4Oq4_CXAbYvuESLbmFsnS5nUpyB_RnFTIDPVfWz9WejfYUob0o3bxZy/s960/Bell-Richtman-Rybinski-start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCHOACxFY1SZB9XnigBFo1wgnyYcF-obCawPvEJ5dThX2W2UyT-ZWpKcmcZIZbb6KlpKhyphenhyphenWg_dCyJwXc3wfZPme7Q01Qst4V938GIcYlg4kBOYMip-z7bZnlj2gJ3veLz40wzj4Oq4_CXAbYvuESLbmFsnS5nUpyB_RnFTIDPVfWz9WejfYUob0o3bxZy/w640-h426/Bell-Richtman-Rybinski-start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apalachee Regional Park-2016 Club Cross-Men's 60+ Race--Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Although I have noted that Larson can be beaten. I gave one example, but Lee apparently did so at one race this fall as well. Having said that it would be foolish not to suggest that Larson is, far and away, the favorite. A multiple record holder, 3-time Masters Harrier of the Year. He would have the target on his back even if I were not the one to put it there. After that there is even more guesswork involved. I have no recent races for Van Danacker; I am assuming he enters in top fitness. Zamek has been able to come in ahead of Schmidt the last two times. But even that is hardly certain. Zamek continues to have concerns about some of his long-term issues and does rehab faithfully. It looks like he will enter in full fitness. Lee has been up and down a lot this year, running an incredibly fast time one weekend and then struggling a bit the next due to some nagging issue. Coming into this weekend he is rehabbing a hamstring which is apparently responding well. Taking all in all, I will go with a likely order of Larson-Van Danacker-Zamek. But will I be surprised if Lee and/or Schmidt wind up on the podium? Not at all. </p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order:</i></p><p><b><i>Nat Larson</i> <i>John Van Danacker Mark Zamek</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span>The top contenders in this division include <b>Rick Becker</b>, <b>Daniel Johnson</b>, <b>Doug Keller</b>, <b>David Westenberg</b>, and <b>Ken Youngers</b>.</p><p><b>Becker </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club</span> is that team's 'Out of Association' recruit. A long-time <i>Club Northwest</i> runner out of the state of Washington, Becker wanted to be part of a team that competed at multiple national masters championships each year rather than just Clubs. I noted that Ostenberg went at least back to 2004 Club Cross in his participation. At that same event, Becker finished one place ahead of the 44-year-old Ostenberg, taking first in his 50-54 division at the time. Becker, like Larson, is also a 3-time Masters Harrier of the Year. My first encounter with Becker on the turf was when Cross Nationals were at Bend in 2016. He tore around that challenging course, over a golf course on the side of a cinder cone, winning his 60-64 division by 2 minutes! Becker did not win every race, of course, especially in the last year in his division. His recent experience on the turf includes a 2nd place finish at Cross Nationals in San Diego in January of 2022 at the Mission Bay course in San Diego. He trailed <b>Jacob Nur</b> in that race. Nur, a multiple American road record holder and the 65-69 Club Cross Champion in 2022, is not defending his title. Becker had an off day in San Francisco, finishing 6th. He did not contest the championships in Richmond but showed at Boca Raton he is to be reckoned with. He won 65-69 in 18:57. with Youngers a minute back and Westenberg another 13 seconds behind Youngers in 3rd. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQVrHQacFowWbJFX4b1Li9CETKOCftcwRvyHGmyWzyNDIceX1jU0i0bnHuG9frjLstVoneH_hmsc8SUXoWyWltMvwWh6qPq95jN9tpBMgLgJ075CKHryZbreGi-H7mRwUr1KqoQn2NY10ze_cmZFfM-d0v9THmPe0GB5KDXeLdQwxC7q1owwzaDEt8XYk/s960/M60+-Sheeran-Youngers-Curran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQVrHQacFowWbJFX4b1Li9CETKOCftcwRvyHGmyWzyNDIceX1jU0i0bnHuG9frjLstVoneH_hmsc8SUXoWyWltMvwWh6qPq95jN9tpBMgLgJ075CKHryZbreGi-H7mRwUr1KqoQn2NY10ze_cmZFfM-d0v9THmPe0GB5KDXeLdQwxC7q1owwzaDEt8XYk/w640-h426/M60+-Sheeran-Youngers-Curran.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexington KY--The Lead Out for the Men's 60+ Race at 2017 Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Johnson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Company </span>finished 3rd in 65-69 at last year's Club Cross Championships, running almost a minute faster than Becker. He followed that with a 19:08 at the Brian Kraft 5K in May and a 1:25:16 at the Bjorklund Half Marathon at Grandma's in June. The one cloud is again a lack of results in the late summer and fall. But like his teammate, Van Danacker, Johnson also does not necessarily race much after mid-summer, at least as far as one can tell from Athlinks. On the other hand, at the close of registration he had been declared to the 'B' team. It may be that Johnson's fitness is a bit off its peak. On paper he appears to be stronger than one, if not two, of the athletes entered on the 'A' team.</p><p><b>Keller</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">TC Running Company </span>moves up from 60-64 this year. Last year he finished a minute ahead of Johnson, at 31:37, claiming 15th in M60 in his last year in the division. Had he been in 65-59, his time would have earned him a 3rd place finish. In September he ran a 1:24:19 at the City of Lakes Half Marathon and followed that in October with a 38:10 10K at the Victory races. Keller has competed at most of the Club Cross Championships since 2015, topping out at 7th in his division twice. perhaps this is his year to move up to the podium?</p><p><b>Westenberg</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Greater Lowell Road Runners</span> until recently was a talented middle-distance runner whose only idea of competing on the roads was pretty much centered on Road Mile competitions. He has since moved onto the roads and the turf in a much bigger way. He won the 65-69 Masters 10 Km Championship in Dedham MA this April, cruising to a 39:19. He had run 38:12 the year before. Through a pact with his daughter, Westenberg even trained for and ran a marathon together with her this September, clocking 3:03:13. On the turf Westenberg finished 2nd to Nur last December at Clubs in San Francisco, a half minute ahead of Johnson. He followed that a month later with a win in Richmond where he finished a minute ahead of Youngers. As noted, at Boca in early October, Westenberg finished 3rd at Boca behind Becker and Youngers. Whether Westenberg still had some heaviness in his legs from his early September Marathon or it whether the marathon training reduced his fast twitch fitness is an open question. With another two months of his normal training regimen, Westenberg may be able to compete more effectively on the turf at Clubs.</p><p><b>Youngers</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>has been battling health issues off and on for the last couple of years. Youngers had his best Club Cross finish, at least in recent years, at Clubs in Lexington KY in 2017 when he finished 3rd in 60-64 behind Becker and <b>Joe Sheeran</b>. In 2022 he was at peak fitness when he clocked 37:48 at Dedham, at the end of April, to take the 65-69 win and set the 65-69 course record. He finished 2nd at the Masters (Road) Mile Championships a few weeks later but then did not compete at any National Masters championships after that. He skipped Club Cross but was healthy enough to compete for his team at Cross Nationals in Richmond. His 32:29 2nd place time in 65-69 helped his ATC team to the 60+ team victory. In between that championship and Boca Raton, Youngers was engaged in rehab and getting healthy. He was able to run in Boca Raton, finishing 2nd, as noted, a minute behind Becker and 13 seconds ahead of Westenberg. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Youngers clocked an 18:54 5K at the Invesco Half Marathon. Although not in the kind of condition he would like, it appears Youngers can compete for a podium spot at Tallahassee, as well as help his team.</p><p>Becker seems to be riding the wave right now after battling injury early in the year. He looks good for the win. After that I am going to guess that Westenberg has moved past Youngers again. Youngers may be good for the podium as well, but Keller looks a slightly better bet. I will hazard a guess on Becker-Westenberg-Keller for the podium in that order.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order:</i></p><p><b><i>Rick Becker</i> <i>Doug Keller David Westenberg</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Robert Qualls</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">River City Rebels </span>has been winning every national 70-74 championship in sight this year, on the track, on the roads and on the turf! He took the Cross Country trifecta this 2022-23 season. He won his 70-74 division race at Clubs in San Francisco, at Cross Nationals in Richmond and at the Masters 5Km Championships in Boca Raton! His winning margins were 11 seconds, 1:48 and 46 seconds respectively. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaljuPeElBdbsPT5AB4LkJAscKShbfT29Tg-mpAspZ9OIZmLdvhdXY4N1P2ueiK9QBHJCDjTSP3pF5X8FaWTfU4fxlrntrOubBf_v6W2agvuH_Z78z6kJIR0rks_xSCqxo3F7Py4aa1NEv6Be3knEUEahng2pKATYwOxUEuL16vEwMRx_c7Csc1eRiHUZ/s1282/McCluskey%20Blowing%20by%20a%20bunch%20of%2060's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1282" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaljuPeElBdbsPT5AB4LkJAscKShbfT29Tg-mpAspZ9OIZmLdvhdXY4N1P2ueiK9QBHJCDjTSP3pF5X8FaWTfU4fxlrntrOubBf_v6W2agvuH_Z78z6kJIR0rks_xSCqxo3F7Py4aa1NEv6Be3knEUEahng2pKATYwOxUEuL16vEwMRx_c7Csc1eRiHUZ/w640-h428/McCluskey%20Blowing%20by%20a%20bunch%20of%2060's.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spokane WA Men 60+ Mid-Race 2018 Club Cross Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The closest competitor who is entered for these championships is <b>Rick Pfeiffer</b> who was 39 seconds behind Qualls in San Francisco. Others who might give Qualls a battle for the win include <b>Thomas Cushman</b> and <b>Tomas Rodriguez</b>. <b>David Dunbar</b> who finished 2nd at Cross Nationals in San Diego in 2022 and 3rd in the division when Clubs were at Tallahassee two years ago could also contend. Depending on how those five do, others who could contend for the podium include: <b>Doug Bell</b> and <b>Douglas Chesnut</b> who finished 2nd and 4th respectively at Cross Nationals in Richmond. But that field was not as deep. They were over a minute and a half behind Qualls. Based on the paper trail, I thought that <b>Ted Larison</b> who finished 4th at Clubs in San Francisco with a 36:00 effort, could, with a good day, land on the podium. But it appears that <b>Jim Foster</b>, his teammate, has been running well ahead of Larison at two of the Pete Glavin Cross Country Series races this fall. Foster won the 65-69 Championship at Clubs in Lexington KY in 2017. He finished 6th at Clubs when it was at Lehigh in 2019 but has struggled at Clubs since. It is probably a reach too far for him to land on the podium but he should help his team to a good finish.</p><p><b>Pfeiffer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jamul Toads </span>broke into the 70+ ranks with a 2nd place finish at Tallahassee. Two years older and with a deeper field, Pfeiffer still made the podium, finishing third at San Francisco. He had a good outing at the Cross Country Championships in San Diego last month but not as good as Dunbar, who came in a minute ahead over 6 Km.</p><p><b>Cushman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggie Running Club</span> was on fire two years ago when he won the 65-69 division at Tallahassee in 34:12, a full minute faster than Pfeiffer and two minutes faster than Dunbar. But Cushman did not compete at San Francisco. The most recent outings I can find in Athlinks are a 45+ and a 46+ 10K in February and March of this year. Lucky for me, Cushman ran in the Pacific Association Aggies Cross Country Championships over 4.2 miles in October. He finished well ahead of the 70's field. It was the same story a month later at the PA XC Championships over 5 miles. His 33'20 even eclipsed Qualls by over a half a minute. Qualls has had some injury niggles even during this incredible run. Is this one of those? One race does not make a national champion, but it probably makes Cushman the favorite going in. </p><p><b>Rodriguez </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast Track Club</span> is another athlete new to the 70's. At Tallahassee he was a half minute behind Cushman in 3rd. Rodriguez also skipped San Francisco. His most recent 10K is faster than the winter ones reported for Cushman, at 41:24 on Thanksgiving Day. Rodriguez did not compete in the So Cal XC championships on November 12th, however.</p><p>I am going to guess that 'youth' will be served; I will put Cushman ahead of Qualls but Qualls ahead of Rodriguez. It will be another great race, within the race, to follow.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order:</i></p><p><b><i>Thomas Cushman</i> <i>Robert Qualls Tomas Rodriguez</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span>With the exception of Clubs last year at San Francisco, the turf in this division has been owned by <b>Ron Wells </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jamul Toads</span>. He won Clubs at Tallahassee in 2021 and at Cross Nationals in his backyard Mission Bay course in January of 2022. The races were not tight. At Tallahassee he was over a half minute ahead of his closest pursuer, <b>Dave Glass</b>, when Glass was in top form. In San Diego it was the same story except that it was <b>Gary Ostwald </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>in 2nd and a full minute back, with <b>Gary Patton</b> and Glass further back in 3rd and 4th. Ostwald pulled a big upset in San Francisco, closing with a terrific kick that pulled him just past Wells to take the victory by a single second! Ostwald went on to win at Richmond, where Wells was not entered. Again, Ostwald's trademark finish stood him in good stead as he caught Glass on the final loop and powered away over the final 200 meters. Ostwald will get to test himself against Wells again. But Glass and Patton are not competing.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUK02w9b2tAFFpfNETbbjfUwj4eMQKbQxgW8Vmxz3Qm0Ct6rDbQgg9I4bCiNHtF8q3UmMqBiiGGwK7uI9F2YMZaAbsV4TLaf7zFHN7GbkLCR45BE5hwueFj7z9jg6pn0iwtk3arMqhM51tOfmATlFDOZZWiOieh959rT6cn7-rATdUIYomBjDDvYhCO1k3/s1317/Learned_Andersen_Longmuir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1317" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUK02w9b2tAFFpfNETbbjfUwj4eMQKbQxgW8Vmxz3Qm0Ct6rDbQgg9I4bCiNHtF8q3UmMqBiiGGwK7uI9F2YMZaAbsV4TLaf7zFHN7GbkLCR45BE5hwueFj7z9jg6pn0iwtk3arMqhM51tOfmATlFDOZZWiOieh959rT6cn7-rATdUIYomBjDDvYhCO1k3/w640-h426/Learned_Andersen_Longmuir.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lehigh-Bethlehem PA - Men's 60+ Race--Navigating the muddiest turn on the course-Club Cross Championships 2019-<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Rick Katz</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Boulder Road Runners</span>, <b>Jerry Learned</b>, and <b>Terry McCluskey </b>have joined the 75-79 division. Katz, still in 70-74 at the time, ran a half minute faster than Ostwald at Richmond. Learned was further back but was dealing with a health issue at the time. Learned had a tough first few months of 2023 but by the 10Km Championships in Dedham at the end of April, he was starting to recover. He still ran several minutes slower than the year before, but he was now running with some of his old grittiness. He is probably not quite ready to compete for the podium, but he will not be far off. He finished well over a minute behind Katz at Boca; Katz won with a 24:48, with Learned 2nd at 26:12. McCluskey too is a bit of a wild card. He was at the top of the 70-74 division, winning at Clubs in Spokane and again at Lehigh in 2018 and 2019. But with Covid interrupting racing and his main running partner taking some time away from the circuit for surgery, McCluskey did not train with his old in9tensity and did not race in championships. That ended when 'The Silver Bullet', <b>Doug Goodhue</b>, then in his 80's, started to come back from surgery and wanted to run himself gradually back into shape by competing at national championships. McCluskey agreed to compete in San Francisco and finished well back, running with his teammate. Three months later he ran at Atlanta finishing 10th in 70-74. But his time was faster than the third-place time in 75-79. At the Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis at the end of June, he finished 7th in M70, again would have finished 3rd in M75, and came in 7 seconds ahead of Katz. In August he ran a 47:52 10K, suggesting his training was coming around. He also ran at the 12 Km Championships but had an issue during the race that forced him to cut his effort back. He still finished well back. With almost 3 months to get back on track, based on past history, one would expect McCluskey to have a good outing in Tallahassee.</p><p>I expect it to come down to Katz, McCluskey, Ostwald and Wells. My best guess is that Ostwald may be the odd man out. If not, he will have to get his kick going again! Wells ran well at the San Diego XC Championships this November, finishing ahead of Pfeiffer. Let us put him at the head of the class and let the others catch him if they can. I guess Wells will be ready for Ostwald this time. Katz ran a half minute faster t1han Ostwald in Richmond. McCluskey beat Katz over a mile on the roads. I would guess that suggests McCluskey should beat Katz on the turf as well. We shall see. I will also guess that McCluskey is not quite ready to take down Wells. it will be fun to watch! So I have Wells-McCluskey-Katz as the likely finishing order.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order:</i></p><p><b><i>Rick Katz Terry McCluskey</i><i> Ron Wells</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span>This is <b>Doug Goodhue's</b> division. When the Masters Hall of Famer ran Clubs at San Francisco for fun, he was awarded 2nd place in the division. But there was a lot of confusion in that race due to the near Gale conditions. It is known that the marshals made some misdirection during the race; some of the older competitors were directed to finish before taking a last short loop. According to the splits, which no one disputes, <b>Goodhue</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Ann Arbor Track Club</span> was well ahead at the last split. Anyone can be caught and passed but it seems unlikely. Suffice to say that since that time, Goodhue has been unbeatable in the division. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA9vEESuSz9yBM_oGo0aq9Nqp3VRV0xWerD9oNgY0jhszhbncUQkBa_irnOHdkkjaMynZAhRuAFZMTRolACbn_b0kJRAlaqGco1OP2tbB285WoR-ktyMVBcrASk5mh4U3wL2-C7DKSW6Lg_sO36ynJOsaqplgTIpDKVXdc_ahW7phK477j7gYF8QNZY00/s1317/Goodhue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1317" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA9vEESuSz9yBM_oGo0aq9Nqp3VRV0xWerD9oNgY0jhszhbncUQkBa_irnOHdkkjaMynZAhRuAFZMTRolACbn_b0kJRAlaqGco1OP2tbB285WoR-ktyMVBcrASk5mh4U3wL2-C7DKSW6Lg_sO36ynJOsaqplgTIpDKVXdc_ahW7phK477j7gYF8QNZY00/w640-h426/Goodhue.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lehigh-Bethlehem PA -Men's 60+ Race -- Another Shot of the Muddy Turn-Club Cross Championships 2019-<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Even with a fall and a scrape in Atlanta, he took the division crown by more than two minutes over <b>Ed Bligh</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club</span>. He won the 12 Km Championships in mid-September by over 20 minutes and would have been in the top ten in a much deeper and faster set of 75–79-year-olds. This will be Goodhue's first race back on the turf where he will be running to score well! He should take the 80-84 crown while beating as many 70-79-year-olds as possible! <b>Art Must</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>has just entered the 80-84 division. He ran 43:11 at the Decatur-Dekalb 4 Miler in August. That was a good 9 minutes ahead of <b>Andrew Sherwood </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club</span>. But Must held a slower pace than Bligh typically employs at the shorter distancers. Bligh has either won his races or finished 2nd to Goodhue this year. He ran a 1:00:05 10K at Peachtree this year. He will be challenged though. <b>David Salmon</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">High Point Athletic Club </span>has run a 29:40 5K and this summer ran 1:38:43 at the Utica Boilermaker 15K. Those times suggest a close match between Bligh and Salmon. I will give the edge to Bligh based on experience at national championships, but it could go either way. That is the likely outcome on Saturday then--Goodhue to win, followed by Bligh and then Salmon. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHgxq7dZy1ZLa-P9EkDT2a4Y3x3FUgHDKsI6NRIS7e5e02pHymS0UkSz19JUMgeYeGDKk5fesDLDmK3FhQFyvIDnwF8EmM7Mnl_5PgkrRcI6bY2Zla717OrrWlcfiQHcbN6Q1dT3TBtF_fMjhTipLITvl_lMiA0hXID8JWXyjd3vq-BdSzJIkV0UU4kwc/s1257/Wells-Pratt-GVH%20698-Garcia-Katz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHgxq7dZy1ZLa-P9EkDT2a4Y3x3FUgHDKsI6NRIS7e5e02pHymS0UkSz19JUMgeYeGDKk5fesDLDmK3FhQFyvIDnwF8EmM7Mnl_5PgkrRcI6bY2Zla717OrrWlcfiQHcbN6Q1dT3TBtF_fMjhTipLITvl_lMiA0hXID8JWXyjd3vq-BdSzJIkV0UU4kwc/w640-h428/Wells-Pratt-GVH%20698-Garcia-Katz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apalachee Regional Park-Tallahassee FL -Men's 60+ Race--2021 Club Cross Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If things break just right, Must could wind up on the podium. And watch out for Sherwood; he always competes!</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order:</i></p><p><b><i>Ed Bligh Doug Goodhue David Salmon</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Adrian Craven </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>is, once again, in a class by himself, the oldest competit1or on the Men's side. He is set to add this victory to his earlier victories this calendar year at Richmond and Boca Raton.</p><p><i>Top Contenders in Alphabetical Order:</i></p><p><b><i>Adrian Craven</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next up--Men's 40+!</span></p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-47505441914280676432023-12-03T16:32:00.001-05:002023-12-03T16:32:34.937-05:002023 USATF Club Cross Championships-Masters Races-Women--Age Divisions<p><b>December 2, 2023.</b> The Saturday forecast is warmer and more humid than a few days ago but still not bad, at least for the first two races. Temps in the low 60's for the Women's race, followed by mid 60's for the Men's 60+ race at 10 AM, with mid- to upper 60's for the start of the Men's 40+ race at 11 AM. With relative humidity forecasted for 80% and above, the dew point for the M40+ race should be above 60, but below for the first two. Hats, sunglasses and hydration may be important. At the moment there is no rain in the forecast between today and the race; if that holds, footing should be good. Of course, as always, keep an eye on the weather forecast. It can change every few days. </p><p>The Women's race goes off at 9 AM over 6 Km. That is two 3km loops around the course at Apalachee Regional Park. It starts across a wide, open grassy field, down a short slope, past the Jumbotron that has a video feed from the course and periodically updated standings. There is a gradual climb to a left turn heading to the back of the course. Eventually it turns and runners wind through a wooded section and then, after the 2 Km mark, onto the 'Shell Path', ground up shells that feels something like running on gravel. Then you bend left and at about 2.5 Km, get to 'The Wall', a short, sharper uphill where runners who are feeling good can hope to make a decisive move. After that it is straight along the top field back behind the start and then repeat. On the 2nd loop instead of heading straight, after 'The Wall', runners hug the woods on the lefthand side of the top, open field where they started, following that along and then downslope to the finish.</p><p>Course Map: <a href="https://www.flipsnack.com/USATF/2023-usatf-national-club-cross-country-championships-6-km-course/full-view.html">2023 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships 6 km Course by sarah.linehan - Flipsnack</a></p><p>This preview considers the 155 entries for the Women's race. I report on Individuals by Age Division; later this week, there will be a report on teams. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LERBY6dCF2q9LLez3E0UCgGG_OEpjJMj2pGoLvvPBOJPqWq_sWXtaRRNW_pXOuI3IfsCxZD_NAol83ZtBPv3fmY2V0fVBGKZ8FufQASIhJ8X6LAla_B0xo3Y08qvvi7VISUlyfH7UTUR4UAdcMscES0VJY2djiShf0s2W0pByWB4ZEUiBjZ1k_qBr-HS/s674/xc2013GGPwebSD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="674" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LERBY6dCF2q9LLez3E0UCgGG_OEpjJMj2pGoLvvPBOJPqWq_sWXtaRRNW_pXOuI3IfsCxZD_NAol83ZtBPv3fmY2V0fVBGKZ8FufQASIhJ8X6LAla_B0xo3Y08qvvi7VISUlyfH7UTUR4UAdcMscES0VJY2djiShf0s2W0pByWB4ZEUiBjZ1k_qBr-HS/w640-h474/xc2013GGPwebSD2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's Race at Club Cross 2015--Golden Gate Park, San Francisco <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44 </span>This division is packed with talent and determination. If all goes according to paper, <b>Carrie Dimoff</b> and <b>Renee Metivier</b> will battle for the win. But there are so many others who could upset that apple cart. </p><p><b>Dimoff</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman TC </span>was a top performer, as an Open athlete, at the 3000M steeplechase and 10,000 meters on the track. She finished 13tth in the Marathon at the Doha World Championships in 2019. More recently she captured the Women's title at the Bowerman 5K this August in 16:45 and cranked out a 1:18:48 Half Marathon in July. Dimoff competed as an Open runner at Clubs in San Francisco, finishing 51st out of 264 and 6th out of 42. The time of 19:38 is misleading because the makeshift course was short. The only way the officials could convince the Parks Department to allow the races to continue in the gale conditions was to put every remaining race on the Polo Grounds 'track.' It is, perhaps, more meaningful to say that Dimoff finished a little over a minute behind the winner, Stephanie Bruce---pretty fast company!</p><p><b>Metivier</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </span>has the flat speed to match Dimoff; she finished 6th in the Elite Women's Race at Carlsbad in 2022, clocking 16:41. Metivier went to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships five times in her Open Career between 2006 and 2010. Her best finish was in 2007 when she finished 36th. The second American to finish, Metivier helped the USA to an 8th place team finish. Highly consistent, her worst individual finish was 49th. She contributed to Team USA's 4th place finish in 2008 and their 3rd place finish in 2010. In her first Masters Championship, Metivier ran away from the field at the 2022 Cross Country Nationals in San Diego, in 21:50, enjoying a winning margin of 1:46. That field was strong at the top. <b>Maggie Shearer</b> (see 45-49) finished 3rd in that race; she was 2nd at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2021 and at San Francisco last December. It is more difficult to judge Metivier's recent fitness. This past April she finished in the top ten Masters at the Sunapee Scramble Up and Down Mountain Trail Run. Shortly thereafter, Metivier took 1st Masters at the Breakneck Point Half Marathon Trail Run.</p><p>Two others who stand out from a deep field include: </p><p><b>Katie Sherron</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gulf Winds TC</span>, who bested Shearer by 12 seconds at the 2021 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee. She was the hometown favorite in 2021 and brings that same comfort with the course and the hometown crowd to this race. But she has other credentials too. Last June she took home the Masters Road Mile Championship from Indianapolis, clocking 5:05. She ran a 17:34 5K in April and this fall took the Women's title at the Clearwater (FL) HM in 1:20:17.</p><p><b>Jennifer Pesce</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State TC </span>is also a two-time Masters Overall Champion. She burst onto the Masters scene this past February with a win at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta; she pulled away in the final uphill kilometer to take the title in 17:48. Pesce demonstrated her range by coming back in September to add the 12 km Masters overall win in 44:29, this time with over a half minute to spare. Although I can see no recent Cross Country results, I did find that, as a college freshman in 1998, Pesce competed in the sub-varsity race at the New England College Cross Country Championships where she finished 45th of 247! So Pesce knows cross country in her core, if not from recent experience.</p><p>Others who could make the podium if they have a good day:</p><p><b>Carre Joyce Heineck </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </span>has paid her dues with a 3rd place Masters finish at Tallahassee in 2021 and a 5th place finish at Clubs in San Francisco. She has clocked a 17:58 5K, a 39:58 10K and finished as the 6th woman overall at the Portland Marathon in early October with a 1:22:38. In May she took the women's title and the Elite masters Women's title at Lilac Bloomsday, covering the 12 Km in 44:49.</p><p><b>Jessica Hruska </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Garden State TC </span>finished 7th at Tallahassee, 1:13 behind Sherron. In October of '22, Hruska went up to Boulder, CO and claimed 2nd at altitude in the Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships. At Clubs in San Francisco, she finished 4th, just 25 seconds back from the winner, <b>Meriah Earle.</b> Will she make the podium this time? This July she took the Masters title at the Quad City Bix over a challenging 7 Mile road course, in 42:56.</p><p><b>Vivien Hyman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">The Janes Elite Racing </span>finished in 6th overall, 4 seconds behind Heineck in San Francisco. She also finished 17th overall at Cross Nationals in San Diego in January 2022. Hyman ran an 18:48 5K in February but a 17:54 5K in June.</p><p><b>Jenny Kadavy </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies </span>finished 2nd overall at the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento in April, clocking 59:05. She was the first Masters woman at the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships in mid-November, clocking 23:34 over the Golden Gate Park 6 Km course.</p><p><b>Jennifer Keenan</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Checkers AC </span>has been the dominant Women's Masters runner this year at the Pete Glavin Cross Country series in upstate New York. Her road performances, this year, of 17:45 in the Tom Donnelly 5K, a 37:33 10K, and a 1:21:14 half marathon back up that claim to XC excellence.</p><p><b>Ziyang Liu</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Club NW</span> clocked 1:19:50 for the Redmond OR Half Marathon in early September. Her Eugene Marathon time earlier in the year was 2:44:56. She also clocked an 18:15 5k and a 37:27 10K. Perhaps more relevant, in fall of '22, a month before <b>Megan Heuer</b> finished 3rd overall at Club Cross in San Francisco, Liu came in ten seconds ahead of her at the Pac NW XC Championships.</p><p><b>Jennifer Lutz</b> has turned in some nifty times this year, including a 17:40 at the Super Sunday 5K and a 36:47 at the Lone Gull 10K, both part of the USATF-NE Grand Prix. She also was the first masters woman across the line at the New England XC Championships this year, finishing a good minute ahead of <b>Ginger Reiner</b> who finished 10th overall at the Masters 10 Km Championships this past April.</p><p><b>Elizabeth Camy</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast TC </span>has strong road credentials, but I find no recent Cross Country results. Still, Camy has run a number of marathons in the 2:43 to 2:53 range, including a 2:49:09 at Grandma's and a 2:46:51 in Boston, both this year. She also turned in a sizzling 1:18:39 at the Surf City Half Marathon.</p><p>If I dare to pick winners at this point, I will have to go with Dimoff, Metivier, and Sherron in that order. But there is a wide range of uncertainty around the podium. If everyone entered now shows up on the starting line, there will be some very swift runners who finish outside the top 10 overall in this division, </p><p>N=32 </p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Carrie Dimoff Renee Metivier Katie Sherron</b></i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVQUvL81v6pErMaXIMUCNvwBojtC39skYizQ1x9nDKlFHU4Ypzbfi4G1Bvw7VIN4deOZyqjaTERLgHxGPz7bmPZ-UI2TOpzgxZyfen12GSmu8oAfdyTt-noQQ45mrRqvFo2v843M6eGvbNVln8vVKUYcfb3NS7BB-y6ZoI3Ox8M8AbwOAVA7nJ4MxtruD/s960/BullCityPack-EndLoop1-CROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="960" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVQUvL81v6pErMaXIMUCNvwBojtC39skYizQ1x9nDKlFHU4Ypzbfi4G1Bvw7VIN4deOZyqjaTERLgHxGPz7bmPZ-UI2TOpzgxZyfen12GSmu8oAfdyTt-noQQ45mrRqvFo2v843M6eGvbNVln8vVKUYcfb3NS7BB-y6ZoI3Ox8M8AbwOAVA7nJ4MxtruD/w640-h408/BullCityPack-EndLoop1-CROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pack Running Exemplified at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2016, a reminder that it is not always warm and sunny in Tallahassee in December <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /><b><br /></b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">45-49 </span>The top entries in this division appear to be: <b>Jill Braley</b>,<b> Euleen Josiah-Tanner,</b> <b>Christy Peterson</b>, <b>Maggie Shearer</b>, <b>Gwendolyn Twist</b>, and <b>Cambria Wu</b>. Clearly if they are in top condition, Braley and Shearer are threats for the Overall win as well. </p><p><b>Shearer</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast </span>finished 2nd overall at each of the last two Club Cross Championships. It would be great if I could write that this year looks like the year she is poised to move up and win the whole thing. But life does not always work out so smoothly. I can find no race results for Shearer all summer and fall. I understand that she is training well now. But her 19:25 at the Dana Point Turkey Trot is well off where she would normally be. That may not have been an 'all out' effort, and her fitness is likely to be better by the 9th of December, but it is hard to see her competing for the overall podium.</p><p><b>Braley</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC </span>has not finished quite as high as Shearer at past championships but is purported to be in top condition. She just clocked a 1:22:07 hilly half marathon at the Invesco in Atlanta on Thanksgiving. Braley finished 6th overall at Tallahassee in 2022 but was only 40 seconds away from a podium finish. Perhaps that is in store for this December 9th? </p><p><b>Josiah-Tanner</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">T.H.E. TC </span>just took the Overall win at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships at Boca Raton FL., finishing a half minute ahead of <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b>. At Tallahassee in 2021, Josiah-Tanner took the 45-49 division crown, finishing 13 seconds behind Wu, in 40-44 then, and just over a minute behind Braley, also in 40-44 at the time. Josiah-Tanner did not fare as well at San Francisco, finishing 13th in the division, 40 seconds behind Wu and over a minute behind Twist. </p><p><b>Christy Peterson</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast </span>seems to be enjoying her best fitness in a couple of years. She just finished 2nd among Masters at the Dana Point Turkey Trot in 41:01. In the pre-Covid ears, Peterson was a threat for National Masters championships. In 2017, she came within a second of capturing the Masters 5 Km title in Syracuse when she clocked 17:51! She was a podium regular at prestigious races such as the Blue Cross Broad Street 10 Mile, the AJC Peachtree 10K, and the Freifhofer's 5K. Since then, her racing results have been a bit more modest, suggesting some barriers to full training. She was outside the top 5 at the Broad Street Run in 2021. She finished 7th in the 45-49 division and 14th overall at Cross Nationals in San Diego in early 2022. That marked her first national championship since moving to the West Coast and joining <i>Cal Coast</i>. She did not finish as highly on an individual basis as in the past. But she was a vital scorer for her Cal Coast team; they finished 2nd in the team competition. The team affiliation seems to have been a good thing. Peterson enters with a shot at the age division podium and, equally important, as a significant scorer for her 40+ team.</p><p><b>Cambria Wu</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Janes Elite Racing </span>finished 38 seconds ahead of her teammate, <b>Gwendolyn Twist </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Janes Elite Racing </span>at Tallahassee. But Twist turned the tables in San Francisco, finishing 29 seconds ahead of Wu. At the So Cal XC Championships in early November, Twist either had an off day or has had some training setbacks; she was 1:45 behind Wu. <b>Peterson</b>, running for the rival <i>Cal Coast</i> squad, split the two, finishing a good 45 minutes ahead of Twist and a good 45 seconds behind Wu. That will be one of the 'races within the race' that will be fun to watch!</p><p>If Shearer is a shade off her best, it looks like Braley could take the division title. But how will the others fare? it appears that Wu has the current edge over Peterson and Twist. Is Shearer still a bit ahead of those three even if off her game somewhat? Shearer will still run her heart out for the team but may not have her eye on an individual medal, except in passing. I will go with Wu, followed by Shearer.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Jill Braley Maggie Shearer Cambria Wu</b></i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnET2ATArVHiMdtpKltwTIYOBb74Dvnv0-l37Q8w5ZpOaORFUvR0elT3buz8Abo_MrbmH-16nXre_EbnOMzoKOe5F8X00GMU51WE3oHO1hsqHcjZEe-Fly65Sa8Iw8b6Rwg_gEoj0ubQD4KfPqAcRbu-K4jXdcFTPxRSMvwvTYJEgAxDw1getRoPJ1UK-U/s960/Start-Paaso-Liming%20et%20al-Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="960" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnET2ATArVHiMdtpKltwTIYOBb74Dvnv0-l37Q8w5ZpOaORFUvR0elT3buz8Abo_MrbmH-16nXre_EbnOMzoKOe5F8X00GMU51WE3oHO1hsqHcjZEe-Fly65Sa8Iw8b6Rwg_gEoj0ubQD4KfPqAcRbu-K4jXdcFTPxRSMvwvTYJEgAxDw1getRoPJ1UK-U/w640-h402/Start-Paaso-Liming%20et%20al-Crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another cold Club Cross Day in Lexington KY in 2017, the lead out onto the lower field <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">50-54 </span><b>Lorilyn Bloomer</b> and <b>Karolyn
Bowley</b> appear to be the top two contenders for the 50-54 win. <b>Hortencia
Aliaga</b> and <b>Holly McIlvaine </b>look stronger than the others for third. But <b>Samantha
Forde</b>, <b>Rebekah Kennedy</b>, <b>Carla McAlister</b>, and <b>Wendy
Terris</b> are all podium threats.<o:p></o:p></p><p><b>Bloomer</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman TC</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span>took
the win at Cross Nationals in San Diego in January 2020, finishing 17 seconds
ahead of <b>Marisa Sutera Strange</b>, who had won XC Nationals at
Tallahassee in 2019 over <b>Braley,</b> by 10 seconds. She claimed
the 45-49 division prize, finishing 7th overall, at Boston in the 2021 Masters
5 Km XC Championships. She finished 7 seconds behind Bowley, who took the 50-54
honors. Bloomer finished 6th overall at the 2022 edition of XC Nationals in San
Diego. This August she was the 10th Woman and the third masters Woman to finish
the Bowerman 5K, with a time of 18:32.<o:p></o:p></p><p><b>Bowley</b> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Boston Athletic
Association</span>, as noted, edged <b>Bloomer</b> in Boston. She
also won the 50-54 division at Tallahassee, finishing 4th overall, 43 seconds
behind <b>Sherron</b>. In San Francisco she finished 15th overall and 2nd
in 50-54 (of 41). Bowley was almost a minute under <b>Aliaga</b>'s time
and nearly 2 minutes ahead of <b>Forde</b> in that race. Bowley
finished 2nd, this past April, in 50-54 at the Masters 10 Km Championships with
a 38:19. This September her 38:10 earned 4th Masters and 1st in 50-54 at the
USATF-NE Championships in the Lone Gull 10K. She and Bloomer should have a heck
of a race!<o:p></o:p></p><p>As referenced just now, <b>Aliaga</b> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Garden
State TC </span>was 56 seconds ahead of <b>Forde</b> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Impala Racing Team </span>in San Francisco last
December and 1:14 ahead of <b>Terris </b>Team
Red Lizard<b> </b>. It had been closer in Tallahassee the year before,
where Aliaga edged Terris by just 12 seconds. Aliaga appears to be running
stronger than ever. She captured 2nd in this division in the Masters 5 Km
Championships in Atlanta. Her 19:09 on the 'Atlanta Flat' 5K course gave her a
40 second edge over Forde, who finished 4th. Aliaga came back later in the year
to take bronze in the 50-54 division at the 12 Km Masters Championship, with a
48:36. Forde was a minute back in 4th.<o:p></o:p></p><p><b>McIlvaine </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Club Northwest</span> finished 16 seconds before Aliaga did at San Francisco. At that time, McIlvaine was still in 45-49 while Aliaga was in 50-54. Athlinks provides no added information on more recent outings. I found, independently, that McIlvaine ran in the Pac NW Open & Masters XC Championships on November 3rd, finishing 21st overall in 26:10. That is enough, however, to suggest that McIlvaine and Aliaga will have a duel to see who claims the bronze medal spot on the podium. As McIlvaine came in ahead on their most recent head-to-head, that suggests she shoulld be favored. </p><p><b>Forde</b> is typically in the mix. She took the division title at XC
Nationals in Richmond this past January. To be fair, none of the rivals
mentioned in this analysis were racing. Forde has not been able to keep pace
with <b>Aliaga</b> when they have met, but Forde finished 20 seconds ahead of <b>Terris</b>
in San Francisco. <b>McAlister </b>finished 5 seconds ahead of Terris in
Tallahassee and 12 seconds ahead of Terris in San Francisco; she was 8 seconds
behind Forde though. These three have finished close to one another. Aliaga
should be able to put some distance on the trio but if one of three breaks out
from that group, it might get much closer for third place.<o:p></o:p></p><p>My best guess is: <b>Bowley, Bloomer</b>, and <b>McIlvaine</b> in that order. Aliaga could well upset that forecast, however.<o:p></o:p></p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Lorilyn
Bloomer Karolyn Bowley Holly McIlvaine</i></b><o:p></o:p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJg_Ysjx4VYYYTuFeExMLGXHqLmC7s6yCLOwyesm7iOx6yfX_9fN8x41r5XVmiqz36VHtUffxonrZmPHVsXsfuz_8Gpx9cCtPsSqJ0h2ElFNmbJPnRIVNRJAVRT7HqMVgBXBvDni_tTsfuNSLdZRNvuTWnG3pzFyVbbRMOseRcLh2zN0VSK72Jh5j74QL/s1282/Women-6K-start-side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1282" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJg_Ysjx4VYYYTuFeExMLGXHqLmC7s6yCLOwyesm7iOx6yfX_9fN8x41r5XVmiqz36VHtUffxonrZmPHVsXsfuz_8Gpx9cCtPsSqJ0h2ElFNmbJPnRIVNRJAVRT7HqMVgBXBvDni_tTsfuNSLdZRNvuTWnG3pzFyVbbRMOseRcLh2zN0VSK72Jh5j74QL/w640-h428/Women-6K-start-side.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Race at 2018 Club Cross in Spokane WA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span> <b>Aeron Arlin Genet</b>, <b>Tania Fischer, </b><b>Jennifer Harvey</b>, <b>Rachel Hopkins</b>, and <b>Michelle
Rohl</b> stand out in this division. </p><p><o:p></o:p></p><p><b>Arlin Genet</b> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hoka Aggies </span>has performed consistently well at recent Club Cross Championships. She sandwiched two second place finishes in her division at San Francisco and Lexington around a 5<sup>th</sup> place finish at Lehigh in 2019. She was 26 seconds ahead of Fischer in San Francisco.<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></p><p><b>Fischer </b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Janes Elite Racing</span>
is synonymous with her team. You cannot think of one without the other. Individually she is always on the podium or just off. At Cross nationals in San Diego in 2022 she finished 2nd in 55-59. In 2021 at Tallahassee, she claimed 5th and moved up a spot to take 4th at Clubs in San Francisco. This year she took 3rd in the division at Carlsbad in 20:34. At the Dinosaur Dash earlier this month she clocked 19:56! Looks like Fischer is ready to roll!<o:p></o:p></p><p><b>Harvey</b> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Central Park TC </span>set the <b>American Record</b> for
the Road Mile at the Masters Championships in Indianapolis, with a 5:25. That
was 11 seconds slower than her winning 5<sup>th</sup> Avenue Mile effort but
Indy’s course is record eligible while NY’s is not. It was suggested to me that
Harvey had been doing so well because she had focused her energies primarily on
middle distance events on the track and road. Imagine my surprise then when I
found her listed as one of the top 3 American finishers at the Berlin Marathon
this September with a 3:12:11! Clearly Harvey has range. It is also clear that
Harvey is much better at shorter distances. A recent 19:33 5K bears witness to
that.</p><p><o:p></o:p></p><p><b>Hopkins </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sirius Athletics </span>has moved up to 55-59 since San Francisco. last December her 23:55 was good for 3rd place in 50-54. It would have been good for 2nd in 55-59, over a minute faster than <b>Arlin Genet's</b>. Her 24:20 at Tallahassee was good for 5th place; all of the four who finished ahead of her are still in the 50-54 division. Irt would have won the 55-59 division by 5 seconds.</p><p><b>Rohl </b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Greater Philadelphia TC </span>has
made a virtue of keeping her focus primarily on the middle distances on the
track and other races that benefit her team and contribute to her fitness goals.
She is the current holder of the 800M, 2:23:26, and 1500M, 4:54.16, American Records for women
55-59. She finished 5<sup>th</sup> overall and 1<sup>st</sup> in the
55-59 division at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boston. Two months later
she took the win at Tallahassee. There are rumors of injuries. She won the 5000M run at the Masters Outdoor
Championships in Greensboro NC this summer in 20:09. That Rohl chose not to compete in either of her favorite middle distance events may be telling.<o:p></o:p></p><p><span>
</span></p><p>Hopkins beat Rohl in 2021. Rohl could beat her this time but that will be her challenge. Harvey is a likely 3rd place finisher. Arlin Genet could upset that guess. I will go with Hopkins, Genet, Harvey in that order.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Aeron Arlin Genet Jennifer Harvey Rachel Hopkins </i></b></p><p><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-L_Eh-4NaEoMbsT7b2zzD4s1G7Ay3p3efbF0XlPYQV4xmXKDBAi6GYZmoOsd2l4tZYo-An0lAQGl3-WkNgWHxeE_gS145UtlHQ-Nt9-9sa006LMJ77waCRaIZwcjo1rO6m09BNDX5b-Kr8PssnfD4kzsnG2fxCNaSvg2EbdjMzl7pqozMc7GmGVOjnu7/s1316/PappalardoW50-FletcherW45-FrownfelterW40-CNW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1316" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-L_Eh-4NaEoMbsT7b2zzD4s1G7Ay3p3efbF0XlPYQV4xmXKDBAi6GYZmoOsd2l4tZYo-An0lAQGl3-WkNgWHxeE_gS145UtlHQ-Nt9-9sa006LMJ77waCRaIZwcjo1rO6m09BNDX5b-Kr8PssnfD4kzsnG2fxCNaSvg2EbdjMzl7pqozMc7GmGVOjnu7/w640-h426/PappalardoW50-FletcherW45-FrownfelterW40-CNW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Example of Packing It Up for Team Points around a muddy turn at Lehigh for the 2019 Club Cross Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Patricia Bellan, Mary Cass, Suzanne La Burt,</b> and <b>Marisa Sutera Strange</b> stand out as top competitors in this division. </p><p>Five years ago, when Clubs was held in Spokane, <b>Bellan</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">HOKA Aggies RC </span>took the title in 24:27. She is probably looking to do the same with her new age division this year. In her last year in the age division, with the highly competitive Club Cross championships, she still finished 5th, just 15 seconds behind Arlin Genet. Perhaps more relevant, she was 11 seconds ahead of Cass.</p><p><b>Cass </b>finished 2nd in 2021 at the 5 Km XC Championships in Boston. In 2022, she moved up, taking first last December in San Francisco, 40 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. At Boca Raton this fall she was not quite able to keep pace with La Burt. But only 4 seconds separated them at the finish line. La Burt has been able to beat her with larger margins on the roads. It will be interesting to see how their duel unfolds in Tallahassee.</p><p><b>La Burt</b> moved up to this division between the 10K where she finished 2nd in 55-59 and the 1 Mile in Indy where she took the 60-64 win in 5:46. She has also won the 12 Km and, as noted, the Masters 5 Km XC, this fall.</p><p><b>Sutera Strange</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC </span>has been a top Masters road racer and cross country runner for quite a few years now. She won the whole ball of wax in 2019 at Cross Nationals in Tallahassee. She knows this course well, having finished 4th overall the year before. After her Athena team broke up, Sutera Strange raced for Greater Philadelphia, finishing 2nd behind her new teammate, Rohl, in 55-59 at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Boston. After taking a break from national championships she is back. Strange has run a number of 5K's this year in the 19:44 to 21:17 range. That puts her essentially on par with Cass and, perhaps, slightly behind La Burt as far as road speed is concerned. Strange has always been a tiger on the turf so that has probably not changed.</p><p>These four are likely to be close. La Burt has come in ahead of Cass recently, so I have to go with La Burt over Cass. Bellan also bested Cass in their most recent joint race, albeit in different divisions. Based on her fitness a few years back, one would have gone with Sutera Strange to come in ahead of the other three. Maybe I will leave Sutera Strange out and let her enjoy the camaraderie of competition. Of the other three I will guess that the order might be Bellan-La Burt-Cass.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Patricia Bellan Mary Cass Suzanne La Burt</i></b></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9knzMGCuISTnGz5vrp_MWQZ8VJJYFGRozk03bkTUeafMGbmxl4VrmoX1i0ZWFEChfRH4xa72yppj1VGtenLc69fbNwDCK8AOm4qO2VWOPXHIp6x-VANBV6wgvcVZROuMcskpuyeJqDn_haTXYg2VqPzRDoRG6sRaSp7J26DqXUgWOVmAGggeKfQI4bgY/s1257/LaBurt_McAlister-end%20of%20loop%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9knzMGCuISTnGz5vrp_MWQZ8VJJYFGRozk03bkTUeafMGbmxl4VrmoX1i0ZWFEChfRH4xa72yppj1VGtenLc69fbNwDCK8AOm4qO2VWOPXHIp6x-VANBV6wgvcVZROuMcskpuyeJqDn_haTXYg2VqPzRDoRG6sRaSp7J26DqXUgWOVmAGggeKfQI4bgY/w640-h428/LaBurt_McAlister-end%20of%20loop%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning of Loop 2 at the 2021 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Nora Cary </b>appears to be the strongest runner in this division. Next is <b>Patrice Combs</b>, followed closely by <b>Mo Bartley</b>. <b>Cynthia Williams</b> and, perhaps, <b>Kitty Musante</b>, look to be the strongest off podium runners. And, if everything goes right, one of them might wind up on the podium. </p><p><b>Cary</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC </span>has broken a few American Records on the roads, in her day, and she likes the turf even more than the roads! She is the current 65-69 American record holder at 12 Km with a time of 51:09. Four years ago, Cary was in her last year in the 60-64 division and still placed 3rd at the Lehigh XC championships. She finished a minute and a half ahead of Combs on that course, rendered sloppy by the rain. At Clubs in San Francisco last year, Cary finished 2nd, two minutes ahead of Bartley and 4 minutes ahead of Williams. She finished first at Cross Nationals in Richmond in January, but none of these rivals had entered.</p><p><b>Combs</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC </span>is probably a bit faster on the roads than Cary. She finished a minute ahead of Cary at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta in 2022. Combs came in 2 minutes ahead of Williams at Boca Raton, earning 1st place in the division. But, as noted above, Cary came in ahead of Combs at Lehigh and finished 4 minutes ahead of Williams over 6 Km in San Francisco.</p><p><b>Bartley</b> had a fine race at altitude in Boulder, finishing 2nd in the division, a minute and a half ahead of Williams. At San Francisco two months later, Bartley finished 5th in the division, a good 2 minutes behind Cary.</p><p><b>Williams </b>finished 2nd at Tallahassee, but none of these rivals had entered. At San Francisco, as noted, Williams was well back from Cary and Bartley. Williams bounced back to finish 2nd at Boca in October. Musante was the only one of these rivals to finish behind her. As noted, Combs won the division.</p><p>Based on road times, <b>Musante </b>should have been closer to Williams at Boca or perhaps even ahead of her. At the Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta this past February, Musante finished a minute behind Combs but finished almost a minute and a half ahead of Williams. Yet at Boca, Musante was nearly a minute and a half behind Williams. That may just speak to an advantage Williams has over Musante in running on the turf. Williams is experienced and very strong at XC. An alternative explanation is that Musante was off her game for some other reason. In either case it seems unwise to project a podium finish for her at Tallahassee. </p><p>It should be close between Cary and Combs despite the Lehigh outcome. Nevertheless, I will go with Cary to win, followed by Combs and then Bartley.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Mo Bartley Nora Cary Patrice Combs</i></b></p><p><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZPBh94eRs5DNUYarnz7pzJ5zSNO136ipIGzxbIBWevIDEouyYSrnDP3qUToumTjGeyMq0zMRfYTNL5MC7VjO0J4mZI-rSKy_PzuXkdnDEfxYhj155Mh9c-kyRsI8yFRWxh_A421Z4MXIXJh8ffwOFjlQ5ifkz-aFiTHzskb_cXjyxRNzrQZktq78FdGe/s1258/Atlanta%20TC%2065-69-start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1258" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZPBh94eRs5DNUYarnz7pzJ5zSNO136ipIGzxbIBWevIDEouyYSrnDP3qUToumTjGeyMq0zMRfYTNL5MC7VjO0J4mZI-rSKy_PzuXkdnDEfxYhj155Mh9c-kyRsI8yFRWxh_A421Z4MXIXJh8ffwOFjlQ5ifkz-aFiTHzskb_cXjyxRNzrQZktq78FdGe/w640-h426/Atlanta%20TC%2065-69-start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the 2021 Race in Tallahassee, a Misty Early Morning Run <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span>Team Red Lizard teammates, <b>Jeanette Groesz</b> and <b>Sabra Harvey </b>are the two strongest XC runners in this division. <b>Cindy Lucking</b>, <b>Cande Olsen</b>, and <b>Terry Ozell</b> are likely the primne contenders for the fin8al spot on the podium, with Lucking the favorite among those three.</p><p><b>Harvey</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </span>is in the Masters Hall of Fame and was the 2017 Masters Athlete of the Year. Harvey took the division title at the 2019 Cross Nationals Championships in Tallahassee, winning the division title, over <b>Groesz</b> in 2nd, by three minutes, and achieving the highest age grade. After taking a break, she resumed competing in Cross Country in 2022 at the 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder. In a much closer contest, Harvey finished 13 seconds ahead of Groesz to take the win at altitude.</p><p><b>Groesz </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard</span>, unlike Harvey, took no break following the covid interruption. She took this division crown at Tallahassee in 2021 and followed that with another win in San Diego at Cross Nationals. At Boulder, later1 that year, as noted above, Groesz finished 2nd to Harvey. In San Francisco, Groesz took first again, when her teammate, Harvey, was not entered.</p><p><b>Lucking</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club </span>has been away from Masters LDR competition for a few years, focusing on her triathlon contests. In January 2019 at Cross Nationals in Tallahassee, Lucking took 3rd in 30:34. A typical 3 years of aging would suggest a time of around 31:51 in 2021, a time that compares very favorably with the time achieved by Olsen and Ozell in December, 2021 on the same course over the same 6 Km distance.</p><p><b>Olsen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </span>finished 3rd at 2021 Clubs in Tallahassee with a 35:02. She continues to compete actively, finishing 11th at Clubs in San Francisco and 4th in the 5 Km Masters XC Championships in Boca Raton in early October.</p><p>At Tallahassee, <b>Ozell</b> finished two seconds behind Olsen, claiming 6th in 65-69. At the Masters 5 Km (road) championships last February, Ozell was 6th in 65-69 with a 27:41.</p><p>As suggested in the introduction to their division above, the most likely order of finish seems to be Harvey-Groesz-Lucking. Because Lucking's most recent1 XC effort was four years ago, the projection for 3rd has a wider band of uncertainty around it than it would otherwise.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Jeanette Groesz Jennifer Harvey Cindy Lucking</i></b></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68hFleinJ54GYiJHewbRGfcPlQ8Bn_b1afqjC4-G1P3cFDME-WxJphzE_d1AmyaAlnZWb3p60BGbm6BTFtA9ccDo8K7liiH8EeCd0Z2PbCLcdzgXmQ5yQu0svIAleqWiRjxDnzvWFtWtc1ObU89viu5tNgIQCz60eHZX9qhMeZ7h2PzJIAkkw13orlWOh/s841/Start-Heuer-Earle-Shearer-Kilroy%20et%20alCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="841" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68hFleinJ54GYiJHewbRGfcPlQ8Bn_b1afqjC4-G1P3cFDME-WxJphzE_d1AmyaAlnZWb3p60BGbm6BTFtA9ccDo8K7liiH8EeCd0Z2PbCLcdzgXmQ5yQu0svIAleqWiRjxDnzvWFtWtc1ObU89viu5tNgIQCz60eHZX9qhMeZ7h2PzJIAkkw13orlWOh/w640-h308/Start-Heuer-Earle-Shearer-Kilroy%20et%20alCROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of 2022 Clubs at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on a Raw Day When the Near Gale winds blew in off the Pacific and uprooted a hundred foot tree <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Sharon Gerl</b> and <b>Jeannie Rice</b> appear to be the top contenders for the division win. <b>Terry Foody</b> is the favorite to take the 3rd spot on the podium.</p><p><b>Gerl</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </span>focuses more on the triathlon but runs cross country for her team every once in a while. She finished 2nd, 37 seconds behind Groesz in Tallahassee in 2021. Two months later, at Cross Nationals in San Diego, Gerl again finished 2nd to Groesz, this time almost two minutes back. With Groesz still in 70-74, Gerl took 1st in this 75-79 division at Boca Raton in early febraury. This time she was over 3 minutes slower than Groesz however.</p><p><b>Rice</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached </span>owns the 75-79 American Records for the Road Mile, 6:44, and the Marathon, 3:34:32, not to mention the 15 Km, 20 Km, 25 Km and 30Km marks (from her marathon splits). Her Marathon time is also a World Record! Rice also owns the 70-74 American Records for the 1 Mile and for every distance from 20 Km to the Marathon. But she has only raced on the cross country turf once that I know of. That was an unusually wet, cold race in San Francisco last December. She finished 2nd to Groesz, 1:19 back over the 6 Km course. Gerl finished closer to Groesz than that 1in 2021. But she has not been that close since. </p><p>Four years ago in Lehigh, <b>Foody </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BLUEgrass Runners </span>finished 7th in the 70-74 division. In February of 2022, Foody finished 6th in the 5 Km (road) championships in Atlanta with a time of 34:59. That is two minutes faster than McCarter's time over the same course this past February.</p><p>Rice is the favorite for the win although if Gerl has a good day, it could be close. Foody looks good for the final podium spot.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Terry Foody Sharon Gerl Jeannie Rice</i></b></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQ9ynuc5skikOh1dH-_6KGRqzF379P2NXhQW-rxdCXvJPsQProBF-oe-kYIiAhsUe_-LQAqMXtQsTfEhcSC0oHaFKj0rwnwaGlEk669IB74bWK6dxRs5zNPqGEXWmTBKmoFJ2dCyjJksBmk36qNgW_J9IrUXUoeEqu2ytOz37j-joFH3_vs2gYMQgW4Fp/s1258/Moore-Stirrat-start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1258" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQ9ynuc5skikOh1dH-_6KGRqzF379P2NXhQW-rxdCXvJPsQProBF-oe-kYIiAhsUe_-LQAqMXtQsTfEhcSC0oHaFKj0rwnwaGlEk669IB74bWK6dxRs5zNPqGEXWmTBKmoFJ2dCyjJksBmk36qNgW_J9IrUXUoeEqu2ytOz37j-joFH3_vs2gYMQgW4Fp/w640-h426/Moore-Stirrat-start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Loop of 2021 Tallahassee Club Cross <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Myrna Barnett</b> and <b>Sharon Beebe</b> have this division to themselves. Barnett appears to be the faster of the two, at least on the roads. Barnet won the 75-79 division at the Masters 5 km Championships in Atlanta last February with a time of 36:31. That is over ten minutes faster than Beebe's most recent 5K time. That is a big enough cushion for me to pick Barnett over Beebe.</p><p><i>Top podium contenders in alphabetical order:</i><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><i>Myrna Barnett Sharon Beebe</i></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHApFhyrbp_mMpVav13Zwz3rm-Ut5kYiJ97a3mtC9uldhJD5JKaF4HYZf4ysNhek7ZyzGIug0T4DEHmkneTEgXdDKViNnXHW77OM6vIGtSQ_RPDi3xlq3sWCyFwQmChNl9CH8NRGVYGkoY9rP-rYGrOrSdVN_u5mceb1EBWhFlO83womZWUojtjVm-ktv/s1276/Lead%20Pack-300%20meters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1276" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHApFhyrbp_mMpVav13Zwz3rm-Ut5kYiJ97a3mtC9uldhJD5JKaF4HYZf4ysNhek7ZyzGIug0T4DEHmkneTEgXdDKViNnXHW77OM6vIGtSQ_RPDi3xlq3sWCyFwQmChNl9CH8NRGVYGkoY9rP-rYGrOrSdVN_u5mceb1EBWhFlO83womZWUojtjVm-ktv/w640-h426/Lead%20Pack-300%20meters.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lead Pack - 2021 Tallahassee Club Cross -- 300 Meters Into the Race <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>That is it for my preview of the Individual Age Divisions in the Women's Race. Once I finish the same for Men's 60+ and Men's 40+, I will focus on the Team Races. That will be the final preview I post before the race next Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-83874824724894566372023-11-25T00:22:00.001-05:002023-11-26T10:03:47.881-05:00An Early Look at Top Contenders entered in the Women's, Men's 40+ and Men's 60+ Races at Club Cross on Dec 9<p><b>November 24, 2023 </b>According to the usatf website, entries close on Friday, December 1 at 11:59 PM. That is only 7 days away! As of Thursday, November 23rd, there were fewer than 400 Masters entries. In 2021 over 500 Masters athletes signed up. Time to get a hustle on and register! <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: An earlier version of this article indicated over 800 entries for the 2021 Club Cross; that figure was for 2022.</span></p><p>USATF Club Cross website:<b> </b><a href="https://www.usatf.org/events/2023/2023-usatf-national-club-cross-country-championshi">2023 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships | USA Track & <span style="background-color: white;">Field</span></a></p><p>Anyone who has been running Masters Cross Country at the national level for a few years, has likely run on the Tallahassee course before. It was the site of the 2016 and 2021 Club Cross Championships and the site for the 2018 and 2019 Cross Nationals Championships. The course is best described as gently rolling. The steepest hill, referred to by the Course announcer as 'The Wall', is a real hill and damage can be done there, especially on the final loop. Those looking for a challenging course with significant ups and downs will not find it here. But they will find a magnificent layout with a jumbotron showing multiple shots of the runners on the course, and regular live updates on the leaderboard from splits. I wonder if they will also have the updated team scores the way they do for the NCAA, as the race unfolds. Awards stands near the course and a large tent for gear changes were a feature in 2021.</p><p>The Women's race starts at 9 AM, with M60+ at 10 AM and M60+ at 11 AM.</p><p>What about the weather? That could be another story. Athletes who have difficulty with heat and humidity were not happy in 2021 when temperatures rose from the upper 60's to low 70's, during the morning races, with relative humidity only falling from 97% to 91%. The dew point rose from 66 to 69 from the start of the women's race to the start of the M40+ race. Might we see that again? It is always possible but not necessarily likely. Looking back at the weather history on December 9th from 2022 back through 2013, the only year the dew point was that high was in 2013. In three other years it was warm and humid enough to have dew points in the low 60's. Three of the last five years have been like that on December 9th. In one of the other two years temperatures were in the mid 50's; in 2020 it was fair and cold, at the start, with temperatures rising from 39 degrees at 9 am to 47F at 10 and 57 at 11 am. From 2014 to 2017, the temperatures on December 9th were in the low 40's to low 50's at 9 am, rising to anywhere from mid-40's to low 50's by 11 am.</p><p>So, as usual, make sure you check the forecast before thinking about packing and then one more time before you actually do pack!</p><p>Among those already entered, who is likely to make some noise? <span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Based on entries through Thanksgiving Day evening.</span></p><p><b>WOMEN </b>Top entries so far include, from 40-44: <b>Elizabeth Camy </b><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Cal Coast</span><i>, </i><b>Carrie Dimoff </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bowerman</span></i><i style="font-weight: bold;">, </i><b>Jennifer 'Jenny' Keenan</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Checkers AC</span><span>, <b>Renee Metivier</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Team Red Lizard</i>, </span><b>Jennifer Pesce</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Garden State</i>, <b>Kristen Rohde </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bowerman</i>, </span><b>Katie Sherron</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Gulf Winds</span><span>; from 45-49: <b>Jill Braley</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta, </i></span><b>Maggie Shearer</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Cal Coas</span>; and from 50-54 <b>Lorilyn Bloomer </b>and <b>Karolyn Bowley</b>.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span><span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WWgb5vSLnxTAcLzwxY3GZDt_IDpS08k05F9InkV8O2CTV0tXaehu2bk7sjDdwcyiZ1RsxZKDh-65XOJuji4wpfImUzqoesod18o1O00d7Dq2_TEyzFXvGYS5amncOFDhGzqdrXCnUXo_VL3ussiWB4du8AGgs8SX2kwLAD1lh-2x_7tsdQ7fHRa7p4kZ/s1276/Start-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1276" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WWgb5vSLnxTAcLzwxY3GZDt_IDpS08k05F9InkV8O2CTV0tXaehu2bk7sjDdwcyiZ1RsxZKDh-65XOJuji4wpfImUzqoesod18o1O00d7Dq2_TEyzFXvGYS5amncOFDhGzqdrXCnUXo_VL3ussiWB4du8AGgs8SX2kwLAD1lh-2x_7tsdQ7fHRa7p4kZ/w640-h426/Start-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Hundred Meters into the Women's Masters race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><span><br /><span><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p>S<b>herron</b> won here, on her home turf, in 2021; can she defend that title? When she was able to combine a family vacation with a side trip to Indianapolis, Sherron took the 2023 Masters Road Mile title last June, with a sparkling 5:05! Shearer finished 2nd to Sherron in 2021. They were even through the first 3 km loop. Heading uphill into the 2nd 3 km loop, Sherron was able to open up a small gap. From there it was all Sherron as she pulled away for a 13 second victory.<b> </b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTZZCqpTbb-O3CQwqyQD542FhRhtIlhyZ627JaQqYbj7gKwuiUsbSqkKPPg3y_pZkzM03bAYSoDAxV72V-nBQJfI1i1D3ZVxyyGbFD7xWuP-KI2k7TityZH4xioyYy0IiTsej3EwtAfxq2Q_odGhaP7n8U9XMoYTwW0__N1h6519BEZLb8vTBdUJ8TYpL/s1017/Start_Leaders%20with%20Twist%20et%20al-CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="1017" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTZZCqpTbb-O3CQwqyQD542FhRhtIlhyZ627JaQqYbj7gKwuiUsbSqkKPPg3y_pZkzM03bAYSoDAxV72V-nBQJfI1i1D3ZVxyyGbFD7xWuP-KI2k7TityZH4xioyYy0IiTsej3EwtAfxq2Q_odGhaP7n8U9XMoYTwW0__N1h6519BEZLb8vTBdUJ8TYpL/w640-h360/Start_Leaders%20with%20Twist%20et%20al-CROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Katie Sherron </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">far left </span>and <b>Maggie Shearer </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#896 sunglasses </span>lead the Women's<span style="background-color: white;"> field </span>in the early going of the Masters race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Braley</b> finished 5th that year, a minute behind Sherron. Sherron finished 2nd Masters behind Edna Kiplagat (not entered here) at the Utica Boilermaker in 55:53 this past summer and finished off the season with a 31:09 8K win at a local race in Tallahassee. Sherron kept rolling with a win at the RnR Clearwater Half in 1:20:17. She seems poised to rock the Tallahassee course again. But she has plenty of competition!</p><p><b>Shearer</b> was not idle after Tallahassee. In the run up to 2022 Club Cross, Shearer ran a 36:42 10K at Dana Point and won the So Cal Cross Country Championship. At Golden Gate Park in San Francisco last year, Shearer finished 2nd to Meriah Earle (not entered as of now, and likely focusing on the upcoming Olympic Marathon Trials)<b>. F</b>rom January of this year until October, Shearer had a period where training did not get reported. It seems likely there was an injury. Recent workouts suggest a fitness rebuilding period is under way. Whether it can get far enough for her to contend again at Club Cross is unknown. More likely she will be running as a solid supporter for the team. Shearer ran a 19:25 at the Dana Point Turkey Trot. In past years she broke 38 minutes in the 10K at that race. That reinforces the notion that Shearer will be in a support role at Tallahassee. But the race was a rust buster and Shearer may have been running cautiously. It will be inte0re0sting0 to see what she can do on the turf when the team points are on the line.</p><p>A Track and Cross Country standout in her collegiate days at Furman, <b>Braley</b> finished 18th in her first Masters Club Cross outing at Lehigh in 2019, moving up to 5th, as noted, in 2021 in Tallahassee. In between she finished 4th overall in the Women's race at the Masters 5 Km Championships in Boston. Braley finished 3rd overall at the 5 Km road championships in Atlanta in 18:08 and followed that with an 18:59 in March. Since then, I can find no race results for Braley. That raises some doubts about her fitness heading into Clubs.</p><p><b>Metivier</b> is known for her trail running but she had a nifty outing on the turf at the 2022 XC Nationals in San Diego. She pulled away from a solid <span style="background-color: white;">field</span> to win the 6 Km race by almost two minutes in 21:50.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIP0TGk3nQMEk1Q1Kwk2WO_kL6D9GlkBWkDhXZS_m7LqoFSW9zwwtAMxD5fIsEoYjOpxl2LIniZvGqyzKMSoqpNLlS_u9KHF1QGAITZ2R7zoJ-XV1PUGPPHIzKSBU4qryI6jBmwGrfMFzTJ2vsrEEMChdKScvPnYkyXQjJLTVCjzH79IgLPXpJdzXVK8FL/s1257/Start-Akor-Metivier-Shearer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIP0TGk3nQMEk1Q1Kwk2WO_kL6D9GlkBWkDhXZS_m7LqoFSW9zwwtAMxD5fIsEoYjOpxl2LIniZvGqyzKMSoqpNLlS_u9KHF1QGAITZ2R7zoJ-XV1PUGPPHIzKSBU4qryI6jBmwGrfMFzTJ2vsrEEMChdKScvPnYkyXQjJLTVCjzH79IgLPXpJdzXVK8FL/w640-h428/Start-Akor-Metivier-Shearer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Renee Metivier </b>strides away from the field at the start of the Masters race at the 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships in San Diego CA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>A couple of months later she ran 16:41 to finish 6th among the Elite Women at the Carlsbad 5000. Her most recent outing was a Masters 2nd place at the Breakneck Point Trail Half Marathon in 2:51:31. The event features significant elevation changes, including rock climbs and rock scrambling.<p><b>Pesce</b> is now a known quantity in Masters LDR National Championships. She broke onto the scene with a win in Atlanta at the 5 Km National Championships. Her 17:48 in February of this year, over a challenging 'Atlanta Flat' course, left her a solid ten seconds ahead of the<span style="background-color: white;"> field</span>. Pesce demonstrated her range by taking first again in September over 12 Km at the Masters National Championships in Highlands NJ. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="893" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMoiNAV8_DfpQaLbRK9lR8h72C8CPve1Bk8cFiNkq8HIN6IuKxZWvigwAOEZzNLebuTFKnLK7uM82Z6h8I60m4d1RGX-MbRf1PM8PG2oOJRmBm_Mg-n6bsw6B5YT3WRGsnQhhhxAqVXIkk7qWkd1vbbGD_UXGdXsprqlEm5R5msS6cuHD1HKPqOo3ltrR/w261-h400/Jennifer%20Pesce%20breaks%20the%20tape.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="261" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Pesce</b> breaks the tape at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMoiNAV8_DfpQaLbRK9lR8h72C8CPve1Bk8cFiNkq8HIN6IuKxZWvigwAOEZzNLebuTFKnLK7uM82Z6h8I60m4d1RGX-MbRf1PM8PG2oOJRmBm_Mg-n6bsw6B5YT3WRGsnQhhhxAqVXIkk7qWkd1vbbGD_UXGdXsprqlEm5R5msS6cuHD1HKPqOo3ltrR/s1365/Jennifer%20Pesce%20breaks%20the%20tape.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><b></b></a></p><p>Her 44:59 gave her a half minute edge over the 2nd place finisher. I find no recent cross country outings but in her collegiate days, presumably freshman or sophomore year, Pesce finished 51st out of 110 at the Atlantic10 XC Championships. Earlier that year, she had finished 45th of 237 at the New England Cross Country Sub-Varsity Championships. That experience will stand her in good stead.</p><p><span><span><span><b>Dimoff</b> finished 13th in the World Athletics 2019 Marathon Championships in Doha. Enough said! Her most recent racing includes a 16:45 win at the Bowerman 5k in August, and a 1:18:48 HM in July. In 2021 Dimoff bounced back from a disappointing 2:38:28 at Chicago in October to nail a 2:29:33 two months later at the CIM where she took 3rd place among the elite women. Dimoff is a battler.</span></span></span></p><p>Camy, Keenan, and Rohde are the new Masters 'kids' on the block; they turned 40 since Club Cross year. <b>Camy</b> has run many recent Marathons in the 2:43 to 2:53 range, including a 2:46:51 at Boston and a 2:49:09 at Grandma's this year. She also ran 1:18:39 at the Surf City HM, one of three HM's in that range in the last year or so. <b>Keenan</b> ran 17:45 at Tom Donnelly's Hall of Fame 5K in September and clocked a 37:33 10K on the 4th of July. Keenan showed her range with a 1:21:14 HM in May. Experienced at Cross Country, Keenan took 4th and 2nd overall at two of the Pete Glavin Cross Country races last year. <b>Rohde</b> ran a 1:21:40 HM at the Eugene Marathon and 29:38 at the Shamrock Run over 8K in March, roughly equivalent to a 37:18 10K. Like Keenan, Rohde has cross country experience in her hometown XC series, taking 2nd overall and 2nd in 35-39 at two of the 2021 Stumptown races.</p><p>Bloomer and Bowley are seasoned veterans, now in the 50-54 division, with lots of sterling X-C results on their resumes. A Masters win at Clubs is not likely but one can never take these strong runners for granted. <b>Bloomer</b> won the Masters 5 Km Championships in San Diego in the fall of 2020 and came back in January of 2022 to finish 6th overall at the XC Nationals on the same Mission Bay course. In between, she finished 7th overall at the Masters 5 Km Championships at Franklin Park in Boston in 19:30. Bloomer finished 10th overall this August in 18:31. <b>Bowley </b>finished 4th overall at Clubs in Tallahassee in 2021 but had less luck in San Francisco where she finished 15th. She finished 6th in 2021 at Franklin Park, 7 seconds ahead of Bloomer. She finished 5th overall this fall at the New England XC Championships in Boston.</p><p><b>MEN 40+ </b>At this point, the<span style="background-color: white;"> field</span> lacks the depth already evident on the women's side. The three biggest names from the last couple of Club Cross races are: <b>Roosevelt Cook</b><i> </i><i style="font-size: small;">Cal Coast</i>, <b>Jesse Davis </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Indiana Elite </i></span>and <b>Malcolm Richards.</b> <i style="font-size: small;"> </i>In Tallahassee in 2021, Davis drove the bus, pulling away eventually for a 17 second win; Cook was 40 seconds back in 4th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliHhXHy7LHmZ1LTK6manxfFSN2qlGua55I63CqS48yhgy67Ac2vLyCqUK-jU5Jzx0gRwoqovHDenVVvaZ4MXN0SaCZlD6Z11miQKlWNQD4EzSi0kMLPRwqzVjJr949-pByc9_V1_PjbbSt4-J18jb1O04tx7fGJNYwK8v0o0V9aidj7mW2G1WQNt5BWKF/s1243/Start-CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="1243" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliHhXHy7LHmZ1LTK6manxfFSN2qlGua55I63CqS48yhgy67Ac2vLyCqUK-jU5Jzx0gRwoqovHDenVVvaZ4MXN0SaCZlD6Z11miQKlWNQD4EzSi0kMLPRwqzVjJr949-pByc9_V1_PjbbSt4-J18jb1O04tx7fGJNYwK8v0o0V9aidj7mW2G1WQNt5BWKF/w640-h246/Start-CROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Men's Masters Race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Richards finished 3rd, with Davis 17 seconds back in 5th in San Francisco on that odd set of laps around the old gnarly track at the Polo Grounds in Golden Gate Park in the rain. Cook finished 11th. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZblEpjvLoGyDHG0D28fckly68y8MXzm426zn9j6OL2P594q45MUgmAH5L35Qrtk0fpkATu2iui4-dZ0NdoKlzU-WEqiOs2eAtV5nuat6veJ7MrLL4loKm9rqZ5C_eXsGbFyT0LXfgmMOthvFkFDHasW7cwYGCSj0OcICx8cNm3-46lzY_A4Zi4B-lw33/s960/Lap%201_Richards_Bruce_Reyes_Cook_McDonagh_Davis-%232.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZblEpjvLoGyDHG0D28fckly68y8MXzm426zn9j6OL2P594q45MUgmAH5L35Qrtk0fpkATu2iui4-dZ0NdoKlzU-WEqiOs2eAtV5nuat6veJ7MrLL4loKm9rqZ5C_eXsGbFyT0LXfgmMOthvFkFDHasW7cwYGCSj0OcICx8cNm3-46lzY_A4Zi4B-lw33/w640-h480/Lap%201_Richards_Bruce_Reyes_Cook_McDonagh_Davis-%232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Malcolm Richards </b>pulled the field through the first lap, followed, in order, by <b>Ben Bruce</b>, <b>Sergio Reyes</b>, and <b>Roosevelt Cook</b> at the 2022 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>A tough day but all three persevered. None of the rivals who finished around them or ahead of them are yet entered. Some of the new runners who could make a difference include:<b> Ed Baker</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</i><span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><b>David Cisewski</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">West Valley</span>, and <b>Kevin Pool </b><i style="font-size: small;">West Valley</i>; and, out of 45-49, veterans <b>David Angell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached</i></span>, <b>Neville Davey</b><i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">West Valley</span></i>, and <b>Jacques Sallberg</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Cal Coast</i><span style="font-size: x-small;">. </span><b>Ahrlin Bauman</b>, <b>Gregory Putnam</b>, and <b>Mark Yuen</b>, out of 50-54 deserve mention although none of them are likely to be first across the line in the 40+ race.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><span><b>Baker</b> claimed 4th Masters finish at the Beach to Beacon 10K in 33:37 and added a 1:17:15 at the Covered Bridges HM in Vermont. I find little Cross Country in his background but he is, apparently, a talented open water swimmer. In June of 2022 he was the 1st Masters athlete to fin8ish the 1 Mile event1 at the Charles River Swim, clocking 24:51. </span></p><p><span>In August, <b>Cisewski </b>ran a 1:08:21 HM at the Santa Rosa Marathon. He followed that up with a 2:20:53 at the Chicago Marathon. Cisewski also has some recent XC cred; he finished 2nd in the Pacific Association XC Championships this fall, finishing 16 seconds behind his teammate, <b>Malcolm Richards</b>.</span></p><p><span><b>Pool </b>ran in the 2019 Club Cross Championships at Lehigh as an Open Runner. Had he run the same 33:57 in the Masters race, he would have finished 8th. This past April, his 2:27:29 at Boston enabled him to finish 7th in M40. At the end of September, he was 4th overall and 7th Masters at the Urban Cow HM with a 1:08:52 effort. This fall he finished 4th, a half minute behind Cisewski, at the PA XC Championships.</span></p><p><span><b>Angell</b> won several National Masters Overall championships and was always a threat for the overall podium at Masters National Championships from 2016 through 2019. His high point for the Club Cross Championships was at Spokane in 2018 when he finished 3rd overall. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySeqf4dLzKLWgM0AxK-3OusLUAPLTabxSyGRpiuGjfA9vkkFrIpj6mEQwJ_6C_gLeUtvCoTqVd3I4Kwy_PdWXnLbATCljobnFDwM16tH8egNz4XZ28q36sqNkhJPoz-wsFI6y0AX8pydHER1cIY4fZBB9PYhSJ0ZkoDEgm_EO_cNEN1L5kgd97vmnMWu_/s1106/Maravilla-Loeffler-Angell-loop1%20or%202CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1106" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySeqf4dLzKLWgM0AxK-3OusLUAPLTabxSyGRpiuGjfA9vkkFrIpj6mEQwJ_6C_gLeUtvCoTqVd3I4Kwy_PdWXnLbATCljobnFDwM16tH8egNz4XZ28q36sqNkhJPoz-wsFI6y0AX8pydHER1cIY4fZBB9PYhSJ0ZkoDEgm_EO_cNEN1L5kgd97vmnMWu_/w640-h388/Maravilla-Loeffler-Angell-loop1%20or%202CROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Angell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Center </span>mixing it up with <b>Jorge Maravilla </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">left </span>and <b>Eric Loeffler</b> mid race, with the field well behind at the 2018 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Spokane WA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>Going into and coming out of Covid, Angell struggled with foot and ankle issues. By last December he was competing at a high level again. But he was not all the way back. At San Francisco he finished 16th in his 45-49 division, 44 seconds behind his rival, <b>Jacques Sallberg</b>. At Richmond's XC Nationals a month later, Angell was able to stay ahead of Sallberg until the final 800 meters, when Sallberg opened up a 15 second margin. By the end of April, Angell was running, arguably, as well as he had 4 years earlier; in the age grade for his 3rd place overall at the 10 Km Championships this year </span>was slightly above his age grade when he won the race in 2019. He finished 5th overall at the 5 Km Masters XC Championships at Boca Raton two months ago.</p><p><b>Davey</b> had even more success than Angell at Club Cross, finishing 3rd in 2015 at San Francisco, and 4th at Tallahassee in 2016, before winning the overall championship at Lexington KY in 2017. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvJ60PgWBWS5A5LrHdCxwXod1kjivsHvAEkbLL1wveRHBTpveSlJOV4zpQ9gzC3RbJuSoZ3fJjYWqybtUb3VNnqh0AnHorvxTBDVLABhYjEMH0GZN9Wg00q0WOCBMmCOyiDBHCYDKVaSbVdIDkcEjdFmLj_KnlhG1P_xNLskfu1tiy-SuPbKhpgstqOvw/s960/Men40+%20Lead%20Pack%20end%202nd%20loop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvJ60PgWBWS5A5LrHdCxwXod1kjivsHvAEkbLL1wveRHBTpveSlJOV4zpQ9gzC3RbJuSoZ3fJjYWqybtUb3VNnqh0AnHorvxTBDVLABhYjEMH0GZN9Wg00q0WOCBMmCOyiDBHCYDKVaSbVdIDkcEjdFmLj_KnlhG1P_xNLskfu1tiy-SuPbKhpgstqOvw/w640-h426/Men40+%20Lead%20Pack%20end%202nd%20loop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Neville Davey </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">far right </span>driving the bus, with <b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1635 </span>and <b>John Gardiner </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#1470</span> matching his strides until Davey pulled away over the final 400 meters to take the win at the 2017 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington KY <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>He matched his 4th place finish in 2018 at Spokane. Davey was inside the top 20 at Lehigh in 2019. Three years later, at San Francisco last December, Davey was 25th, but 4th runner for his <i>West Valley </i>team.</p><p><b>Sallberg</b> enjoyed tremendous success at XC Nationals. From 2015 to 2019, he won the overall championship every year except 2018 when he did not travel to Tallahassee to defend his title. Success at Club Cross was harder to achieve. Like Davey, Sallberg paid his dues, finishing 4th in 2015 and 6th in 2018 before winning the overall championship at Lehigh in 2019. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_n7XXRjIIPweeSp3Fp2wYlRUoFEyuf3-Q397bpRDenYvo50ioysDqTRjJqIlxxaIu3VtdjQ6CqY37PRrEd8NFM3iFKFUd_yzMwL69y9Qgr7ZchK63sY9cX2_HGDwFkGEuyP66st7gibaLq1mHYCxybIPyS62b1ikFRhxNrE3osDIznC_U9VYb6-XfuFQQ/s1316/Sallberg-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1316" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_n7XXRjIIPweeSp3Fp2wYlRUoFEyuf3-Q397bpRDenYvo50ioysDqTRjJqIlxxaIu3VtdjQ6CqY37PRrEd8NFM3iFKFUd_yzMwL69y9Qgr7ZchK63sY9cX2_HGDwFkGEuyP66st7gibaLq1mHYCxybIPyS62b1ikFRhxNrE3osDIznC_U9VYb6-XfuFQQ/w640-h426/Sallberg-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jacques Sallberg</b> claims the Masters Win, ahead of <b>Peter Gilmore</b>, at the 2019 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Bethlehem PA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Since the restart after Covid, Sallberg has played an important role as #2 scorer for Cal Coast, while finishing 11th at Tallahassee and 21st at San Francisco.</p><p><b>Richards</b> finished 2nd overall at the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento in April. Between becoming a new Dad and navigating the soreness and pains of a serious Masters runner, Richards was less active with races this year. He did manage a successful XC series, however, starting off in September, continuing into November. In October he ran a double on the Matt Yeo Aggies 4 Mile XC-finished 2nd to <b>Sergio Reyes</b> (not entered at present) in the Masters and 8th in the Open. Last week Richards enjoyed the Masters win at the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships.</p><p>Some of <b>Davis's</b> recent achievements include running his PR Marathon at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in early November and qualifying for the Marathon Olympic Trials in Orlando with a scintillating 2:17:30. With that kind of fitness in his legs and a full month to recover, it will be interesting to see if he tries to drive the train from the front as he did in 2021. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_6PAdVFPPLq6ybfIs41se-ZlNh_wLbqXWOaUJVFWBait4F-GWv7zTxlVEbkgoiq4d9_NmfuMJ_ouli4FEulkKWm2yXNfaOwQzzk_MV46BFnXHpIEaRSXfrRE-sJZx_CpGYNAUIoWvnEfE8_NvtX50hQFHclfTUhgDx38yWHoBYzkWSdq4WPu4ASsPgM8/s1275/Davis%20pulling%20away%20from%20Blake%20&%20Gilmore.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1275" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_6PAdVFPPLq6ybfIs41se-ZlNh_wLbqXWOaUJVFWBait4F-GWv7zTxlVEbkgoiq4d9_NmfuMJ_ouli4FEulkKWm2yXNfaOwQzzk_MV46BFnXHpIEaRSXfrRE-sJZx_CpGYNAUIoWvnEfE8_NvtX50hQFHclfTUhgDx38yWHoBYzkWSdq4WPu4ASsPgM8/w640-h428/Davis%20pulling%20away%20from%20Blake%20&%20Gilmore.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jesse Davis</b> dropping <b>Eric Blake</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> white singlet </span>and <b>Peter Gilmore </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">black singlet </span>on his way to the win at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>He also clocked a 1:08:11 HM at the Quad Cities Marathon in September.</p><p><b>Cook</b>, too, has plenty of recent accomplishments. In 2023 Cook ran two HM's under 1:09 as well as a 1:07:1HM at RnR Las Vegas. He showed some speed over shorter distances as well, with a 15:12 2nd place Masters effort at Carlsbad. His 31:19 Overall win at the Dinosaur Dash 10K was his fastest time since 2021 when he ran 31:15.</p><p><b>MEN 60+ </b>The Men's <span style="background-color: white;">field</span> at Club Cross is typically too large to have everyone in a single race. There is a separate race for the 40-59 teams and the 60 and up teams. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: Athletes who are over 59 years of age may run with a team in the 40-59 race, but forfeit their individual place in their true age division...because they are not running in the same race as their rivals. </span>This race is typically dominated by the top 60 and up runners in the country. That has recently included: <b>Dan King</b>, <b>Nat Larson, Rick Lee, Steve Schmidt, </b>and <b>John Van Danacker</b>. King is engaged in a long reset to recover from injuries as he looks to age up into the 65-69 age division. He will, no doubt, go looking for track records to break once he turns 65. A fifth an be added to the list if he can stay injury-free. <b>Mark Zamek's </b>long reset has started to pay dividends this year. Zamek is not entered yet. <b>Joe Sheeran</b> was the dominant runner prior to Covid, winning the 60+ race at Lexington, Spokane and Lehigh. But Sheeran has not competed at a Club Cross championship since Lehigh in 2019. So far only Larson and Van Danacker, from that group, are entered. But it seems likely that Lee, Schmidt and Zamek all intend to enter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVzl-_wU4cJ0tpe8MxDJe_oNtuoOH4b57elDw3UnFZdOTzn06TY87fa93BTwSTtpCBgDOIAB6oF46NybH1bsDEsqAQjwTjaGUiia7C4uQAriGo5G2aSE2ri9ShXiOT6-LUcH9tTi0r7SUu2-IjPVbHysrPTQWxYaWyYVIqydAmq0cqokJFpKs9BGB3agP/s1346/Schmidt_Steve-%232%20Age%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVzl-_wU4cJ0tpe8MxDJe_oNtuoOH4b57elDw3UnFZdOTzn06TY87fa93BTwSTtpCBgDOIAB6oF46NybH1bsDEsqAQjwTjaGUiia7C4uQAriGo5G2aSE2ri9ShXiOT6-LUcH9tTi0r7SUu2-IjPVbHysrPTQWxYaWyYVIqydAmq0cqokJFpKs9BGB3agP/w400-h266/Schmidt_Steve-%232%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Schmidt</b> on his way to silver medals in his age division and in age grading at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton FL <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>Larson</b> has been on a tear on the roads since turning 60. His 1Mile (4:49) and 10 Mile (57:24) American records have been ratified. His 5 Km (16:35), 10 Km (34:25), 12 Km (42:26), 15 Km (55:32), and Half Marathon (1:15:27) times are highly likely to be ratified at the 2023 USATF Annual Meeting. On Thanksgiving Day, Larson ran 27:45 at the Ashenfelter 8K to get a record that eluded him last year because the course last year was found to be short. They corrected that problem after the fact. So this year it was pre-verified as long as the race was run as certified and verified. And Larson has typically been just as dominant on the turf as on the roads. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, Larson either won the Masters Harrier of the Year Award outright or shared it with one other runner. Larson won the 60 and up race by 19 seconds at Golden Gate Park last December.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p7XFRuWB9OtW_PSmbwCCzyyOMrkTSl7jyGWrUSoE1wYgvxHwZ6EkU3rmPj4r3XXxUVI0obe-xg11k_PzNJyVH-C8aX8-ZiG-chcghNbwgWuw1-XakWAv4-rbbUzrHx5H4F6gRk8TcdK4jLGAFL34dYqRsMz7GmC5HG3lUbrqrMyvyF_8C9IRFAAPNSrh/s420/Larson_Westenberg_Lee_King%20et%20alCROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="420" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p7XFRuWB9OtW_PSmbwCCzyyOMrkTSl7jyGWrUSoE1wYgvxHwZ6EkU3rmPj4r3XXxUVI0obe-xg11k_PzNJyVH-C8aX8-ZiG-chcghNbwgWuw1-XakWAv4-rbbUzrHx5H4F6gRk8TcdK4jLGAFL34dYqRsMz7GmC5HG3lUbrqrMyvyF_8C9IRFAAPNSrh/w640-h620/Larson_Westenberg_Lee_King%20et%20alCROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson pulls</b> the 60+ field through the first few hundred meters, with <b>David Westenberg </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">green singlet</span>, <b>Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">reversed cap</span> and <b>Dan King</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">purple singlet </span>right on his heels at the 2022 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p><b>Schmidt</b> finished 2nd to Larson in San Francisco, with <b>Lee </b>7 seconds back and <b>Van Danacker </b>another 9 seconds back. Van Danacker had a better outing at Cross Nationals in Richmond. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz45NJx2-qdkWlVGOLjwl7K7lGVvQi-G4GJrGQGmvjIngazZ6WWS-K4dPos1casQMLpcEHnhwPATYZKmQo1cBhiY3Axeis-h0KKLjGZWBhMkpFncqKz_Vt3t4e25AX41cPMVcX40Ljbw9lOEo5JBdzeKITomQ6Mos7p1vlCNRg7juk9cF97-lLiur3X_mp/s780/Van%20Danacker%20with%20LeeCROP2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="655" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz45NJx2-qdkWlVGOLjwl7K7lGVvQi-G4GJrGQGmvjIngazZ6WWS-K4dPos1casQMLpcEHnhwPATYZKmQo1cBhiY3Axeis-h0KKLjGZWBhMkpFncqKz_Vt3t4e25AX41cPMVcX40Ljbw9lOEo5JBdzeKITomQ6Mos7p1vlCNRg7juk9cF97-lLiur3X_mp/w538-h640/Van%20Danacker%20with%20LeeCROP2.jpg" width="538" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John Van Danacker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">#550</span> on his way to a 2nd place finish in the 60-64 division at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond VA <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>He still fell short of Larson by 42 seconds but finished 26 seconds ahead of Lee, with Schmidt absent. Van Danacker had a better road outing than Schmidt at the 5 Km, albeit by just 2 seconds. Van Danacker was further ahead of Schmidt in the 10 Km. Can Van Danacker beat Schmidt on the turf? Perhaps we will find out in Tallahassee? <b>Zamek</b> has shown that he can run with Schmidt, if not Larson.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zamek just chased Larson around the streets of New Jersey at the Ashenfelter 8K, clocking 28:04 to Larson's American Record setting 27:45. Lee focuses his energies more on marathons and ultras but it seems he can almost always jump into a shorter race and perform capably near the top. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS12D4IvK4R6_wj_7-OkgIfd9ZHQvBHkiFVhSBMH63sE4oFiTt0OFTHP9dqsy0FvT3t8ba212flN0T6P5LgTrvfrfnGsAAGn6c3Zn5FbgWt15CzDAI8jwRAoNv4KdIHabQtOGvFRx0cqltLcw-tYQBuSibw3DuKW6IBpGOGd0OQW7XjJFYjHvCZI1LWAfJ/s2048/Lee-Larson-Notaro%20-1%20Mile%20turn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS12D4IvK4R6_wj_7-OkgIfd9ZHQvBHkiFVhSBMH63sE4oFiTt0OFTHP9dqsy0FvT3t8ba212flN0T6P5LgTrvfrfnGsAAGn6c3Zn5FbgWt15CzDAI8jwRAoNv4KdIHabQtOGvFRx0cqltLcw-tYQBuSibw3DuKW6IBpGOGd0OQW7XjJFYjHvCZI1LWAfJ/w640-h426/Lee-Larson-Notaro%20-1%20Mile%20turn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">far left </span>leads <b>Nat Larson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">white singlet #106</span> a mile into the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in New Jersey <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Despite training for the long races, two of his wins at National Masters road championships this year came at the 5 Km (17:30) and the 1 Mile (5:06)!</p><p>We will know a lot more about the overall and team competitions once entries close on December 1st. Check back for later previews.</p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-63153786236748354402023-11-17T17:49:00.000-05:002023-11-17T17:49:52.865-05:00American Masters Marathoners at Berlin--Fall 2023<p> <b>November 15, 2023 </b>Each fall there is a major focus on marathons in Berlin, Chicago, and New York, three of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. With the formalization of the Abbott WMM and accompanying incentives, the number of strong American Masters marathoners participating in overseas marathons such as Berlin has soared. This recap focuses on Berlin. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>BERLIN MARATHON </b></span>The first of the three fall majors took place on September 24th. The weather was favorable, with temps in the mid 50'sF, relative humidity at 76%, partially cloudy with moderate winds, W 3mph.</p><p>Everyone with even a fleeting interest in marathons, heard of the astounding new Women's World Record of 2:11:53 set by <b>Tigst Assefa</b> <i>Ethiopia </i>and the record 5th win, at 2:02:42, in the Men's race by <b>Eliud Kipchoge</b> <i>Kenya</i>. This marked a return to form for Kipchoge, widely acknowledged as the G.O.A.T Marathoner, who encountered an uncharacteristically difficult time at Boston.</p><p><b>Annie Frisbee</b> finished 17th, the top American woman in 2:27:02. Frisbie broke into the marathon ranks with her sterling 7th place debut at the NYC Marathon in 2:26:18. <b>Jacqueline Gaughan</b> was six seconds back in 18th. This was Gaughan's 3rd marathon this year, with each one faster than the last: 2:34:37 at Chevron Houston in January, 2:31:38 at the Ottawa International Marathon in May, and now this 2:27:08! <b>Jane Bereikas</b> claimed the 3rd American spot at 2:29:00, taking 21st overall. Bareikas has also enjoyed a run up in marathon times from a 2:33:26 at Grandma's in June 2022, to a 2:30:04 at Valencia in December 2022, and now this marathon a minute faster.</p><p><b>Teshone Mekonen</b>, comparatively unknown, finished as top American man, in 24th at 2:10:16. He ran 2:11:05 at the Chevron Houston Marathon this past January but has not run at Boston, Chicago or New York. He was followed by Rio Olympian, <b>Jared Ward</b>, 27th in 2:11:44. <b>Tyler Pennel</b>, who finished 5th in the 2016 USA Olympic Marathon Trials, was 3rd American, and 39th overall, in 2:14:28.</p><p>The focus of the article is on American Masters athletes who entered the Berlin Marathon and ran a top time. For the most part, the top three Americans in each of the 5-year Age Divisions are identified. Occasionally an athlete with a US connection or an athlete who was very close to being in the top 3 is mentioned as well. One American Record <span style="font-size: xx-small;">AR</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span>was</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>set, along with one near AR, and two other solid attempts, one of which earned an age grade over 96%. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: The finishing place overall, counting all competitors from all nations is given after the athlete's time in square brackets [x]. All Masters times below are net, not gun unless specified otherwise. The race results only give a 5-year division, not a single age, for the competitors. If I list an age grade without comment, it is because I have the athlete's age from another source. Otherwise, I qualify it with a statement like "Under the assumption that the athlete is still 43...." I always list age grade scores, Performance Level Percentages PLP's, for the division winner but after that it varies, and usually only if 80% or higher.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 40-44 </span><b>Anthony Johnson </b><i style="font-size: small;">Tracksmith Boston Hares</i>, <b>Jeff Schuler</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Boulder Track Club</span><span>, and <b>Jake Stout</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Portland Running Club</i> </span>started in the 9:15 to 9:16 range, with Johnson going off at 9:15:27, with Stout crossing the start line 8 seconds later, with another 12 seconds passing before Schuler crossed the starting line. Stout recaptured that 8 seconds very quickly, hitting the 10 Km mark at 34:27, a minute and a half faster than Johnson and over 2 minutes ahead of Schuler. Stout built that margin over the next 30 Km to a height of 6:23 at 40K. Stout gave back a half minute to Johnson in the last 2.195 km but he had sealed 1st American well before that. Stout's 2:26:32 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[12]</span> finished over 5 minutes ahead of the 2nd American. Stout, like many other Marathoners participate in Cross Country. Stout was the lead runner for <i>Team Red Lizard</i> at the 2021 and 2022 editions of the USATF Club Cross Country Championships leading them to 10th and then 9th place team finishes. He finished 46th of 242 starters in Tallahassee in 2021 and improved to 35th of 334 starters in 2022 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Given his age of 42, Stout's 2:26:32 age grades at 86.98%. </span></b></span></p><p>Johnson and Schuler had a real duel to be 2nd American. With the 20 second difference in starting times, Johnson may have been completely unaware that Schuler was pressing him for the honor. Johnson created a half minute gap in the first 10 Km, and gradually build it to its largest extent at the Half Marathon mark. Johnson's 1:15:46 was 45 seconds faster than Schuler's time. That net time gap shrunk to 40 seconds by 30 Km and had turned into an 8 second deficit by the 40 Km mark. But because Johnson had started 20 seconds ahead of Schuler, he passed the 40 km timing mat 12 seconds before Schuler did. Schuler kept the pressure on, but Johnson had a faster final 2.195 kilometers, wiping out the deficit so that he finished 20 seconds before Schuler did and their net times were exactly the same at 2:32:12. The Marathon listed Johnson as [37] and Schuler as [38]. But they should be viewed as tying for 2nd American on net time. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3liNzlsvEYCKWnRB4bpJIYAlPrXLyhNnTTNbDGvFCEoguK5WI1cpV6TcgSHyFzvhXKQCzgG7jTHh2mxwe0naEJCqL3zXVFunv1zLd7mIy5l9w3ulorYo6eQua-MXfLLEONw4eXcehYMHV4jkGwu7O6r4-v6UHWGuq7v4CQSMbfejAPBaHOG3Z_rl7lOaA/s1440/Jeff%20Schuler-right-FB%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1440" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3liNzlsvEYCKWnRB4bpJIYAlPrXLyhNnTTNbDGvFCEoguK5WI1cpV6TcgSHyFzvhXKQCzgG7jTHh2mxwe0naEJCqL3zXVFunv1zLd7mIy5l9w3ulorYo6eQua-MXfLLEONw4eXcehYMHV4jkGwu7O6r4-v6UHWGuq7v4CQSMbfejAPBaHOG3Z_rl7lOaA/w640-h482/Jeff%20Schuler-right-FB%20post.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeff Schuler </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">right #34396 </span>on the streets of Berlin in 2023 on his way to a top 3 American 40-44 finish <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: FB post by J Schuler</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Mark Guyer</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Indiana Elite</i></span><b>, </b>who finished 3rd overall at the 2023 USATF Masters Road Mile Championships in 4:33, showed impressive range in finishing 5th American in 2:38:13 <span style="font-size: small;">[83]. </span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jake Stout </i>2:26:32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Anthony Johnson</i> 2:32:12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Schuler</i> 2:32:12</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Three of Schuler's <i>Boulder TC</i> teammates were in this division; perhaps they entered as a team. Or perhaps they entered two teams of two, hoping all 4 would get in...and they did! I understand that if you enter Berlin as a 2-3 person team, then if any one of the teammates is selected in the lottery, the other teammates are accepted also at the same time. And then, if you are well matched, you get to run with your teammates in the early going, sometimes up through the first half of the race. That must make the memories extra special! <b>Benjamin Cowan</b>, <b>Chaiwat Engtrakul</b>, and <b>Aaron Kleinman</b> just had to sort out their finishing order to see who the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 45-49 Americans would be. They must have lined up as a group but somehow Engtrakul went across the start line 4 seconds ahead of the other three. That difference would have no impact on final standings though. They were still close together at the 10 Km mark, which Cowen hit in 36:25, with Kleinman and Engtrakul within 4 and 11 seconds respectively. Cowan crossed 20K at 1:12:34, with 17 seconds on Kleinman and 47 on Engtrakul, the only one of the three who would achieve a negative split. They crossed the halfway mat at 1:16:33, 1:16:45, and 1:17:24 in the same order. Kleinman moved 19 seconds ahead of Cowan by 30 Km but Engtrakul was still 42 seconds back. Engtrakul had made the catch by the time they reached the other side of the 'Wall' at 40Km. At 2:25:58, he had 7 seconds on Kleinman and 1:48 on Cowan. Engtrakul put a few more meters on his teammates in the final stretch, clocking 2:33:47 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[8]</span>. But all three had fine races, coming in under 2:40, with Kleinman 2:34:28 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[14] a</span>nd Cowan 2:36:07 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[21].</span> You can imagine the team celebration! Another four minutes, and <b>George Darden</b>, a member of the <i>Atlanta Track Club</i>, who was there without teammates, finished 4th American at 2:40:50 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[59]</span>. Kleinman and Engtrakul finished 4th and 20th respectively in this division at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Boulder CO. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cowan, at 40, merited an 80.37 age grade, Kleinman at 46, enjoyed an age grade of 85.28. Engtrakul, a year older, earned an 86.40%.</span></b></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Chaiwat Engtrakul</i> 2:33:47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aaron Kleinman </i>2:34:28 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Benjamin Cowan</i> 2:36:07</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Stephen Thoma</b>, and <b>Steven Warnick</b> crossed the starting line at 9:16:07 and 9:16:02, respectively, followed by <b>Eric Hunziker</b> at 9:17:00. Thoma wasted no time in making up the 5 seconds between Warnick and him. By the 10 Km mark, Thoma was 1:02 ahead on net time, 37:40 to 38:42, and crossed the 10 Km mat 57 seconds before Warnick did. Warnick and Hunziker enjoyed the same net time through 10K at 38:42. Thoma steadily but gradually built his lead over that trailing duo, raising it to 1:59 by the halfway mat and to 2:14 at the 40 Km mat. Thoma gave back 7seconds in the final 2.195 Km, but still enjoyed a margin of victory over the 2nd American, amounting to 2:07 on his 2:44:09 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[27]</span>. From <i>Athlinks</i> it is clear that Thoma is at least 52. If that was his age at the time, <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Thoma's age grade was 84.54%</b>, higher if he had turned 53</span><b>.</b> Warnick hit the HM mat at 1:21:48, nine seconds faster than Hunziker. But that was the height of Warnick's advantage on net time. Hunziker reached the 30 Km mat three seconds faster than Warnick and 40 Km 55 seconds faster. At that point, because of the initial 58 second difference in starting times, Warnick would have been unaware of Hunziker except in the abstract sense of the possibility of someone closing in on you as you slow down over the last kilometers of the marathon. Since Hunziker did, indeed, finish as second American 1:14 ahead of Warnick in 2:46:16 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[34]</span>, the capture presumably came shortly after the 40 km mark; it was too late in the race for Warnick to respond. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J1Ww5jYIgimL5QyW7jjwtIdVNXxtLfRigeZM-TgstfCLRHxM6Sn5tJCNctiyqlHEjMpNIRjEqZHxHfkVgXedUe_WPnW9m13SYh3QCcOvq8QpjW-uewwuxajDF3nvGBlJOrzqDGC9zE5k759n9cXYDl-TLWcWsE_LRSE10qyoHSSE3EeAPldBHMinx7P6/s1600/Steven%20Warnick%2050-54%20podium-Berlin%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J1Ww5jYIgimL5QyW7jjwtIdVNXxtLfRigeZM-TgstfCLRHxM6Sn5tJCNctiyqlHEjMpNIRjEqZHxHfkVgXedUe_WPnW9m13SYh3QCcOvq8QpjW-uewwuxajDF3nvGBlJOrzqDGC9zE5k759n9cXYDl-TLWcWsE_LRSE10qyoHSSE3EeAPldBHMinx7P6/w300-h400/Steven%20Warnick%2050-54%20podium-Berlin%202023.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steven Warnick</b> celebrating after his 2:47:30 PR and 3rd 50-54 American at the 2023 Berlin Marathon <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Posted on FB+ by S Warnick</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Warnick was 3rd American at 2:47:30 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[44]</span><span>; it was his PR</span>.</p><p><b><i>Stephen Thoma</i> </b>2:44:09 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Eric Hunziker</i> 2:46:16 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Steven Warnick</i> 2:47:30</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span>The top three Americans in M55 were more spread out in their starting times. <b>Thomas Tayeri </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Peninsula Distance Club</i> </span>started at 9:15:37, followed 1:17 later by <b>Kan Mi</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Minnesota Snow Wolves</span><span>, and another 3:04 later by <b>Harold Evensen</b>. There was enough difference in splits and final times that we can presume each ran his own race in his own time, largely unaware of the others. Tayeri ran his first 10 Km in 38:32, over a minute faster than Evensen and over 2 minutes faster than Mi. Tayeri widened those gaps with every passing kilometer, finishing as first American in 2:45:41 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[7]</span>, over 4:30 ahead of Evensen and over 6 minutes ahead of Mi. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3cKBwTWD7VfTq59een7o4WxApZBqA-16YkhhaQX1c7AmKK2bIF7TflLhcik1uEqxdxSQRdhrY6UoTswDZxr_8zdW8Ti8iS9WxLU3y81mxtEcBEAtVgV5G7E1Py5EIE5u_VKt5iFTdJ0ZlWmZWLIbBSMhlu-xqAf3wXSa16OsVNjafQfhJ8ktexa9qzmp/s1601/Tom%20Tayeri-Berlin%202023-1st%2055-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1601" data-original-width="905" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3cKBwTWD7VfTq59een7o4WxApZBqA-16YkhhaQX1c7AmKK2bIF7TflLhcik1uEqxdxSQRdhrY6UoTswDZxr_8zdW8Ti8iS9WxLU3y81mxtEcBEAtVgV5G7E1Py5EIE5u_VKt5iFTdJ0ZlWmZWLIbBSMhlu-xqAf3wXSa16OsVNjafQfhJ8ktexa9qzmp/w226-h400/Tom%20Tayeri-Berlin%202023-1st%2055-59.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Tom Tayeri</b> on his way to a 1st American finish in 55-59 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo C+redit: Posted to Strava by T Tayeri</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p><span>Evensen was 2:12 faster than Mi to the 30 Km mat, but gave back 26 seconds in the next 10 km, but only 2 more seconds in the final 2.195 kilometers. Evensen claimed the 2nd American finish at 2:50:16 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[15]</span>, with Mi 3rd American at 2:51:50 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[18]</span>. Tayeri, who had finished 2nd in the 2022 USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento in 58:05, was 58 at Berlin. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tayeri's age grade was a nifty 88.46%.</span></b></span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Thomas Tayeri</i> 2:45:41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Harold Evensen</i> 2:50:16 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kan Mi</i> 2:51:50</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Rick Lee</b><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shore Athletic Club</i> </span>announced in advance that he would be trying to break <b>Brian Pilcher's </b>American 60-64 Record of 2:42:42, set at Chicago in 2016. He acknowledged that it would be very difficult. His fastest Marathon time in the last two years was this past April at Boston when he ran 2:46:36. Could he shave 4 minutes off that time? He was game to try. His A goal was the record; his B goal was 2:45. His C goal, he joked in a Strava post, 'make it to the beer tent!' </p><p>As is customary for Lee, he did not allow himself to taper into the marathon completely. A week before Berlin, he raced in the USATF Masters 12 Km Championship, finishing 2nd to <b>Nat Larson</b>, who broke the American Record in that race. Lee's 43:25 allowed him to finish 2nd in age grading (behind Larson) with a 92.40%, not exactly your typical beginning to the last week of a taper. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5gceeK9TpNVbisnYZrQdTlaU78SSVw12bQnwlb5aJya9r-fj2X5lRCKUBkZmgstlrGwerjK04dnmzvgkmdytfrrv1QE-daG8tJ2eYhIDpi-I2ZSRcKZjgWJxOzp8bCvaSUYNbIW4HUwSjzdz7TrKTwRHzQdZTelF5jV1EmMAXe2KT8xSWeKprR6KTsa3/s2048/Lee-Larson-Notaro%20-1%20Mile%20turn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5gceeK9TpNVbisnYZrQdTlaU78SSVw12bQnwlb5aJya9r-fj2X5lRCKUBkZmgstlrGwerjK04dnmzvgkmdytfrrv1QE-daG8tJ2eYhIDpi-I2ZSRcKZjgWJxOzp8bCvaSUYNbIW4HUwSjzdz7TrKTwRHzQdZTelF5jV1EmMAXe2KT8xSWeKprR6KTsa3/w640-h426/Lee-Larson-Notaro%20-1%20Mile%20turn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">far left/reversed cap </span>leading a group of 50's and 60's runners in the USATF Masters 12 Km Championships a week before Berlin <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Lee loves to race and loves to challenge himself! This calendar year he has competed in a cross country championship over 8 km, road races from 1 Mile to the Marathon; and on the track at distances from 800M to 10,000M and the 2000M steeplechase. Lee is also the current 50Km and 50 Mile American Record holder in the 60-64 division. Lee needed to click of 38:33 10K's [6:12/mile] to get the record. When he crossed the 10K mat in 39:16, he must have realized the record might elude him. Could he speed up over the next ten kilometers? Yes, but not by enough to get back on track for the record. His 39:04 on the 2nd 10K leg left him at 1:18:20 at 20K. He needed to be at 1:17:06. He was 1:15 off the record pace at the halfway mark, at 1:22:36. He had made a good effort but paid the price. A Brit, <b>Nigel Rackham</b>, was 1:17 back at the halfway point but would soon be making inroads. Lee was still 51 seconds ahead at 30 Km but that is when fatigue can really slow down a marathoner, and Lee must have been tired. Lee reported that he had been running with <b>Jacob Nur </b>(see 65-69 below) but had to let him go after mile 17 [about 27 Km). It took Lee over 43 minutes to run the 10 Km from 30K to 40K; Rackham's net time was over three minutes faster than Lee's at the 40K and he wound up taking 1st in 2:46:40. Lee struggled home, 1st American, but 2nd overall in 2:51:46 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[2]</span>. His attempt at the record probably cost him the win. But Lee definitely got his C goal! In fact, he took a train down to Munich, with some marathoner friends, the next day, for a taste of Oktoberfest. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">At 62, Lee's time earned an 88.65% PLP.</span></b></p><p>The 2nd American at Berlin, a fine runner in his own right, was <b>Iain Mickle </b><i style="font-size: small;">SRA Elite. </i>Mickle started more slowly than Lee, running the first half three minutes slower on net time than Lee, in 1:25:58. Later in the race, he started to cut down Lee's lead, but it still stood at 2:25 when Mickle crossed the finish line with a finishing net time of 2:54:11 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[4]</span>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHRAjOCoGL-Ns9yVn7MVkdORGVUwHGIET__57_nBdJ1A6tstS9dH-nzJ85mQN9GaawwStEGFp3vBLHyg6e-E2The9vpmmym-VCRgLmpDWibR62-SpCz8ZvmupOiTkxe1oHpIER86d00e-OHLTWVGu3LuhhY3C5YmGb9X7XrF-WF17C4yPYhR2cJ0oabZP/s960/Iain%20Mickle--outsideonline-dot-com.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHRAjOCoGL-Ns9yVn7MVkdORGVUwHGIET__57_nBdJ1A6tstS9dH-nzJ85mQN9GaawwStEGFp3vBLHyg6e-E2The9vpmmym-VCRgLmpDWibR62-SpCz8ZvmupOiTkxe1oHpIER86d00e-OHLTWVGu3LuhhY3C5YmGb9X7XrF-WF17C4yPYhR2cJ0oabZP/w400-h225/Iain%20Mickle--outsideonline-dot-com.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Iain Mickle</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Outsideonline.com</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Lee is a regular these days on the USATF Masters circuit. With relatively few races on the West Coast, Mickle has competed more sparingly. In 2022 he finished 2nd at the 10 Km Championships in Sacramento in 59:57. In December of last year, he finished 13th in 60-64 at the highly competitive Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco. He also ran 2:53:42, finishing 1st 60-64 at CIM last December.<b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Mickle, also 62, earned an 87.42% age grade.</span></b> <b>Rami Ghandour</b> and <b>Paul Giuliano </b>had a duel to finish as 3rd American but did not see each other during the race. Ghandour started a minute and 8 seconds after Giuliano. Giuliano went out faster and built a lead of 1:46 by the time he crossed the halfway mat, in a net time of 1:29:42. That was the zenith of his lead. Ghandour gradually whittled away at Giuliano's lead. By the time he crossed the 40 Km mat, Giuliano's net time lead was just 15 seconds. Ghandour ran the final 2.195 km 38 seconds faster than Giuliano, finishing as 3rd American in 3:01:48 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[16] </span>. When Giuliano finished with his net of 3:02:11 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[17]</span>, it would be 45 seconds in real time before Ghandour would cross the finish line. Ghandour had won their duel but probably neither saw the other during the race.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee</i> 2:51:46 <i><b>Iain Mickle</b> </i>2:54:11 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rami Ghandour</i> 3:01:48</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Jacob Nur </b><i style="font-size: small;">SRA Elite </i>had taken on an even tougher challenge than Lee. <b>Clive Davies</b> must have been a heck of a runner. In September 1981, when Davies was 66, he ran a 2:42:49 Marathon in Eugene OR. That is the American Record that Nur took aim at. That was only 7 seconds off the 60-64 record that Lee was shooting for. As noted, he ran with Rick Lee for that reason; they needed about the same pace. Nur is not known as well for his marathons as Lee is but Nur is no stranger to the marathon. He has run a number of sub-3-hour marathons. In 2018 he ran 2:47:43 at the <i>California International Marathon</i>, generally considered a fast marathon because of its elevation drop from start to finish. The <i>Boston Marathon</i>, unless temps are in the upper 40's with a tailwind from the southwest, is considered a much tougher marathon. It also has an elevation drop but the offset is the Newton Hills! In April of 2022, Nur ran 2:45:21 at Boston. Like Lee, Nur was game to try! Running together could help. As noted, they ran together for the first 17 miles. Through that point they were about 2 minutes off the split they needed for the records they targeted. Lee, as noted, skied to over 43 minutes for the ten K from 30K to 40K. Nur did better but could not keep it under 40 minutes. Nur achieved something Lee just missed, however, that was an Age Division win at Berlin. His 2:47:30 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[1] </span>left him over ten minutes ahead of <b>Boyan Lefterov</b> of Bulgaria, the 2nd place finisher. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNCBPPWzDCZVv1CX2fTWNzNOFC_BVDbOEbq4zR2dQdgrh_MMhLPEpibjpn_J7-Dyv5kzSCzJvHxyYDwc1RfTuX9G12e_RHdXr2igLbyKDyMsqJwtAbONWE_UMlThr8lOe8Lg8_32_cegBfAn28FWoRTjLIIuQtJ5h9qz44ID9FufSL1xxy8nnT7F0MiKh/s3577/Nur-Am%20Rec-M65%20winCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3478" data-original-width="3577" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNCBPPWzDCZVv1CX2fTWNzNOFC_BVDbOEbq4zR2dQdgrh_MMhLPEpibjpn_J7-Dyv5kzSCzJvHxyYDwc1RfTuX9G12e_RHdXr2igLbyKDyMsqJwtAbONWE_UMlThr8lOe8Lg8_32_cegBfAn28FWoRTjLIIuQtJ5h9qz44ID9FufSL1xxy8nnT7F0MiKh/w400-h389/Nur-Am%20Rec-M65%20winCROP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jacob Nur</b> heading for the finish line and a mew American 65-69 Record in the Ten Mile Run at the 2022 USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships in Sacramento CA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: C+ourtesy of Sacramento Running Associatiion <i>SRA</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Like Mickle, Nur has competed a bit more sparingly than Lee on the USATF Masters circuit, but he has won a few USATF Age Division championships in the last few years. He also owns four 65-69 American Records at distances from 5 Km to 10 Miles. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">At age 68, Nur's time earned a terrific 96.56% age grade score.</span></b></p><p>The other contenders for top 3 Americans were far off of Nur's pace but their net times were close to each other. Starting 14 minutes apart, the two were in different parts of the crowd of runners. <b>Dennis Hosue</b>, who ran 3:41:10 at Bostin this past April, had a faster first half, 1:39:38, than <b>Luogang Wei </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Phire</i></span>, 1:40:00. Wei had run much faster at Boston, clocking 3:21:09. The 2nd half belonged to Wei who finished as 2nd American in 3:20:46 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[11]</span>, with Hosue 3rd American in 3:22:23 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[16]</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jacob Nur</i> 2:47:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Luogang Wei</i> 3:20:46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dennis Hosue</i> 3:22:23</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74</span> There were no record attempts in this division. <b>Steve Yee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fleet Feet Racing </i></span>started at 9:24:50, followed 4 minutes later by <b>Eduardo Matsuo </b><i style="font-size: small;">Ann Arbor Track Club. </i><b>Barry Wallman</b> started 36 minutes later. Matsuo hit the 10 Km mat in 52:00, wiping out 1:45 of Yee's head start. By the time Matsuo hit the halfway mark in 1:49:44, he was 3:29 ahead of Yee on net time, so only 26 seconds behind him on the course. The catch was not made until somewhere between 25 and 30K. By the 30K mat, Matsuo was 5:26 ahead on net time, so a minute and a half ahead of Yee on the course. Matsuo took 1st American by over 16 minutes in 3:40:07 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[8]</span>. Matsuo was active for <i>Ann Arbor</i> between 2014 and 2018; his race in 2018 helped Ann Arbor to the 3rd place team finish at the 2018 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championship. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFZtGXKiBbVAIP1eaj4VVQ61J8fU6OznpdFsCv2mBmieFCXdeRyzha_albJn9bVtp6AeUFRIlIURR_Safz_WrCWwxG_ISAzsuCE7a2gZmMRc183OgfaKn9tkjhBi6A3XICCE6RLikhN9F-AAl-QfKL6Dc4rO7_2D0YqLkkABRC_a_HDEIhSsHeyiGEy1H/s999/Eduardo%20Matsuo-2018DXA2-FB%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="999" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFZtGXKiBbVAIP1eaj4VVQ61J8fU6OznpdFsCv2mBmieFCXdeRyzha_albJn9bVtp6AeUFRIlIURR_Safz_WrCWwxG_ISAzsuCE7a2gZmMRc183OgfaKn9tkjhBi6A3XICCE6RLikhN9F-AAl-QfKL6Dc4rO7_2D0YqLkkABRC_a_HDEIhSsHeyiGEy1H/w400-h266/Eduardo%20Matsuo-2018DXA2-FB%20post.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Eduardo Matsuo</b> competing for the <i>Ann Arbor Track Club</i> 60+ Team at the 2018 USATF Masters Half marathon Championships, hosted by the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: FB post by E Matsuo</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Even though Yee and Wallman never saw each other on the course, they had a spirited competition. Yee got out to a 5:37 lead on net time at 30K. But Wallman took 1:26 out of that lead in the next `10K and another 2:36 in the final 2.195 km. Yee must have been hurting, but he held strong to the end and Wallman ran out of pavement. Yee finished 2nd in 3:56:19 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[14]</span>, with Wallman a minute and a half back as 3rd American in 3:57:54 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[16].</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Eduardo Matsuo</i> 3:40:07 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Yee</i> 3:56:19 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Barry Wallman</i> 3:57:54</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Greater Philadelphia Track Club </i></span>knew he was not in shape for an assault on the World 75-79 Marathon mark held by the legend, <b>Ed Whitlock</b>, at 3:04:54. The health problem that had slowed him down for the last year and a bit, seemed to be gone; his training had returned to the level where he could contemplate going for the American Record. <b>Warren Utes</b> set the current record of 3:18:10 at the Chicago Marathon in 1995. Utes was an amazing runner. He still holds the 70-74 American records for 5 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">18:01 </span>and 8 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">30:25</span>, as well as the 75-79 records, at all of the standard road distances, from the 5 Km up through the Marathon. Dykes, and his coach, knew what they had to do. In terms of the split times provided by the race, Dykes had to run each 10K segment under 47:00. For perspective, the 2nd place time in the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships, for 75-79, was only 4 seconds faster. Dykes was ready. He hit the 10 Km mat in 45:55, putting over a minute in the bank. The next 10K was a 46:29; another half minute in the bank. Dykes's half marathon time was 1:37:28, a minute and a half ahead of record pace. But the 10K from 20 to 30 was his first over 47 minutes. He had to withdraw 13 seconds from the bank. From 30K to 40K he needed another 26 seconds. But he was still 57 seconds ahead of record pace with just over 2K to go! Would he make it?! As he put it in an email to me a few days after the race, "The finish line was in sight and then I pulled up lame with a cramp with 300 yards to go." His time of 3:18:23 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[1] </span>was a noble effort but was ten seconds above the record. Dykes, like Lee, in 60-64 above, was already planning on running Chicago in two weeks. He finished his note with: "'Stronger for Chicago or more tired? Find out soon!" </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeCgvcLMopsELoQslF0FeQXiU7ZVYcQVW1LolCHu8PMwkVvbMUnwmE8mYrCrnqb-kpjwhnrHxeRkTNdsD2GgGxNgRBqnCZjbjjSLgJx_x0vEsjH3tDMU-egXGfScfaVDz85FrH3Tg5VdR2OPAmruKLdOfUFJq4WJ29rVDnL4pNwrdITTUSt8eU4AC5csr/s2048/Dykes-1%20Mile%20Turn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeCgvcLMopsELoQslF0FeQXiU7ZVYcQVW1LolCHu8PMwkVvbMUnwmE8mYrCrnqb-kpjwhnrHxeRkTNdsD2GgGxNgRBqnCZjbjjSLgJx_x0vEsjH3tDMU-egXGfScfaVDz85FrH3Tg5VdR2OPAmruKLdOfUFJq4WJ29rVDnL4pNwrdITTUSt8eU4AC5csr/w400-h266/Dykes-1%20Mile%20Turn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left/white cap</span> leading some younger runners around a turn one week before the Berlin Marathon -- at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships, hosted by USATF-NJ's By Hook Or By Crook Run <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Dykes and Nur were the only two American men to win their age division outright over all competitors from all nations. Dykes loves to race. In the weeks and months leading up to Berlin, he raced over 5K, a 50 Mile Trail race, the 5000M, 10,000M and 2,000M Steeplechase at the Masters Outdoor Championships and the 12 km Championships on the roads in Highlands NJ. Dykes won that last national championship mentioned by over 4 minutes, ahead of a very fast field. A week later he was setting off on his 26.2-mile journey through the streets of Berlin. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">At age 75, Dykes's 3:18:23 age grades at 88.96%.</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Bruce Brown</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> ran a strong race as </span><span style="color: #222222;">well but</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> was not competitive with Dykes. Few are. Brown ran 3:33:57 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">[2] </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">to give American men their only 1-2 finish in a division. Brown was 75 when he ran 3:47:40 at Boston in 2022. </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Under the assumption that Brown was 76 at Berlin, his time age grades to an 83.89%.</span> </b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>Augusto Lastimosa</b> finished as 3rd American in a time of 4:30:45 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[9].</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes </i>3:18:23 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bruce Brown </i>3:33:57 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Augusto Lastimosa</i> 4:30:45</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80 and Up--</span>No Americans</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">WOMEN 40-44 </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Allison Lerer</b><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Meghann Featherstun </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">had a tight battle to be first American but may have been unaware of it at the time. Lerer started at 9:16:13, with Williams starting 39 seconds later. Fetherstun's net time was faster over the first 20 Km, 1:20:24 to 1:20:58, but Lerer was still 5 seconds ahead of Featherstun on the course. Would Featherstun have recognized Lerer as an American rival or vice versa? That was as close as Featherstun got. Her pace fell relative to Lerer's soon after that. Between 20K and 30K, Lerer gained 27 seconds of net time on Featherstun. After that it looked like it would be clear sailing for Lerer as she gained another 25 seconds in the next 10K to lead Featherstun on net time by 18 seconds with 2 kilometers to go. But with the end at hand, Featherstun found she could speed up, lowering her pace from 4:04/km to 3:54/km [about 6:15/mile] on the final 2.195 km. At the same time, Lerer was keeping her pace fairly steady, dropping it very slightly from 4:03/km to 4:02/km [about 6:24/mi]. It is possible the final 2-second difference on net time, came about mostly with the finish line clearly in sight! Lerer had just enough of an edge to take the first American honor in 2:49:53 </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">[8]</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, with Featherstun 2 seconds back on net time, in 2:49:55 </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">[9]</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNgSANnihvVyd_bJs1Zsf1mjHadhwSuy0lpHHqDBCdTKoW0NsGUksPvfLi9nHs1LfYodVYapmbu36xhyphenhyphenNqJfPr7xUfdb8wdEWvmFtf21wPLMBjKxhEr0ECzTgAEzA2tIwHK8-HKeTTxMIYUSODIz6YsPS2uuL2fgUHvbcE5zw9eHfHJjGoFsMSbVMSaST/s1600/Meghann%20Fetherstunn-post%20race%20berlin-Strava%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNgSANnihvVyd_bJs1Zsf1mjHadhwSuy0lpHHqDBCdTKoW0NsGUksPvfLi9nHs1LfYodVYapmbu36xhyphenhyphenNqJfPr7xUfdb8wdEWvmFtf21wPLMBjKxhEr0ECzTgAEzA2tIwHK8-HKeTTxMIYUSODIz6YsPS2uuL2fgUHvbcE5zw9eHfHJjGoFsMSbVMSaST/w300-h400/Meghann%20Fetherstunn-post%20race%20berlin-Strava%20post.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Meghann Fetherstun</b> after the Berlin Marathon and her being the 2nd 40-44 American woman to finish <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Strava post-M Fetherstun</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It </span>was<span style="font-family: inherit;"> not a battle to the finish </span>line<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in </span>the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> normal sense of that term. After Lerer </span>crossed<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the finish line, it was 41 seconds before Featherstun crossed it. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Lerer achieved the 1st American finish with a negative split 2:49:53 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">[8] </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">off of a 1:25:19 half marathon split. As a 38-year-old in 2021, she finished 5th overall at the AJC Peachtree Road Race in a sparkling 37:01. Her marathon attempt at Chicago last fall was less successful at 3:01:47. </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As a likely 40-year-old, Lerer's Berlin age grade would be 80.84%</span>. </b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Featherstun ran a 1:21:24 Half Marathon in Houston in January and followed with a 2:52:14 effort in Boston. </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Featherstun was 40 at Berlin; her age grade was 80.82%. </span></b></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The battle to be 3rd American was close. Two women finished within 18 seconds of each other on net time. </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Julia Roman-Duval</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> started at 9:15:09; </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Natasha Bliss</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> at 9:16:08. </span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Roman Duval had the faster first 10K at 39:00. Because she started early and ran fast over most of the distance, the only American runner to actually pass her on the course, was Lerer, who did so between 30 and 40 km. </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Natasha Bliss</b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>San Diego Track Club</i> </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">was Roman-Duval's closest rival. Less than a minute behind Roman-Duval at the 10 Km mat, Bliss was still within 2 minutes on net time at the halfway mat. Bliss started to make real headway between the half marathon and </span>30K and<span style="font-family: inherit;"> made the catch just before the 40K mark, on net time. Bliss went on to finish 3rd American at 2:52:44 </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">[12]</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> ahead of Roman-Duval whose 2:53:02 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">[14] </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">made her the fourth American. </span></span></p><p><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKTqU6dPynSSM565fWY6eGIrhw3RlttN2nrKUs1-06kVZjNCXABCqXSw6YJ5hOWNO-d-maM9ckPdvE9XkBSxBACZg5Atl2Nz4b0MTgN_-iASHYnR0M-ejktJjEDQKuyZYBqp6TfvZnlsNzVIpDPbVj3d-tQ2iPtV8fiMQncR33oUer4h34vXKHIuC51hU/s1440/Natasha%20Bliss-3rd%20Masters%20at%20Carlsbad-2022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKTqU6dPynSSM565fWY6eGIrhw3RlttN2nrKUs1-06kVZjNCXABCqXSw6YJ5hOWNO-d-maM9ckPdvE9XkBSxBACZg5Atl2Nz4b0MTgN_-iASHYnR0M-ejktJjEDQKuyZYBqp6TfvZnlsNzVIpDPbVj3d-tQ2iPtV8fiMQncR33oUer4h34vXKHIuC51hU/w400-h400/Natasha%20Bliss-3rd%20Masters%20at%20Carlsbad-2022.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Natasha Bliss</b> demonstrates her range by finishing on the Masters podium at the 2022 Carlsbad 5000 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: FB post by N Bliss</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Since Roman-Duval started 1:03 ahead of Bliss, the two never saw each other during the race. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">At 42 years of age, Bliss's 2:52:44 merits an 80.56% age grade. </span></b></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Bliss is also a talented Cross Country runner; she finished 8th overall at the Club Cross Championships in San Francisco, helping her team to the win in the 40+ division. </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Allison Lerer</i> 2:49:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Meghann Featherstun</i> 2:49:55 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Natasha Bliss</i> 2:52:44 </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span></span><b style="color: #222222;">Laura Heintz</b><span style="color: #222222;"><i>, </i></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Kelly Griffin</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">and </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Lindsay Wilkins</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> started at 9:16:06, 9:16:30, and 9:17:27. Griffin made up the 24-second head start of Heintz in the first 10K crossing the mat with a net time of 40:42, 58 seconds faster than Heintz. Wilkins, who started almost a minute after Griffin and ran the first 10K slower than Heintz, never saw Griffin during the race. Heintz did not see Griffin past the 10K mark until after the race was over, if then. Griffin ran a fast first half marathon, clocking 1:26:42. At that point she had a net time advantage of 1:26 on Heintz and 2:54 on Wilkins. By 30K, Heintz's net time lead over Wilkins was down to 36 seconds. Wilkins covered that stretch almost as fast as Griffin did. Wilkins came into her own after the 30 Km mat. She ran the next 10K 1:27 faster than Heintz, moving from 36 seconds behind on net time to 51 seconds ahead. Griffin was also starting to feel the effects of her early pace; it took her 28 seconds longer to cover that 10K than Heintz, so almost two minutes longer than Wilkins. As a result, Griffin's lead on Wilkins was down to 56 seconds, 2:48:24 to 2:49:16. Heintz was 51 seconds behind Wilkins and did not accelerate over the final 2.195 Km enough to contend for 1st. Wilkins continued to run faster than Griffin over that 2 Km but did not have a kick that would cut substantially into her lead. Wilkins took another 8 seconds off of Griffin's lead; that left Griffin the winner at 2:57:57 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[9]</span>, with Wilkins just 44 seconds back as 2nd American in 2:58:41<span style="font-size: x-small;">[10]</span>. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPN8nxTYFgav46mo-Xr9lV4jX4dQVNmvLyY2mRY3KW8BOmBGKKIYSNVWSssR0k3KVUb62t4YKOsp_WMOwCKRCf-dC83bDvaTBYW0FMM6D7h-yx5SpkPtdhHbd0dZLX2Kz8KGKbtEuBDRhud9RwhTCwRURN7VEfRYYSIMJkW00_2Wuoj6gM4gqD0v-aPhO/s1600/Kelly%20Griffin-center-shakeout%20run%20with%20fellow%20runners%20b4%20Berlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPN8nxTYFgav46mo-Xr9lV4jX4dQVNmvLyY2mRY3KW8BOmBGKKIYSNVWSssR0k3KVUb62t4YKOsp_WMOwCKRCf-dC83bDvaTBYW0FMM6D7h-yx5SpkPtdhHbd0dZLX2Kz8KGKbtEuBDRhud9RwhTCwRURN7VEfRYYSIMJkW00_2Wuoj6gM4gqD0v-aPhO/w400-h300/Kelly%20Griffin-center-shakeout%20run%20with%20fellow%20runners%20b4%20Berlin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kelly Griffin</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">center </span>on a shakeout run the day before the Berlin Marathon, with two <br />other marathoners <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: K Griffin post on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Heintz, running tough through the finish, was 3rd American at 2:59:37 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[11]</span>. Griffin ran 2:43:16 at the California International Marathon in December 2021, a 1:19:02 HM in Indianapolis in fall 2022 and a 1:23:19 HM at the Trial of Miles Project 13.1 in March. Wilkins ran 2:57:03 in that same 2021 CIM as Griffin, following it with a 2:58:37 in London the following spring and a 3:00:51 at Boston a year later. Heintz ran 2:55:58 at Chicago in 2019 and 2:57:33 at TCS NYC in 2021. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Griffin and Wilkins were probably 45 at Berlin, with Heintz, most likely 46. That makes their age grade scores: 80.19%, 79.86%, and 80.25% respectively.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Kelly Griffin </i>2:57:57 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lindsay Wilkins</i> 2:58:41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Laura Heintz </i>2:59:37</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Sharon Lemberger</b> started at 9:17:27, with <b>Mary Schact</b> crossing the starting line almost 4 minutes later, and <b>Sarah Trigg</b> 42 seconds behind Schact. Lemberger finished 12th at Club Cross San Francisco last December in her last year in the 45-49 division. Her last three marathons are CIM in December 2021, a 2:56:53 for 3rd in 45-49; a 2:57:31 at London last October for 5th in 45-49; and, on an off day, a 3:02:50 at Boston last April. Here, of course, she is in a new age division. Schacht's fastest marathon in the last five years is 3:10:57 in Paris. Trigg came in well back from Lemberger in last fall's London Marathon, almost 3 minutes slower than Schacht's Paris time. This was not a division where someone came from behind. Lemberger ran the first 10 K in 42:23, with Trigg at 43:36, and Schact 45:07. Lemberger was well in front; Trigg ran fast enough to be ahead of Schacht in real time as well as net. Lemberger hit the half marathon in 1:29:36, over 2 minutes ahead of Trigg. Trigg ran 1:43 faster to the halfway mat than Schacht. The only difference the rest of the way was the size of the gaps. Lemberger pulled away, taking first American honors in 2:59:56 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[4]. </span>After falling over 2 minutes behind Trigg at the 30K, Schacht actually pulled to within a minute at 40K. But Trigg answered over the last 2.195K; Trigg ended as 2nd American in 3:10:03 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">[16]</span><span style="color: #222222;">, 1:23 ahead of Schacht's 3:11:26 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">[18]. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUn1h3VVDAm_WfsJfaOGb6TvFEEAb9BRASEPRPp564EtdKMP2EB2JqRU9fhCBBX0y0_JZgUCPPDwtL41ZtdJfpmaxwSZWdfD2Mq_mCI1jf12J6Fn2CznUnIRI_khkk5UxAC03eCuKiwiG6ocACGckATHu3ANu0nHF2YzQ70uELpOfNTRkojGAg6rMlS2yN/s1140/Sarah%20Trigg-northbrooklynrunners-dot-org-Drew%20Reynolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="760" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUn1h3VVDAm_WfsJfaOGb6TvFEEAb9BRASEPRPp564EtdKMP2EB2JqRU9fhCBBX0y0_JZgUCPPDwtL41ZtdJfpmaxwSZWdfD2Mq_mCI1jf12J6Fn2CznUnIRI_khkk5UxAC03eCuKiwiG6ocACGckATHu3ANu0nHF2YzQ70uELpOfNTRkojGAg6rMlS2yN/w266-h400/Sarah%20Trigg-northbrooklynrunners-dot-org-Drew%20Reynolds.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sarah Trigg</b> on a Training Run <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: northbrooklynrunners.org/</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Drew Holt</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="color: #222222;"><br /></b></p><p><b style="color: #222222;">Mary King</b><span style="color: #222222;">, who finished 3rd at the 2022 Masters 12 Km Championship in the 50-54 division, finished as 4th American 51 seconds behind Schacht in 3:12:17 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">[19]</span><span style="color: #222222;">. </span><b style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lemberger, 50, scored a PLP of 83.98%.</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Lemberger</i> 2:59:56 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sarah Trigg</i> 3:10:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Schacht</i> 3:11:26</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Jennifer Harvey</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Central Park TC </i></span>won a terrific duel with <b>Fiona Bayly</b> at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis in June, setting a new American Record. Perhaps known better as a track athlete, Harvey has also turned herself into a marathoner. Harvey finished 2nd in the 50-54 division at Chicago 5 years ago with a 3:11:53 effort. Since then, the only long race I find is a 1:28:17 at the Brooklyn HM this past May. Harvey started at 9:17:50, followed 1:09 later by <b>Susan Mix </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tracksmith Boston Hares</i></span><b>; Helen Degennaro </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Runners Roost Lakewood </i></span>started at 9:32:00. Mix has extensive marathon experience, including a 3:03:31 at Boston in fall 2021 and a 3:06:51 in Philadelphia a month later. She ran 2:57:11 last October in London where she took 3rd in this division. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7GAi4EsO4T3ub7gWFOZQoU6rpcfeFUqy3NEXkBpWXU7MMud-21jtU5DG5T-lDe60m4nhl80PKxvy5XojAqPrPFFA52W8PV05FFI8C8LFX8P9UKLKe5q3jYIktCAlMVZkhyphenhyphenGD2mPCPZaMEij9SsQFXbxg7n4F1_J5zS2vZkI6G8jfwXsFCq8FqQ7HnOuP/s1600/Susan%20Mix-pre-race-Strava%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7GAi4EsO4T3ub7gWFOZQoU6rpcfeFUqy3NEXkBpWXU7MMud-21jtU5DG5T-lDe60m4nhl80PKxvy5XojAqPrPFFA52W8PV05FFI8C8LFX8P9UKLKe5q3jYIktCAlMVZkhyphenhyphenGD2mPCPZaMEij9SsQFXbxg7n4F1_J5zS2vZkI6G8jfwXsFCq8FqQ7HnOuP/w400-h300/Susan%20Mix-pre-race-Strava%20post.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Susan Mix </b>waiting for her start time at the Berlin Marathon <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Strava post by S Mix</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;">Degennaro took 1st in the 50-54 division at the 2022 LA Marathon in 3:25:35:18, and then 2nd in 55-59 at NYC last November in 3:25:20. Harvey had a good starting position and ran sensibly, hitting the first 10K in 43:59, allowing Mix to carve out an early1:47 lead on net time. That also put her ahead of Harvey on the course. Mix had no problem in the division, crossing the halfway mat in 1:29:41 with a net time lead of almost 4 minutes. Mix finished with a net time of 3:07:47 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[3]</span>, 4:24 faster than Harvey, claiming the title of first American. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IIOjGuDW22tPfQaNbiA2kA2mZhuvxtWnLkSAETo_uhxYiuU842ccPX7HwU2DQky6irTs-1ZYOgjYBQvhcC_j7xYq8ysIPHcIkKW71TkrRrd7ved_Xumc2kuDd-F6JwN7cC207OuokiW5ot-g75Jz06O_dLIaQVelNZ153wVoCr3CXbDTyy11zKWx8c0R/s1600/Susan%20Mix-post%20race-Strava%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IIOjGuDW22tPfQaNbiA2kA2mZhuvxtWnLkSAETo_uhxYiuU842ccPX7HwU2DQky6irTs-1ZYOgjYBQvhcC_j7xYq8ysIPHcIkKW71TkrRrd7ved_Xumc2kuDd-F6JwN7cC207OuokiW5ot-g75Jz06O_dLIaQVelNZ153wVoCr3CXbDTyy11zKWx8c0R/w300-h400/Susan%20Mix-post%20race-Strava%20post.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Susan Mix </b>post-race - 2023 Berlin Marathon -- 1st American, 3rd Overall <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Strava post by S Mix</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;">Harvey's 3:12:11 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[4] </span>kept Degennaro 6 minutes back. Degennaro finished as 3rd American in 3:18:31 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[8]</span>. <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mix, 56, earned a PLP of 86.98%.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Susan Mix</i> 3:07:47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Harvey</i> 3:12:11 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Helen Degennaro</i> 3:18:31</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><span style="color: #222222;">This division enjoyed the smallest net time difference between 1st and 3rd American. They did not start close together though. They were competing with themselves, as is almost always the case in the marathon, and found out later how they did. <b>Sue George</b> started at 9:23:36, with <b>Jin Zhu</b> starting more than 8 minutes later. <b>Alma Arredondo</b> started 13 minutes after Zhu. It is quite amazing that all three finished within 34 seconds of one another. Both George and Arredondo sped off for the first 10K, with George's net time at 48:12 and Arredondo's just 21 seconds slower. Zhu eased into the race with a 52:01. George crossed the halfway mat with a 1:42:05 net time. Arredondo was a minute slower, with Zhu over 5 more minutes slower at 1:48:40. By 30K, a different story was emerging. From 20K to 30K, Arredondo's pace was essentially steady, dropping slightly from 51:01 for the second 10K to 49:15 for the third 10K. At the same time, George slowed from 48:30 to 51:42 between the 2nd and 3rd 10K. Arredondo now had a 1:14 faster 30K net time than George. Zhu was still over 6 minutes slower than George. George continued to slow from 30K to 40K, taking 54:31, but Arredondo slowed even more, clocking 55:24 for that segment. Zhu, on the other hand had held back enough to lower her time on that segment to 50:00, making up 4:31 on George and 5:24 on Arredondo. But Arredondo still had the best net time at 3:22:44; George was now only 11 seconds slower and moving faster. Zhu was moving the fastest of the three but was still almost two minutes slower than George with just 2.195 km to go. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgpqdIFmpYKYzayeQ121BpHEss-NV6QxwVJ7H8fg4Gwc1TR6oxzfmiBe4hKuq8SV-UH5Jtm_UkHXrPQ-yw66_HEjgfckTt53JddX315HJBUBLYwn-_a0VwlJZXXJo8IY9mKlIT6fAtCxG_vxYD-M53G3ecPrvYBRaNTH5eRn_LPp1ymPsPCRXOqrWoG1Q/s1600/Jin%20Zhu-Brandenburg%20gate%20evening%20post%20race-Strava%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgpqdIFmpYKYzayeQ121BpHEss-NV6QxwVJ7H8fg4Gwc1TR6oxzfmiBe4hKuq8SV-UH5Jtm_UkHXrPQ-yw66_HEjgfckTt53JddX315HJBUBLYwn-_a0VwlJZXXJo8IY9mKlIT6fAtCxG_vxYD-M53G3ecPrvYBRaNTH5eRn_LPp1ymPsPCRXOqrWoG1Q/w300-h400/Jin%20Zhu-Brandenburg%20gate%20evening%20post%20race-Strava%20post.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jin Zhu</b> poses in front of Brandenburg Gate the evening after the Berlin Marathon <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Strava post by J Zhu</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;">Zhu ran that last segment in 10:01, 1:48 faster than George. But George had built enough of a lead that she claimed first American at 3:34:44 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[7]</span>, with 8 seconds to spare. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9fxEGjInK5g4sCstQvtliFsVcvuyzKhGznletg-ZJSakNLuXXMptT1HRFeEV257qICPax03g65LZOFZljk7LtnDbKtEVJZffdXiMUGktkcjMDBceuMuoosmWt196f-Wq3CeYb11HPRw7hUaKlbE22A8DwgXCic20hrQUUiFsxGnz8x_m-sDpFfZaj9DZ/s1600/Sue%20George%20with%20son,%20Nick,%20&%20Rick%20Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9fxEGjInK5g4sCstQvtliFsVcvuyzKhGznletg-ZJSakNLuXXMptT1HRFeEV257qICPax03g65LZOFZljk7LtnDbKtEVJZffdXiMUGktkcjMDBceuMuoosmWt196f-Wq3CeYb11HPRw7hUaKlbE22A8DwgXCic20hrQUUiFsxGnz8x_m-sDpFfZaj9DZ/w400-h300/Sue%20George%20with%20son,%20Nick,%20&%20Rick%20Lee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sue George</b> celebrating after the race with son, Nick <span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span> who PR'd with a 2:48, and <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right (See M60-64) Photo Credit: Strava post by S George</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;">Zhu ran 3:34:52 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[8]</span>, 26 seconds faster than Arredondo's 3:35:18 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[9]. <b>George's PLP at age 61 is 81.56%.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sue George</i> 3:34:44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jin Zhu</i> 3:34:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alma Arredondo</i> 3:35:18</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Christine Kennedy</b>, originally from Ireland, set a slew of American records over the years when she resided in Southern California. A few years back, she relocated back 'over the pond' to be closer to her daughters. She retains her US citizenship; she competed for the USA at the WMA Championships in Torun, Poland this spring. She claimed a 65-69 S</span>ilver Medal in the Cross Country event and won the Half Marathon, setting a new AR in the process. The owner of the 65-69 AR going into Berlin was <b>Joan Benoit Samuelson</b>, who ran 3:20:20 at the London Marathon last fall. Kennedy would need to average under 7:40/mile [or 4:45/km]. That meant, in terms of the splits offered by the race, Kennedy would need to average under 47:30 for every ten km segment. If Kennedy's plan was to put seconds in the bank against a slowdown in the final 12.195 km, she achieved that. She crossed the first 10 Km mat in 45:43, putting 1:47 in the bank. The next ten km was a little slower at 46:11 but still another 1:19 into the bank. Her net time at the half was 1:36:55, more than 3 minutes under her target. And the 3rd 10K segment was still under the target at 46:31. Put those 29 seconds in the bank as well, for a total of 3:35 to play with, heading into the dreaded 4th segment when things sometimes go awry. Kennedy did slow in that 4th segment but not disastrously so. She only needed to withdraw 1:05 of her savings. The last 2.195 kilometers included no surprises. <b>Kennedy finished at 3:17:38 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span>, over two and a half minutes under the American Record!</b> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjsLI5oibqU6DY72jtxFHK2x2mwtaJ2bxtWteaXsJIeoA5TF7ThjRcrfP_XuBGRSbYs2WYTCPeufFJ9hEFBMDKujU0Dp7v1ckTXxBwH7_YLa9lEJ6ivDaH79OFMbIeFoOLZsPdmoexBxepSreJgoG91bmHAdDxSI_FAmlRbyXxo9SKq4MBGcwSlOtYogf/s1202/Christine%20Kennedy-AR-HM-Todd%20S%20pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="802" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjsLI5oibqU6DY72jtxFHK2x2mwtaJ2bxtWteaXsJIeoA5TF7ThjRcrfP_XuBGRSbYs2WYTCPeufFJ9hEFBMDKujU0Dp7v1ckTXxBwH7_YLa9lEJ6ivDaH79OFMbIeFoOLZsPdmoexBxepSreJgoG91bmHAdDxSI_FAmlRbyXxo9SKq4MBGcwSlOtYogf/w268-h400/Christine%20Kennedy-AR-HM-Todd%20S%20pic.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Christine K</b><b>ennedy </b>battled the wind to take the 65-69 Half Marathon Gold Medal for Team USA at the 2023 WMA Indoor Championships in March in Torun Poland <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credit: Todd Straka</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It is a rare privilege to break a record set by an icon such as Samuelson. Kennedy was one of only two American women to score an outright win in Berlin! <b><span style="font-size: x-small;">To top it off, her age grade, at age 68, was 98.58%!</span></b></p><p><b>Angela Cason</b>, who finished 6th at Boston, 4th at Chicago and 12th at New York in this 65-69 division, was almost a half hour behind Kennedy's record-breaking pace at the end. But her 3:47:07 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[5] </span>bettered her time at the three American majors last year. <b>Theresa Burst</b>, who has run the Boston Marathon the last three years, was third American with a 3:56:01 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[7]</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Christine Kennedy</i> 3:17:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Angela Cason</i> 3:47:07 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Theresa Burst</i> 3:56:01</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Merry Dearmon</b> won the 65-69 division of the 2022 USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento in 1:15:36. Dearmon finished 9th in 60-64 at Boston in 2018 but ran 3:22:01 to finish 2nd in 60-64 later that year at CIM in Sacramento. In February of 2022, she won the 65-69 division with a 3:27:54 at the Mesa Marathon. <b>Grace Wasielewski</b> finished 2nd in 65-69 the last two years at Chicago, with a 3:36:48 in 2021 and a 3:34:31 in 2022. <b>Diane Peterson </b>ran NYC in 2021, Chicago in 2022 and Boston in 2023, finishing 10th, 8th and 32nd respectively. All three were probably hoping for better times out of Berlin. They ran true to expectations relative to one another. Dearmon clocked 50:36 for the first 10K, with Wasielewski 3 minutes slower and Peterson another 3.5 minutes slower to the timing mat. The gaps back to Peterson grew during the race, but Wasielewski actually pulled a little closer to Dearmon through the Half Marathon at least. Dearmon's net time was 1:51:37, with Wasielewski just 2:23 slower. Something slowed Dearmon down in that 2nd 10K but whatever it was, it apparently passed. Dearmon sped up considerably, dropping her 10K split from almost 56 minutes for the 2nd 10k to 53:27 for the third one. Her net time was again more than three minutes faster than Wasielewski's. Dearmon really put the hammer down in the 4th 10K segment cutting another two minutes off her split. Wasielewski continued her solid pacing but was now almost 8 minutes back at the 40K mat. Dearmon flew through to the finish with a 3:41:35 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[2], </span>1st American to finish. Wasielewski was 9 minutes slower, clocking 3:50:38 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[4]</span>, </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7LeJC1TE9I13jXhDNlJehbsxEwtMhDRGqxWpEQjjfkQcyAFKutdUhJCHWA2Juh9G6QsAu0MH7jVelN30m-y12_jU_yd_Vws_1UnQ-XRpRvOPtAla2Zj996s0TfoiiPKzhD7gYuTyFbcbMQdlCWdy79I5eWApxkem13vxAsrINcMI-u3bMfmZNUxaRs2u/s540/Wasielewski_Grace-CARA-www-dot-cararuns-dot-org.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="540" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7LeJC1TE9I13jXhDNlJehbsxEwtMhDRGqxWpEQjjfkQcyAFKutdUhJCHWA2Juh9G6QsAu0MH7jVelN30m-y12_jU_yd_Vws_1UnQ-XRpRvOPtAla2Zj996s0TfoiiPKzhD7gYuTyFbcbMQdlCWdy79I5eWApxkem13vxAsrINcMI-u3bMfmZNUxaRs2u/w400-h335/Wasielewski_Grace-CARA-www-dot-cararuns-dot-org.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Grace Wasielewski </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: www.cararuns.org</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>with Peterson 3rd American at 4:28:07 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[7]</span>.<b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">If Dearmon was 70 when she ran Berlin, then her age grade is 90.85%.</span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Merry Dearmon</i> 3:41:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Grace Wasielewski</i> 3:50:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Diane Peterson</i> 4:28:07</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Tamerra Buckhanan</b> passed the half marathon mark at 2:46:54 net time. She continued on at a good pace, finishing as first American in 5:49:48 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[7]</span>. <b>Sara Dutton</b> took 7 minutes longer on net time to reach the halfway point and finished as 2nd American at 6:16:40 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[10]</span>. If Buckhanan were 79 on race day in Berlin, her age grade would have been 68.88%.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Tamerra Buckhanan </i>5:49:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sara Dutton</i> 6:16:40</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">80+ </span><b>Hansi Rigney</b> was the only American entered in this division. But she defeated one British and two German athletes to take first place overall. <b>Valerie Brown</b> of Great Britain was the only serious threat to Rigney. Brown crossed the starting line at 10:32:00, with Rigney crossing a minute and a half later. Brown was 1:40 faster on net time to the first 10K mat. Rigney slowed slightly over the next 10K, taking a minute longer on that segment compared to the first 10K. Brown, however, slowed by over 5 minutes and found her net time at the 20K mat a minute slower than Rigney's. Rigney steadily increased the net time gap and must have made up Brown's head start of 1:31 and passed her on the course just before the 30K timing mat. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdsW_pIOhxeppiFwfE0cz8sDhobpbZm8kjqHAVi2RZY5vZGowkcPZ8uIFf58mISWjVZZGfM9nVBy-HfN1STpDF5qusS_TwI5I0h5Gx5zbNzzgWjhsNUkEN_cTC918OQElFKFQD6i7h60OEvMjVfOimyh5piS1G2vGdJ8zcZu_H4TqPQDKcOQJBqO47vW0/s2048/Hansi%20Rigney-Right-with%20friend-Jan%202017-FB%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1329" data-original-width="2048" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdsW_pIOhxeppiFwfE0cz8sDhobpbZm8kjqHAVi2RZY5vZGowkcPZ8uIFf58mISWjVZZGfM9nVBy-HfN1STpDF5qusS_TwI5I0h5Gx5zbNzzgWjhsNUkEN_cTC918OQElFKFQD6i7h60OEvMjVfOimyh5piS1G2vGdJ8zcZu_H4TqPQDKcOQJBqO47vW0/w400-h260/Hansi%20Rigney-Right-with%20friend-Jan%202017-FB%20post.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hansi Rigney </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right</span> running with a friend - January 2017 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit- FB post by H Rigney</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Rigney poured it on from there, winning by over 14 minutes! Her winning time was 5:07:30 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]. </span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rigney was 81 when she won this race; her age grade score was 83.09%</span>.</b></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Hansi Rigney </i>5:07:30</p><p>It was a great day for Kennedy! An American Record is a wonderful achievement, especially in the Marathon. Nur did not have the day he was hoping for but had the satisfaction of finishing 1st in his division in Berlin. He will turn his attention to other distances for a period. Dykes had the frustration of seeing the AR slipping away when he was in sight of the finish line. But he had already entered Chicago, just two weeks later. He would take another shot at the AR! Lee would also have another chance for a good marathon time at Chicago. Many other runners enjoyed superb performances!<b> </b>Despite being only two weeks after Berlin, a number of Masters athletes, in addition to Dykes and Lee, signed up for both. That will be the next fall 2023 Marathon report.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-59298433887310014142023-10-16T23:10:00.002-04:002023-10-17T11:50:12.412-04:00Masters Athletes beat the Heat at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships<p><b>October 16, 2023 </b>BOCA RATON, FL The sun was up and temperatures were climbing into the 80's. Runners who had found their way to the course were warming up or stretching and chatting with teammates and friendly rivals. By the time the Women's race went off at 9:30, temperatures to 83F, with 76% humidity. The dewpoint of 75 was the giveaway that the heat conditions were serious. A dewpoint at 60 is where conditions <b>start</b> to feel uncomfortable. The NWS Heat Index below shows that conditions had already gone from the Yellow 'Caution' area to the Orange 'Extreme Caution' range of the National Weather Service's Heat Index chart. The likelihood of heat disorders with strenuous activity had risen into the 90% plus range. Runners needed to hydrate early and often and, perhaps, dial down their ambitions--a very difficult task for Elite Masters athletes. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzJVPYZEa2z_YYhn-QrEmv_tSEQL8DL2jOvAAUihIRHVYfLL0CffySBpX3tb_Gjk2NtGGuQfMfzFiRbvgx1xGc7Clhk-2n2Z1vaF2RrKzAxKNpM8WQ7zLGD_tQzW7g_CeRi2qr6FX2ORbAYrjNvD0JqmBvl5zAb7mM896z-vXnZp5AKVvApFfcViIjK7L/s1200/NWS-Heat-Index_transparent.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzJVPYZEa2z_YYhn-QrEmv_tSEQL8DL2jOvAAUihIRHVYfLL0CffySBpX3tb_Gjk2NtGGuQfMfzFiRbvgx1xGc7Clhk-2n2Z1vaF2RrKzAxKNpM8WQ7zLGD_tQzW7g_CeRi2qr6FX2ORbAYrjNvD0JqmBvl5zAb7mM896z-vXnZp5AKVvApFfcViIjK7L/w400-h266/NWS-Heat-Index_transparent.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For these Masters Elite runners gathered for a national championship race, extreme caution may just mean an extra bottle of liquid before the race, perhaps wearing a hat or visor, maybe slowing down a bit, although that would depend on where their rivals were! Luckily there were volunteers at the finish with fluids and ice bags!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zZUj4PbEiurmwNp7JTB3Ak7TeNLaWSKsBR-4AbwSZunMYcZYT-39-Y_iFN61VKXib_jDLPmtz2kx62DIBCWIyUGGkeBy4rNFdxLcClh_HDl4TdrkCnd51DWx7SSL3Cq6mvD5ZWaw9Fwc0qbaYNwoiwO1PcMd9OMLQJNiOPMEkVkedRRm_VKACN5bSZkp/s1122/START-Women.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1122" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zZUj4PbEiurmwNp7JTB3Ak7TeNLaWSKsBR-4AbwSZunMYcZYT-39-Y_iFN61VKXib_jDLPmtz2kx62DIBCWIyUGGkeBy4rNFdxLcClh_HDl4TdrkCnd51DWx7SSL3Cq6mvD5ZWaw9Fwc0qbaYNwoiwO1PcMd9OMLQJNiOPMEkVkedRRm_VKACN5bSZkp/w640-h512/START-Women.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">All photo credits are to Michael Scott.<br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WOMEN</b> </span>At 9:30, the gun went off and the runners surged away from the starting line. A threesome drove to the front, two <i>Florida Southeast Track Club </i>teammates, <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> and <b>Jennifer Sober</b>, and<b> Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b>, from the <i>T.H.E. Track Club</i>, out of Athens GA. This would be their chance to compete for a Cross Country podium. Sober, and her coach, Friend-Uhl, had competed on the track at the Masters Outdoor Championships but had not competed yet at Cross Country during this Grand Prix season. Josiah-Tanner, in contrast, had finished in the top 50 at the loaded Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco, and then competed in the 8 Km Cross Country race at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Torun, Poland in March. These three met on the track in July in the 5000 Meter run. On that day, Sober had the honors, running 18:59.38, to finish 7 seconds ahead of Josiah-Tanner. Friend-Uhl, running in the 50-54 division, had little competition and enjoyed a 15-second win in 20:11.12. But that was track, with a smooth surface and no terrain. Friend-Uhl is a veteran on the turf, with an Overall win in the Masters Race at the 2016 Cross Nationals Championships in Tallahassee, not to mention other podium finishes. Josiah-Tanner won her 45-49 division on the turf at Tallahassee in 2021. To my knowledge, this was Sober's first entry in a national Masters Cross Country championship. The three separated from the field and then Josiah-Tanner separated from the FTC-SE duo. Midway through the race, on the second loop, Sober followed Josiah-Tanner by a couple of dozen strides, with Friend-Uhl, conserving her energy, another dozen strides back. Josiah-Tanner stretcher her lead to well over a hundred meters by the time she took the tape in 19:59. It was her first overall win at a Masters LDR Championship on the road or the turf! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHI3d6ZWodhAvLryLeGqpvViTIq-nrugbeK87quF2hbGCkoJvOYghzORsSL16T_iHgd7lWp2jL9_WxRK-zg_qoYj39lLfZX4_caB79XgT3xB7oxJGW0HawoBsM5D0wTbzYpP52MGU8YZdmk6Sl9zSji34UVqaoSoaESdCoLRYQsnz2h1bH8YGA77mj16_/s1346/Josiah-Tanner%20wins%20Women%20Overall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHI3d6ZWodhAvLryLeGqpvViTIq-nrugbeK87quF2hbGCkoJvOYghzORsSL16T_iHgd7lWp2jL9_WxRK-zg_qoYj39lLfZX4_caB79XgT3xB7oxJGW0HawoBsM5D0wTbzYpP52MGU8YZdmk6Sl9zSji34UVqaoSoaESdCoLRYQsnz2h1bH8YGA77mj16_/w640-h426/Josiah-Tanner%20wins%20Women%20Overall.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> wins Overall Title <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Friend-Uhl waited until the right moment to surge past her teammate, taking second in 20:30, with a three-second margin back to Sober. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gek4TSNWFiBFaxSyrDf8DCWlTvWI7K2iP58on7zFp77abasuUl_y6rCev2nK2zJpF8e1JOUiFqS23AjTS8nmK69e8lkhUByiKENR2DywHFQk12yI91YLm3L2ENQj31v5DF-wY3xAKrX5zD_UKUQ_p6CvvOMZ3wuYZCWJFJcwJWqeQeqdmxj-E_2vuxFv/s1346/Friend-Uhl_Sober-Finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gek4TSNWFiBFaxSyrDf8DCWlTvWI7K2iP58on7zFp77abasuUl_y6rCev2nK2zJpF8e1JOUiFqS23AjTS8nmK69e8lkhUByiKENR2DywHFQk12yI91YLm3L2ENQj31v5DF-wY3xAKrX5zD_UKUQ_p6CvvOMZ3wuYZCWJFJcwJWqeQeqdmxj-E_2vuxFv/w640-h426/Friend-Uhl_Sober-Finish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> leads <b>Jennifer Sober</b> in the sprint to the finish <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Suzanne La Burt</b> and <b>Mary Cass,</b> out of the 60's division finished 4th and 5th in 20:51 and 20:55. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 19:59 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sonja Friend-Uhl</i> 20:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Sober</i> 20:33</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZgcBFllOEuVD3KM8ls7Vio7I5OtzB7U2orxRsMoHff-eyJaZVYrH4V4KO4Wv0aU_1GHKBlcP6Y1xfPBexQEcZRV9awIt_wQpElqhN2bVEMdByAQB621IzeGAzFcKtN-fYYT5Il1SxkgYQnyVEybdSrEYQG-xCK6-hMmv7AcMgq_Uri6hgWOVALGEimWO/s1346/START-Men.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZgcBFllOEuVD3KM8ls7Vio7I5OtzB7U2orxRsMoHff-eyJaZVYrH4V4KO4Wv0aU_1GHKBlcP6Y1xfPBexQEcZRV9awIt_wQpElqhN2bVEMdByAQB621IzeGAzFcKtN-fYYT5Il1SxkgYQnyVEybdSrEYQG-xCK6-hMmv7AcMgq_Uri6hgWOVALGEimWO/w640-h426/START-Men.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>MEN</b> </span>The conditions were just as deep into Orange by the time the Men's race started at 10:15, with more heat, 85F, but slightly less relative humidity, at 70%. The dewpoint was still in the mid-70's. Flying in under the radar, <b>Christopher Miller</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>University of Miami</i></span>, surged to the front. <b>David Angell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached, Virginia</span>, an Overall Bronze medalist at the highly competitive 2018 Club Cross Country championships in Spokane, gave chase. <b>Dirk de Heer</b>, <i>Team Run Flagstaff</i>, in third, was a few strides back. de Heer had finished top 15 in a much larger field at the Masters 5 Km XC in Boulder last year. He was joined by <b>Trevor Pettingill </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached, </i>Utah, </span>and <b>Jerry Faulkner</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Uganda/NYAC</i><span style="font-size: x-small;">. </span>Like Miller, Pettingill has few recent results to suggest that he would be among the top 5, but there he was. In 2016, Pettingill ran a 17:18 5K and a 1:19:42 Half Marathon, with no results in Athlinks since then. Faulkner's credentials included a recent 27:12 5-Miler and a 55:18 at the New Balance Bronx Ten Miler. <b>Jesse Chettell</b>, a teammate of de Heer's, and <b>Gregory Putnam</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Central Mass Striders</i> </span>were easing into the race, back in the second chase pack, around 12th and 15th. Chettle's neatest credential is a sub-15-minute 5K clocking at Grandma's Marathon in June 2022. Putnam is almost always in the top ten overall at both road and Cross Country national championship races, even though running out of the 50's. A few strides back from those two were three more members of Team Run Flagstaff, <b>Ryan Stevens, Sean Baker</b>, and <b>Ryan Guldan.</b> Steven's clocked an 18:49 5K at altitude last October; Baker ran a 6-Miler in 33:24 last November, roughly equivalent to a 37:41 10K, also at altitude; and Guldan finished 11th overall in the Leadville Trail 100 in 2017. He also clocked 2:34 and change marathons at Chicago in 2018 and then in Berlin in 2019. By the second loop around the lake, Miller had dropped Angell, but de Heer had taken his place, running a few strides back. Miller's initial surge had been backed up by solid running. Perhaps Miller is known as a trail runner or for some other endurance exploits but it is hard to find anything definitive in Athlinks for a Christopher Miller who is 47 in October 2023 and a strong runner. Angell was a good 30 meters back from de Heer. Pettingill was solidly in 4th now, as Chettle had moved up to 5th. Chettle was followed by Faulkner, Stevens, and Putnam. de Heer gave it his best effort but, try as he might, he could not get even with Miller, who pulled away to enjoy the win with a hundred meters to spare. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihb5H8uCB3FBoi6ie9iuVpayCGzazhE4CDdTGOPZPEl-euGuTYxGHGS9Eij2vKX5pJ_Od9Uxt0SB-cOjVRrc_Bkfkx7Qj6d1bGxFua-driZgPznaYfRa3SNEARmvsh1QDICPI_ZpqXYZJV_MROFYZAx6H8ObPGi98mcsK74o-S7MKuttm7v1-qnUHxoyb1/s1346/Miller%20Wins%20Mens%20Overall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihb5H8uCB3FBoi6ie9iuVpayCGzazhE4CDdTGOPZPEl-euGuTYxGHGS9Eij2vKX5pJ_Od9Uxt0SB-cOjVRrc_Bkfkx7Qj6d1bGxFua-driZgPznaYfRa3SNEARmvsh1QDICPI_ZpqXYZJV_MROFYZAx6H8ObPGi98mcsK74o-S7MKuttm7v1-qnUHxoyb1/w640-h426/Miller%20Wins%20Mens%20Overall.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Chris Miller </b>wins the Men's Overall Title <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Chettle finished strong but de Heer had enough in the tank to hold him off, taking 2nd in 16:33, two seconds ahead of his teammate. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGlnDI0xGer8hHKoYWfDdc2DS7B5vl_M9aYqKnM-7X6Ce_SUlhprEy5fQoYsCMwj1ycQN2eunv6s5KuhAs2sZrYbNBgpoediRnLWBZeU3qp8VBNO0_s17f6m2nxSHaP0X7cp08U4s4795aKflZ3ZLbmzZKF25becKK6_Jb-xejAMCVIuR6OLCGfYZ4hSs/s1346/de%20Heer%20Holding%20Off%20Chettle%20for%202nd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGlnDI0xGer8hHKoYWfDdc2DS7B5vl_M9aYqKnM-7X6Ce_SUlhprEy5fQoYsCMwj1ycQN2eunv6s5KuhAs2sZrYbNBgpoediRnLWBZeU3qp8VBNO0_s17f6m2nxSHaP0X7cp08U4s4795aKflZ3ZLbmzZKF25becKK6_Jb-xejAMCVIuR6OLCGfYZ4hSs/w640-h426/de%20Heer%20Holding%20Off%20Chettle%20for%202nd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dirk de Heer</b> holds off a charging <b>Jesse Chettle</b> to take the Men's overall Silver medal <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Pettingill was 4th in 16:42. It was a 'war of attrition', but Angell toughed it out to claim 5th overall, another 30 meters back, in 16:49. Eighty meters behind Angell, Stevens held off Putnam to take 6th in 17:11.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Miller</i> 16:12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dirk de Heer</i> 16:33 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Chettle</i> 16:35</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP RACES</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>MEN 40-44</b> </span>de Heer and Chettle, who finished 2nd and 3rd went 1-2 in this age division. Stevens who took 6th is the next 40-44 runner. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHWCFYydleErLNvL2qLnB9wZ6C_ZegwKaEPyED9-FDYnH_yz9v-mx4mk59qETED9klZ9rr9y1_kazc6RkK0wl7DQ9jTkLHicYSVO3HitT7mP41EbcXpN8Z0VPSMXSiea3Qke_Q1fru47oRId5sh2xVqHr0s-wCM1J3p4ao6NEypJr6d57yxf-qBa-1wpq/s1346/Stevens_Ryan%20on%20way%20to%203rd%20in%2040-44.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHWCFYydleErLNvL2qLnB9wZ6C_ZegwKaEPyED9-FDYnH_yz9v-mx4mk59qETED9klZ9rr9y1_kazc6RkK0wl7DQ9jTkLHicYSVO3HitT7mP41EbcXpN8Z0VPSMXSiea3Qke_Q1fru47oRId5sh2xVqHr0s-wCM1J3p4ao6NEypJr6d57yxf-qBa-1wpq/w400-h266/Stevens_Ryan%20on%20way%20to%203rd%20in%2040-44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ryan Stevens </b>on his way to the 45-49 Bronze Medal <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">See overall discussion above.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Dirk de Heer</i> 16:33 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Chettle</i> 16:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ryan Stevens </i>17:11</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Miller, Pettingill, and Angell, all in the hunt for the<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>Overall championship, came out of this division, </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixf48lXY16eXVFU1TcGUUWnfbXoQMm-xU5FyBZBCKYUGsJLNYvt05Ofv0tf8SoDnRQt7NFk8rqqbit9Meo8-aRjkZH8YdOveZmapaBgDGYS4XD63IvuNawgzMbKXUmh6YldbMNE3hmWibvI5HvmQioQxeZr9kFJPvfgSuDiiGFwMJmJgfhbN1Aw6v5qRx0/s1346/Pettingill_Trevor-on%20way%20to%202nd%20place%2045-49.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixf48lXY16eXVFU1TcGUUWnfbXoQMm-xU5FyBZBCKYUGsJLNYvt05Ofv0tf8SoDnRQt7NFk8rqqbit9Meo8-aRjkZH8YdOveZmapaBgDGYS4XD63IvuNawgzMbKXUmh6YldbMNE3hmWibvI5HvmQioQxeZr9kFJPvfgSuDiiGFwMJmJgfhbN1Aw6v5qRx0/w400-h266/Pettingill_Trevor-on%20way%20to%202nd%20place%2045-49.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Trevor Pettingill</b> on his way to 4th Overall and the 45-49 Silver Medal <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">taking Gold, Silver, and Bronze in the 45-49 podium at the same time.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Miller </i>16:12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Trevor Pettingill</i> 16:42 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 16:49</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Gregory Putnam</b>, who finished 6th overall, headed out at the sound of the gun, with <b>Steve Bell</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Atlanta TC</i> matching stride for stride, and Bell's teammate, <b>Christopher Harris</b>, a few strides back. But by the time they were well around the first loop of the lake, Putnam had pulled away and enjoyed a 40-meter lead on Bell. By the end, Putnam enjoyed a 150-meter lead as he sped across the finish line in 17:17. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jSpqLiSZakCJhAKaLYGBGP__C6uGwioZnaIqAeS-m5OWtIvOGvpcu7AM-bzYi0cUNjlrL1H0hOIOjpUtgj_XOu9P3LJ4icvwaHybzcGxG0yV8ggC50M_hHLhhx8uRCRnf3qzu18DdjprHv5BBppPGVCdKqaBr-dcXXidtL9A0KP2t0aKd2brYCaZRfhY/s1346/Putnam_Gregory-M50%20winner.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jSpqLiSZakCJhAKaLYGBGP__C6uGwioZnaIqAeS-m5OWtIvOGvpcu7AM-bzYi0cUNjlrL1H0hOIOjpUtgj_XOu9P3LJ4icvwaHybzcGxG0yV8ggC50M_hHLhhx8uRCRnf3qzu18DdjprHv5BBppPGVCdKqaBr-dcXXidtL9A0KP2t0aKd2brYCaZRfhY/w400-h266/Putnam_Gregory-M50%20winner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gregory Putnam</b>, striding his way toward 7th place Overall and the Gold Medal in the 50-54 division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The early pace had taken its toll; Harris closed up with Bell to ensure that no other team snuck a runner in between them. Bell finished second in 17:55, with Harris one second back. No worries, though, the closest 50+ runners were over a hundred meters back, and both wore the red and black of Atlanta; <b>Frederick Dolan</b> finished 4th in 18:24, with <b>Brent Fields</b> 3 seconds back in 5th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gregory Putnam</i> 17:17 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Bell</i> 17:55 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Harris</i> 17:56</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Mark Callon</b> finished just off the 50-54 podium at Boulder last year. This year he had no worries as he sped away from the starting line, with <b>Jeff Conston</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shore AC</i> </span>and <b>Scott Siriano</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta</i> </span>right on his heels. Bell finished 5th in 50-54 earlier this year at Richmond and was looking for a better outcome now that he had aged up. Siriano took the 55-59 title in the 10,000M at the Masters Outdoor championships this summer. By the time they had looped the lake, Callon had over a hundred meters on his chasers, with Conston attempting to hold on, a few strides back from Siriano. By the time Callon hit the finish line, the lead was up to 200 meters! Callon claimed first in 18:06. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYqlSwnHKOXW6DoucAafp6-HZJA0cyYe2KTxA5muw0XSl-3yJbL9ojddfbomuqTfWg0H_MKSpzdY5TDuTJFJ5sRceHa9SA-b0JlM_cZ9pNaqlLrzfb6e3aopjsdD1N3jLQJXmAoIwH31VcdE_pVvxm2mB2jDQ7BYaK1F3ZaYnD6SYLcaLkcuKoHeBnTxr/s1346/Calloon_Mark-1st%20M55-heading%20for%20finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYqlSwnHKOXW6DoucAafp6-HZJA0cyYe2KTxA5muw0XSl-3yJbL9ojddfbomuqTfWg0H_MKSpzdY5TDuTJFJ5sRceHa9SA-b0JlM_cZ9pNaqlLrzfb6e3aopjsdD1N3jLQJXmAoIwH31VcdE_pVvxm2mB2jDQ7BYaK1F3ZaYnD6SYLcaLkcuKoHeBnTxr/w400-h266/Calloon_Mark-1st%20M55-heading%20for%20finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Callon </b>in the final sprint for the 55-59 division win <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Conston had rallied to pass Siriano for second in 18:49. Siriano was third, 6 seconds back. <b>Paul Shuler </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Greater Philadelphia TC</i> </span>edged <b>Dale Flanders</b> for 4th by just 3 seconds in 19:24.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Callon</i> 18:06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeffrey Conston</i> 18:49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Siriano</i> 18:55</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span>This division always has one of the most anticipated matchups. In this case it was <b>Steve Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ann Arbor Track Club</i> </span>vs. <b>Mark Zamek</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Shore AC. </i>Schmidt, known more for his Marathon prowess, finished 2nd in this division at the highly competitive Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco, beaten only by Nat Larson (not entered here). That established his reputation on the turf. Zamek, prior to Covid, had a similar reputation. In 2017 at Lexington KY and in 2018 at the course in Spokane WA, Zamek finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, both times coming in behind Larson. One thing in favor of Zamek was that he loves running in hot weather. Zamek missed competing much of the early part of 2023 as he was rehabbing a Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy <span style="font-size: x-small;">PHT </span>issue. But that allowed him to run very well on occasion and not at all at other times. He came in ahead of Schmidt at the Masters 10 Km Championships at the end of April. Two months later he ran at the Masters 1 Mile Championships in what he described as 'Tempo speed'. He still managed to finish 6th in the division, 16 seconds behind the winner. Schmidt did not compete at that event. I speculated that Zamek might be utilizing the same 'tempo pace' approach in this competition. Was I ever wrong! Zamek moved right to the front when the gun sounded and quickly opened up a 40-meter lead on Schmidt. By the time they were looping around the lake, Zamek had enlarged the lead to 50-60 meters. After that, Schmidt limited the damage but had difficulty cutting into the early lead. Zamek took the win in 18:13 with Schmidt 13 seconds back in 2nd place. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrT4hybhTL_kP_R8WoiJOJzCUjJ-hHDuMxXsuzD5szI4VwbLETqURlRO5ZGZ1HsOx90w71Lg6_qOaJUBLncOXc94pfBf7OrN_eAG3ntBwb1pl7nOHNF-IJiLDR_tUSKtfj-NNKk8WXK6nYrQ40jwDy_SEip-W6pWZIm8jrYwEFCjtF3XXPuO-7DiaIzdT/s1346/Zamek_Mark-1st%2060-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrT4hybhTL_kP_R8WoiJOJzCUjJ-hHDuMxXsuzD5szI4VwbLETqURlRO5ZGZ1HsOx90w71Lg6_qOaJUBLncOXc94pfBf7OrN_eAG3ntBwb1pl7nOHNF-IJiLDR_tUSKtfj-NNKk8WXK6nYrQ40jwDy_SEip-W6pWZIm8jrYwEFCjtF3XXPuO-7DiaIzdT/w400-h266/Zamek_Mark-1st%2060-64.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Zamek</b> kicking to the finish line and his 60-64 Gold Medal <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Lester Dragstedt</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Atlanta TC</i> has been the engine for Atlanta's M60 train all year long. He did the same in this championship, with a solid 19:35 to take the bronze medal with 1:29 to spare. <b>Craig Williams</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached</i> Florida</span> took 4th, a minute ahead of <b>Eric Hawkins</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mill City Running</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Zamek</i> 18:13 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Schmidt</i> 18:26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lester Dragstedt</i> 19:35</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Rick Becker</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Atlanta TC/Washington</i></span><b>, </b>three-time Masters Harrier of the Year, was back and looking for a good run. He had been very unhappy with his run at Clubs in Golden Gate Park last December. He was looking for a better outing this time. It would be his first race on the turf since then. In the early part of the year, he was riding the Elliptigo and rehabbing. But his workouts more recently were very strong. <b>Ken Youngers</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta TC </i></span>has been dealing with health issues that affect his ability to train. He ran at Cross Nationals in Richmond in January, helping out his team; he also took 2nd in 65-69 behind <b>David Westenberg</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Greater Lowell Road Runners</i></span>. Youngers finished 3rd at Atlanta in the 5K and then took an extended break from racing as he did a lot of biking/rehab. His time in the 2023 Macon Labor Day 5K was a minute slower than his time in 2022. Westenberg is healthy and injury free but has a lot of miles in his legs. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon with his daughter was one of his goals for this fall. Mission accomplished! But maybe not the best way to prepare for a 5 Km Cross Country championship. On the other hand, as Westenberg wrote in a note, "I like 5K's." I cannot imagine that either Becker or Westenberg, from the Pac NW and New England, respectively, cared much for the heat index. Youngers probably has more experience running in the heat than either of the other two. As they streamed away from the starting line and out onto the course, Westenberg settled in towards the end of the top 25 overall, with Becker 10 meters back, and Youngers starting more gradually, running with his 60+ teammate, Dragstedt. By the time they looped the lake for the first time, Becker had surged past Westenberg, who was hanging on gamely as they moved up through some of the younger runners in the field. Youngers, who was another 70 meters back, kept slogging, knowing that on a hot day, anything can happen in the last mile. When Becker is on, it does not matter if there is snow on the ground or the sun is baking you from above! He pulled away over the last mile, winning the division crown in 18:57, over 250 meters ahead of 2nd place. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb-l7sKUB6rbUuZLAVDAXFM5aYTUNQPlaQIh5Y2q72L4AtJFMhKLemb2p-h128c19GnhvYio0OPdOsDykoz1dlu9jpdssP1DPd_tdDMolz4R742_S6B3ZqoHVf8tqAkkHc3mt8xeUAUwmBEQ40RqNWY7oSDhluWSaiVLy4eKTE1jTtgf7cV1i6dg3d1r-/s1346/Becker_Rick-mid-course-1st%20M65.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb-l7sKUB6rbUuZLAVDAXFM5aYTUNQPlaQIh5Y2q72L4AtJFMhKLemb2p-h128c19GnhvYio0OPdOsDykoz1dlu9jpdssP1DPd_tdDMolz4R742_S6B3ZqoHVf8tqAkkHc3mt8xeUAUwmBEQ40RqNWY7oSDhluWSaiVLy4eKTE1jTtgf7cV1i6dg3d1r-/w640-h426/Becker_Rick-mid-course-1st%20M65.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Becker </b>on his way to the 65-69 Gold Medal, leading <b>Scott Siriano, Jeffrey Conston </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white singlet</span>, and <b>David Westenberg</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">lime singlet</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">But it was Youngers, not Westenberg, next across the line. The heat had sapped Westenberg, who had a tough last mile. Youngers took 2nd in 19:57, with Westenberg 60 meters back in third. <b>Michael Fussell</b>, 4th in 21:12, outlasted <b>Scott Lucking</b>, 21:21 to take 4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Becker</i> 18:57 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ken Youngers</i> 19:57 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Westenberg</i> 20:13</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Robert Qualls </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>River City Rebels/</i>Nevada </span>has won every road and cross country 70-74 championship he has entered since summer of 2022. This was no exception. He went out with the runners ten to 15 years younger, never let up, and won the division by two minutes. The rest of the field enjoyed a tighter race. I had expected teammates, <b>Doug Bell</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Boulder Road Runners </i></span>and <b>Douglas Chesnut</b> from Boulder, to finish 2-3; they had gone 2-4 in Richmond, around <b>Gene Dykes</b>, who was too busy this weekend breaking the American 70-74 Marathon record to compete in Boca. <b>Kirk Larson</b><i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta Track Club</span></i>, who came in ahead of Bell in the 2021 edition of this championship in Boston, might play a role, or <b>Jerry Orange</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached </i>Florida</span>, who finished 4th in 65-69 at 2019 Cross Nationals in Tallahassee. I had heard that <b>Bruce Kirschner's</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Boulder Road Runners </i></span>training had been going well. He ran a 17:58 4K on September 30th, which is age grade equivalent to a 22:44. But I was not sure that stacked up against Larson's 21:22 for a 5th place in Atlanta this past February, nor Orange's 46:14 10K in March. Streaming away from the start, things looked pretty much as expected. Qualls was out well ahead, with Bell a distant second, but ten meters ahead of his running partner, Chesnut. Kirschner was running just behind his teammate, Chesnut, with orange 5 meters back. Larson was another 20 meters back. Larson likes to ease into his races, but he is also affected by heat; he had to withdraw at Tallahassee in 2021. By the time they looped the lake, it was clear this would not be Bell's day. Chesnut and Kirschner were now running 2-3. Bell was in 4th but only 5-10 meters ahead of Orange. Larson was struggling, in 6th, behind <b>Spider Rossiter</b><i> </i><i style="font-size: small;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: small;">Washington DC</span>, and had to withdraw. Qualls, of course, cruised to the win, clocking 20:28! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qbwAjkb7UImnYklnciwQLK9MxYW1cNK4l7WG464SVvfyRh0kK7r6gGke9iN0dOQB8SExJZTRz8JZ4sOUfJGDevm-B_lyvsxJ8R7SNFhp-MH-M1rYag3Sy5miO3nkyLqT_RwkFOxC2nnZOtSwhqjBP4OoejGSJydbGohkl2tMdF7B769uEGqm_iuyOz5C/s1346/Qualls_Robert%201st%20M70.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qbwAjkb7UImnYklnciwQLK9MxYW1cNK4l7WG464SVvfyRh0kK7r6gGke9iN0dOQB8SExJZTRz8JZ4sOUfJGDevm-B_lyvsxJ8R7SNFhp-MH-M1rYag3Sy5miO3nkyLqT_RwkFOxC2nnZOtSwhqjBP4OoejGSJydbGohkl2tMdF7B769uEGqm_iuyOz5C/w400-h266/Qualls_Robert%201st%20M70.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls</b> striding toward another victory in the 70-74 division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Whether the heat was a great equalizer, or Kirschner was just 'on', he was able to sprint away from his teammate, Chesnut, in the final 300 meters, to claim 2nd in 22:48. Three seconds later, Chesnut crossed the line in 3rd, with Orange 140 meters back, 4th in 23:35. Rossiter was 5th, with Bell 6th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> 20:28 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bruce Kirschner</i> 22:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Douglas Chesnut</i> 22:51</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span>With Dave Glass deciding to skip the event after entering, it was clear sailing for <b>Rick Katz</b> and <b>Jerry Learned. </b>Learned, always game for a race, went out at the head of the division, with Katz easing into it ten meters back. By the time they looped the lake, Katz had closed on Learned. Learned is a competitor who does not give up easily; if you pass him, he will try to pass you back and often succeeds! But Katz was too strong. When he finally passed Learned, he made it count, and pulled away over the last mile. Katz won in 24:48, with Learned over 300 meters back in 2nd. It was a fine win for Katz, his first in the 75-79 division. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9ieAYRVMvU5hpOtwKHSXUoMjbkBapA-mH-puBHI7W1pSMs1yspYTZZSQ4cJNh-2GPn5bos-U8DQ565rtCdxGkzNWxW2SNCgebIuk_-SHeXNT-OBFK2lYh-nUWQqehrV4IJEIpg54U8BtVJOcH66G3oHEdcXMWy__mKTiTBKrM3PTGKTr8CDXUtLDDEHS/s1346/Katz_Rick-1st%20M75.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9ieAYRVMvU5hpOtwKHSXUoMjbkBapA-mH-puBHI7W1pSMs1yspYTZZSQ4cJNh-2GPn5bos-U8DQ565rtCdxGkzNWxW2SNCgebIuk_-SHeXNT-OBFK2lYh-nUWQqehrV4IJEIpg54U8BtVJOcH66G3oHEdcXMWy__mKTiTBKrM3PTGKTr8CDXUtLDDEHS/w400-h266/Katz_Rick-1st%20M75.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Katz</b> heads for the finish line and the 75-79 Gold medal <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Katz should have a chance at Tallahassee to measure himself against Glass again. At Tallahassee in 2021, Glass finished 5 seconds ahead of Katz, although they were in different divisions then. Two of the veterans of the Cross Country wars, <b>Przemek Nowicki</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shore AC </i></span>and <b>Morris Williams</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta TC/</i>North Carolina </span>finished 3rd and 4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Katz </i>24:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry Learned</i> 26:12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Przemek Nowicki</i> 30:11</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span>It was a great turnout for the veterans! They had just as many finishers as the 70-74 division, and more than 75-79. Now that he is rounding into shape again after knee surgery last year, <b>Doug Goodhue</b> left the field way behind. The Masters Hall of Famer looked to the 70's runners for competition. Goodhue was almost 4 minutes ahead of the field when he crossed the finish line in 26:48.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhPuQRaXIB2p69-C6mFjBo1b00o1zE-h5IJYs2fwEaEynpxe4CKg_teUhjhkUQUvDfqDLxrzw37b4dHi1A-mI8aoI5vSEFnQfZj_frRSKE7dX50htSAajsD5QBzYyttHwgcpduEkL25ZM-PQO1ls4EYDZROnye6VtPoKHWStMm5aQacdT0uzv-TmTO_Jv/s1346/Goodhue_Doug-1st%2080-84.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhPuQRaXIB2p69-C6mFjBo1b00o1zE-h5IJYs2fwEaEynpxe4CKg_teUhjhkUQUvDfqDLxrzw37b4dHi1A-mI8aoI5vSEFnQfZj_frRSKE7dX50htSAajsD5QBzYyttHwgcpduEkL25ZM-PQO1ls4EYDZROnye6VtPoKHWStMm5aQacdT0uzv-TmTO_Jv/w400-h266/Goodhue_Doug-1st%2080-84.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Goodhue</b> on his way to a dominant victory in 80-84 <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>George Gilder</b><i> Unattached </i>Massachusetts, <b>Ed Bligh</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta TC </i></span>and <b>Robert O'Rourke </b><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Shore AC </span><span>battled for the remaining podium positions. Gilder was </span>a silver medalist in the 10 Km National championship in 2022 and a bronze medalist this year. Bligh finished 3rd at Club XC in San Francisco and won the division at Cross Nationals in Richmond. O'Rourke's 7:43 at the Big Bang Mile in 2022 and his 28:41 at a 5K this year show that, despite no recent XC results, he would be competitive. O'Rourke set off with the most confidence, quickly creating a gap of 25 meters back to Gilder, who had, in turn, a 20-meter lead on Bligh. Once they were out on the course and around the lake, with the heat sapping their energy, things turned around. Gilder's fitness asserted itself as he moved to the front and took 2nd in 30:39, 30 meters ahead of Bligh. O'Rourke was another 30 meters back, finishing 4th in 31:04. <b>Hal Lieberman</b> took 5th. But this goes down as Goodhue's show!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Doug Goodhue </i>26:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;"> George Gilder </i>30:39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ed Bligh </i>30:51</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Adrian Craven </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>tlanta TC </i>South Carolina </span>had this division to himself. He toured the course in 44:42. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tcxBL-Q953_1uzhgxBkJQM6f-eK_Pq8Ibh6WYTGKsSbz70iTs7edFlZfZyH-ZUdIlyFHqUzmCAWn2OJnZlgVBc6Efav5k_2w4WMqvjqbO0ZXcr3fieetq7woG7Ootc93U2_8R0l0a4Bz73Dc1_CaY54DxYtrcEt-sWSDs7ddaWOG2Avn9v8_awyeR4Pk/s1346/Craven_Adrian-1st%20M85.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tcxBL-Q953_1uzhgxBkJQM6f-eK_Pq8Ibh6WYTGKsSbz70iTs7edFlZfZyH-ZUdIlyFHqUzmCAWn2OJnZlgVBc6Efav5k_2w4WMqvjqbO0ZXcr3fieetq7woG7Ootc93U2_8R0l0a4Bz73Dc1_CaY54DxYtrcEt-sWSDs7ddaWOG2Avn9v8_awyeR4Pk/w400-h266/Craven_Adrian-1st%20M85.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Adrian Craven</b> captured the 85-89 Division crown <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">This gives Craven his 2nd victory of the 2023 Grand Prix year on the turf. He took the first in<br /> the pouring rain and howling wind at Golden Gate Park last December.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Adrian Craven</i> 44:42</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">90-94</span> The oldest competitor on the course, <b>Eric Seiff</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached </i>New York</span>, had this division to himself as well. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOXVVW2dkGCK_70rzB76G_eMr5jnGfXaL4yjGUVs6Y5WjDKtF1yltPr0wHNmkFYpnVgMRTyLC7-ssheopGiOn_LmctafOaFkPtZH9muX3LWv8bUW74wufzBOJUAEaIDWpI-Bjs0IMBn9FWtJaFoYiDUDUlDg6OEQZw4d5pyCjUF8qGBGJqVmIdRIib4Um/s1346/Seiff_ERic-1st%2090-94.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOXVVW2dkGCK_70rzB76G_eMr5jnGfXaL4yjGUVs6Y5WjDKtF1yltPr0wHNmkFYpnVgMRTyLC7-ssheopGiOn_LmctafOaFkPtZH9muX3LWv8bUW74wufzBOJUAEaIDWpI-Bjs0IMBn9FWtJaFoYiDUDUlDg6OEQZw4d5pyCjUF8qGBGJqVmIdRIib4Um/w400-h266/Seiff_ERic-1st%2090-94.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Eric Seiff</b> on his way to the 90-94 Division Win <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">A road-racing regular in New York and as far away as the Faxon Law 20K in New Haven, Seiff also tested himself on the Van Cortland Park course on September 24th. I heard that course conditions were not great after the rains in New York City. He showed today he can handle heat and humidity as well!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Eric Seiff</i> 58:15</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>WOMEN </b>40-44 </span>It is rare that none of the top Overall competitors come out of this division but that was the case in Boca. <b>Samantha Gerrits</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached </i>Florida </span>finished 6th Overall and won this division in 21:31 with 3 minutes to spare. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wylJKw5bo44xArrjYZ2WMSxfPlHU8bLyH9QUAXp7Wg9VZGHK3ExBfgTy-V3SpWpXucGjcv0H5D_G1OtghjXM7Wn32tgQVyPaSzHxbujmXZYs3tDV49UAyUEg907ge7kNZPHu5F_L7wSlrFNExAKSIGl8AD2GN3gEUPKpmjxPQX4s-fcos9JPw2SdMzT6/s1346/Gerrits_Samantha-1stW40.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wylJKw5bo44xArrjYZ2WMSxfPlHU8bLyH9QUAXp7Wg9VZGHK3ExBfgTy-V3SpWpXucGjcv0H5D_G1OtghjXM7Wn32tgQVyPaSzHxbujmXZYs3tDV49UAyUEg907ge7kNZPHu5F_L7wSlrFNExAKSIGl8AD2GN3gEUPKpmjxPQX4s-fcos9JPw2SdMzT6/w400-h266/Gerrits_Samantha-1stW40.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Samantha Gerrits</b> heading to the Finish Line finishing 6th Overall and 1st in the 40-44 Division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">She ran the entire race among the top 6 overall. <b>Alex Dietrich</b><i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">U</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>nattached</i> Colorado</span>, in contrast, started out cautiously, just outside of the top fifteen overall and held her position during the race. She finished 2nd in the division with a 24:49. <b>Lorinda King </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached </i>New Mexico </span>was 3rd.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Samantha Gerrits</i> 21:31 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alex Dietrich</i> 24:49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lorinda King</i> 48:32</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Two members of the Overall podium, 1st and 3rd, came from this division. See the discussion in the overall section above. For the division championship, it was Josiah-Tanner, followed by Sober going 1-2. <b>Karyn Baig</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shore AC </i></span>was not able to keep pace with those two but the 45-49 Bronze medalist from the 12 Km Championship was able to stay well ahead of the rest of the field. Baig set out in touch with the Overall leaders, in the top 7. <b>Hiroko Guarneri</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta TC </i></span>and <b>Alicia Martinez</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached </i>Illinois </span>followed about 40 meters back in 4th and 5th in the division. Guarneri finished 4th at Richmond and Martinez is primarily a middle-distance runner on the track, finishing 7th in W45 this year in the 800M at the Masters Outdoor Championships. Baig stretched her lead over those two through the race, enjoying a 250-meter lead as she crossed the finish line in 22:15. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoc76HwDYGg2s9cdM6QKRqaglg70OwfmReYUivT9MeKed4fZBPsNd_1AvQ-yDAAFz5JdhxsZSfS7LOvBXH39g7noPFQL-8oBZV3Zz8N3RYjrqzCbIMcDwBlpKAx4JQtrTkTsxuTLwVhPlTe_IEZqDkJoBwDni8g74GLZYNJL5mPJYZyXLlAdMs6RuMXhtW/s1346/Baig_Karen-1st%2045-49.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoc76HwDYGg2s9cdM6QKRqaglg70OwfmReYUivT9MeKed4fZBPsNd_1AvQ-yDAAFz5JdhxsZSfS7LOvBXH39g7noPFQL-8oBZV3Zz8N3RYjrqzCbIMcDwBlpKAx4JQtrTkTsxuTLwVhPlTe_IEZqDkJoBwDni8g74GLZYNJL5mPJYZyXLlAdMs6RuMXhtW/w400-h266/Baig_Karen-1st%2045-49.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Karyn Baig</b> claims 7th Overall and 1st in the 45-49 division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">A minute and 18 seconds later, Guarneri claimed 4th, with Martinez 1:01 back, 5th in 24:34.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 19:59 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Sober</i> 20:33 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Karyn Baig</i> 22:15</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Florida TC-Southeast</i></span>, who finished 2nd Overall, took the 50-54 title, along the way, with her 20:30 time. She won the division with 500 meters to spare. <b>Amy Bonnerot</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Central Park TC </i></span>and <b>Cassandra Crane</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Genesee Valley Harriers</i> </span>battled for 2nd place. Bonnerot's credentials were just slightly better than Crane's. Bonnerot ran a 1:41:02 half marathon in the Philadelphia Distance run to Crane's 1:42:57 in the Grand Isle HM. Bonnerot's 45:55 10K in August was, similarly, a bit faster than Crane's 46:17 at the 10 Km Championship in Dedham in April. Crane pulled Bonnerot away from the starting line; she had just 5 meters on her in the early going. By the time they had looped the lake, Crane had stretched her lead to 40 meters. Bonnerot made a strong move in the last mile, pulled past Crane, and enjoyed her 2nd place finish, with a gap of 75 meters back to Crane. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VbxxUmMAq8ck__WTArOwXsrHPRwUleiQzwP9Hqg9q1l-LtKnJC_fVm-QronX89q3NuCHXL_9p7WMZsmV9goljT8aEdn2A8FA1QL-HZUashf5kaEUM5gdd_yX6GIIIB7G-0eX37T7HrBVvcR4RRR4eYq_GfSYlnBdiT3KZ5thFHv6YhaI61AzMnGxsDJA/s1346/Bonnerot_Amy-2nd%20place%2050-54.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VbxxUmMAq8ck__WTArOwXsrHPRwUleiQzwP9Hqg9q1l-LtKnJC_fVm-QronX89q3NuCHXL_9p7WMZsmV9goljT8aEdn2A8FA1QL-HZUashf5kaEUM5gdd_yX6GIIIB7G-0eX37T7HrBVvcR4RRR4eYq_GfSYlnBdiT3KZ5thFHv6YhaI61AzMnGxsDJA/w400-h266/Bonnerot_Amy-2nd%20place%2050-54.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Amy Bonnerot</b> strides toward her Silver Medal in the 50-54 Division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Friend-Uhl looks ready to compete at the front of the 50-54 division in road racing championships whenever she chooses to do so.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sonja Friend-Uhl</i> 20:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Amy Bonnerot</i> 23:02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cassandra Crane</i> 23:26</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span>This division, too, was a 3-athlete competition. Crane's GVH teammate, <b>Brenda Osovski, </b>finished 9th at Richmond and 6th at the Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis. She would continue her march toward the front of the division. If you compare the 5K times of Osovski, 22-23 minutes, with those of <b>Lori Mangual</b>, 26-28 minutes, and <b>Valerie Silver, </b>29-31 minutes, the finishing order seemed likely to be Osovski, Mangual, Silver. Osovski set off at a good clip, running towards the end of the top15 Overall. She already had a sizable lead over Mangual, who had a similar large lead over Silver. That did not change substantially during the course of the race. Osovski took the win with 900 meters to spare. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWuTpz3rWWb3Pu-ZWnKAV3IOxskAalN7MOoC6vcUY-rg3Igxe26E97_8Cb6fk3YtVjXfLqGkjat0C_lWnpok8Aovk2JPYR-kXhYbDYffYXyXXtPNJNMie3ukZh7pLH-6xsCR1RCe2JQ5r-jeX0l3cAcxrsygsVV_aXCT1c3aKWEASc8pTL5RYGMog3YFe/s1346/Osovski_Brenda%20-1st%2055-59.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWuTpz3rWWb3Pu-ZWnKAV3IOxskAalN7MOoC6vcUY-rg3Igxe26E97_8Cb6fk3YtVjXfLqGkjat0C_lWnpok8Aovk2JPYR-kXhYbDYffYXyXXtPNJNMie3ukZh7pLH-6xsCR1RCe2JQ5r-jeX0l3cAcxrsygsVV_aXCT1c3aKWEASc8pTL5RYGMog3YFe/w400-h266/Osovski_Brenda%20-1st%2055-59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brenda Osovski</b> on her way to the 55-59 Division Win <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">It was much closer between Mangual and Silver, 26 seconds and a gap of less than 120 meters.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Brenda Osovski</i> 24:49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lori Mangual</i> 30:32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Valerie Silver</i> 31:16</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Mary Cass</b> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Liberty AC</span>, </i>out of Greater Boston, was winning almost all of the 60-64 national championships she entered until <b>Suzanne La Burt </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC </span></i>turned 60 and entered the Road Mile at Indy, taking 1st in the division when Cass was not entered. Prior to that, Cass had won at Clubs in San Francisco, the Half Marathon in Syracuse and the 10 Km in Dedham. Cass and La Burt met for the first time at the 12 Km Championships at Highlands NJ. La Burt came home with the win, finishing 49 seconds ahead of Cass. It would be interesting to see if Cass would be able to beat La Burt on the turf in the heat. Cass would give it her best shot! La Burt took it out hard from the start, quickly building up a 15-meter lead over Cass. Around the lake Cass worked hard to limit the damage; she was still within striking distance! It would have to come down to a catch and pass in the final 300 meters. Cass got close but she could not catch La Burt! La Burt had the win in 20:51. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXtNofrwxf3B-f2yc008H6S8Q7_Q40dkfa9zK6SJq-avCqHrsRzRD8XMLB-lsVXeI31P51K-DvXvVQzgQfIh9n1lGckBHNuix7lqQTM_yYp9Qf4-wJkRZ9dhT8eUM11ZP0vhYe0k54fd4UmhK2LRxNmfcqloDUamG1s3JhI4F0DT8Mt8GWAWBkr5bqbvy/s1346/La%20Burt-Cass-1st-2nd%2060-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXtNofrwxf3B-f2yc008H6S8Q7_Q40dkfa9zK6SJq-avCqHrsRzRD8XMLB-lsVXeI31P51K-DvXvVQzgQfIh9n1lGckBHNuix7lqQTM_yYp9Qf4-wJkRZ9dhT8eUM11ZP0vhYe0k54fd4UmhK2LRxNmfcqloDUamG1s3JhI4F0DT8Mt8GWAWBkr5bqbvy/w640-h426/La%20Burt-Cass-1st-2nd%2060-64.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt </b>high stepping it to the Finish Line as <b>Mary Cass </b>tries to catch her! They went 1-2 in the 60-64 Division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cass was just 4 seconds back! Wow, that was close! <b>Suzanne Cordes</b>, <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Impala Racing</i> </span>who finished over a minute behind Cass at Clubs in 4th place and 3rd at Cross Nationals in Richmond, looked to have the best shot at the final podium place. <b>Sandra Gregorich</b><i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span></i>, Cordes's main competitor for 3rd at this race, finished over 3 minutes behind her at Clubs. That is the way it played out. Cordes did not try to stay with La Burt and Cass but remined just within the top ten overall, well ahead of her rival. Cordes took 3rd in 23:04. Gregorich took 4th in 25:18.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt</i> 20:51 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> 20:55 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne Cordes </i>23:04</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Patrice Combs</b> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC </span></i>had the best credentials coming in. She took 1st in the division at Atlanta with a 22:16 in the 5 Km Championships in February. Then in the summer clocked a 44:14 at the Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July, followed by a 10000M win at the Masters Outdoor Championships. Her closest rival looked to be <b>Kitty Musante</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shore AC, </i></span>who had finished a minute behind Combs at the 5 Km Championships. But the lack of any recent race results might be taken as a sign that injury or other barriers to training have reduced her fitness. Perhaps she was just running for the team without any individual goals. Two others would contend for the podium. <b>Cynthia Williams</b><i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC</span></i>, a seasoned XC runner, finished 10th at the highly competitive Club Cross Championships; none of those who finished ahead of her are entered in this championship. She finished 3rd in Atlanta on the roads, with a 24:55 and ran a 49:51 10K at Peachtree. At first glance, <b>Jan Tefft</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>So Cal TC </i></span>looked to have slightly better credentials. She ran a 24:32 5K in mid-August. But then she ran a 50:48 10K at Peachtree, finishing almost a full minute behind Williams. It might be argued that Peachtree is a home course for Williams and that Tefft would have better luck on neutral ground. On the other hand, a lack of any recent cross country results for Tefft suggests another factor in favor of Williams. Combs moved away swiftly from the start, in the top ten overall. Well behind her, Tefft had moved well, establishing an early twenty-meter lead on Williams. Musante's position, almost thirty meters behind Williams, suggested the 'running for her team' scenario might be relevant. By the time they looped the lake, Combs was away from the field and gone! Williams had cut Tefft's lead to just a few meters. Musante was 4th but, at that point, still within striking distance. When Combs crossed the finish line with the win, the rest of the field still had 400 meters to go. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu38TquKJYlUpyPsK9dbSSkOAGtCd__KSClAlRemgLQ6QQoRFD-5uXUWWMyTrs4aMyyul51xmlxN13CpoOW8FnMF8Ayxlqgsnl_bZ6M9_4o7id6-FKNw5zrdj64ZBHc3lMNrC2gkWKvJQdTWY8PprFmUfUujiT3TzkMV3ZT6tuQ8dnZqlvAJFDW78Ji8S/s1346/Combs_Patrice-1st%2065-69.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu38TquKJYlUpyPsK9dbSSkOAGtCd__KSClAlRemgLQ6QQoRFD-5uXUWWMyTrs4aMyyul51xmlxN13CpoOW8FnMF8Ayxlqgsnl_bZ6M9_4o7id6-FKNw5zrdj64ZBHc3lMNrC2gkWKvJQdTWY8PprFmUfUujiT3TzkMV3ZT6tuQ8dnZqlvAJFDW78Ji8S/w400-h266/Combs_Patrice-1st%2065-69.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Patrice Combs</b> closes off her Gold medal effort in the 65-69 Division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">By then, Williams had worked her way past Tefft and was making sure she would not be caught. Williams crossed the finish line in second, just 7 seconds ahead of Tefft. Musante took 5th in 27:01, with <b>Margaret Taylor </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC</span></i>, in 5th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs</i> 23:28 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cynthia Williams</i> 25:36 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jan Tefft</i> 25:43</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Jeanette Groesz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Team Red Lizard </i></span>often has things her way on the turf. She took the division crown at the highly competitive Club XC Championships in San Francisco. A year earlier she had won the 70-74 race at Clubs in Tallahassee. But a strong runner can defeat her. At Boulder last October, her teammate, <b>Sabra Harvey</b>, the 2017 Masters Athlete of the Year, took 1st to Groesz's 2nd. <b>Victoria Crisp</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unattached </i>Tennessee</span> has 5K road credentials as strong as Groesz. The lack of recent cross country results could count as a strike against Crisp. Groesz finished 2nd in Atlanta this past February, to speedster <b>Kathy Martin </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(not entered here) </span>, in 23:49 (chip). Crisp won the 65-69 title at Atlanta in 2019 with a 23:41 and, two years later, ran a 24:25 5K. The most recent result I find is a 1:44:48 Half Marathon in February '22. That shows considerable endurance capability. The gun sounded and Groesz moved swiftly off the starting line. Crisp, more of a long distance runner, started more gradually and soon found herself thirty meters behind Groesz's F70 back bib. By the time they looped the lake, Crisp had cut the lead to just a few meters. Crisp must have passed with authority early in the final mile. Crisp carved out a 75-meter lead, taking the win in 26:03. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi825XsoqWyABBjg8ikE0IuQCWvgH0OuepYI-ACGB392QBrpgr-ijHVZzcaXCZ38k6xQuoKBzNdxS0UclafrZtKyEBNkdlywV_FaTh_YvNNOfG95ALGkMVhFw4kMQmjlcBg5XTcOFMiq8fISAAHnqMMgr-wPCmTsRbKhoWBIOoUXundDXSP074kEBq4ub/s1346/Crisp-1st%2070-74.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi825XsoqWyABBjg8ikE0IuQCWvgH0OuepYI-ACGB392QBrpgr-ijHVZzcaXCZ38k6xQuoKBzNdxS0UclafrZtKyEBNkdlywV_FaTh_YvNNOfG95ALGkMVhFw4kMQmjlcBg5XTcOFMiq8fISAAHnqMMgr-wPCmTsRbKhoWBIOoUXundDXSP074kEBq4ub/w400-h266/Crisp-1st%2070-74.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Victoria Cris </b>on a 70-74 Gold Medal Day <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Groesz took second with a cushion of over 4 minutes! <b>Norma Hudnall</b> <i style="font-size: small;">Atlanta TC </i>and <b>Cande Olsen</b> battled for team and individual honors. At Club XC in Tallahassee in 2021, Olsen finished 49 seconds ahead of Hudnall. But at Clubs this year, Hudnall reversed the tables, finishing a minute ahead of Olsen. Hudnall set off as if she expected to repeat her San Francisco race, quickly building a thirty-meter lead on Olsen. Nothing changed as they looped the lake the first time except that Hudnall's lead grew bigger. Hudnall must have had a difficult last mile. perhaps suffering from dehydration. But it may be that Olsen just enjoyed more even pacing. When Hudnall crossed the finish line, Olsen was only 25 meters back. Olsen took 4th in 31:10, over three minutes ahead of <b>Kathleen Allen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Atlanta TC</i></span>, in 5th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Virginia Crisp</i> 26:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeanette Groesz</i> 26:31 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Norma Hudnall</i> 31:01</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span>Two runners competed, both with their eyes more on the team than the individual competition. <b>Sharon Gerl </b><i style="font-size: small;">Team Red Lizard</i>, a decorated triathlete, and occasional cross country runner, finished 2nd 70-74 at Clubs in Tallahassee and again at Cross Nationals in San Diego a month later. <b>Andrea McCarter</b> is not as competitive, individually, but is an important contributor to her 70's team. Gerl took the win with no trouble. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8Czlj9KHAjGQSQ9NCEz9QjSLs7a_0gU5rScKMW1XVLtDbGPweZUgVKISgSvNkbulrQXxQ9bpNPfcQktq9NAyAtZv_OHJMqxkbqKwaGATUKq3Yoewk4jLUmo5lqY1wSLW6tVnzn1CfDxtangH9xeYaLohnfrSPHr3QhWAQbDPQs7WQvFMTcO_bcIBQJe5/s1346/Gerl-1st%2075-79.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8Czlj9KHAjGQSQ9NCEz9QjSLs7a_0gU5rScKMW1XVLtDbGPweZUgVKISgSvNkbulrQXxQ9bpNPfcQktq9NAyAtZv_OHJMqxkbqKwaGATUKq3Yoewk4jLUmo5lqY1wSLW6tVnzn1CfDxtangH9xeYaLohnfrSPHr3QhWAQbDPQs7WQvFMTcO_bcIBQJe5/w400-h266/Gerl-1st%2075-79.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sharon Gerl </b>on her way to a 75-79 Division Win <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">McCarter finished 2nd.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Gerl</i> 30:02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 43:20</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Marie-Louise Michelsohn</b>, who typically runs her road 5K's in the 36 to 39 minute range, took the 80-84 victory unopposed.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Marie-Louise Michelsohn</i> 41:39</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoMxJcy2zghPj22c9eBBJpsUugLuRJv47eH7sn2mkSkSwmPtrxZYsLlxxIDAywVrMGl2ftSjo6skshZeyyPzSKB_Y-hbnPGK6hHAJsLb7WQshrNJuSMhD9sCQQF5P9-J9_Q3IxXS_DTDLMFYW748xfPmsIwuWt1ZVSE9cYRa-_kZXPpREx6JsOy2WFWZX/s1346/McCarter%20&%20Michelsohn%20-2nd%2075-79%20&1st%2080-84.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoMxJcy2zghPj22c9eBBJpsUugLuRJv47eH7sn2mkSkSwmPtrxZYsLlxxIDAywVrMGl2ftSjo6skshZeyyPzSKB_Y-hbnPGK6hHAJsLb7WQshrNJuSMhD9sCQQF5P9-J9_Q3IxXS_DTDLMFYW748xfPmsIwuWt1ZVSE9cYRa-_kZXPpREx6JsOy2WFWZX/w640-h426/McCarter%20&%20Michelsohn%20-2nd%2075-79%20&1st%2080-84.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andrea McCarter </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">foreground </span>and <b>Marie-Louise Michelsohn</b> setting out on a path that would lead to Gold for Michelsohn in the 80-84 Division and Silver for McCarter in the 75-79 Division-<span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89</span> <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> was, again, the oldest champion on the day, enjoying her 6th national 85-89 championship this Grand Prix season, at distances from 1 Mile to 10 Miles!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 55:32</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi-GorbaIRqoutKTIOpvIqr09WElzFrV2lp32wgJN2muDwNFj1deSxGGHMQIcZVpfPdXaVS13FzbyVodISk4KM9zIBQN-HsteyCa3TYvPNcE4VY5g_RGSwm5yz9zxwKlIvYlTCWEClzLu1pNvDmlgnmWImxC8FLtIHqzLhkm4ZGIRNtulXRV4SQ1nFFqd/s1346/Hodges-Hite_Joyce%201st%2085-89.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi-GorbaIRqoutKTIOpvIqr09WElzFrV2lp32wgJN2muDwNFj1deSxGGHMQIcZVpfPdXaVS13FzbyVodISk4KM9zIBQN-HsteyCa3TYvPNcE4VY5g_RGSwm5yz9zxwKlIvYlTCWEClzLu1pNvDmlgnmWImxC8FLtIHqzLhkm4ZGIRNtulXRV4SQ1nFFqd/w400-h266/Hodges-Hite_Joyce%201st%2085-89.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> won the 85-89 Division <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-size: large;">OVERALL AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIP</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Age Grading identifies the athletes who ran the fastest, adjusted for Age. Because age grading is based on road data and cannot be easily adjusted for Cross Country, it is less central to Cross Country competition. It is tricky to compare age grades across different road courses; it is doubly so for XC, where terrain and weather can combine to create very different challenges from one day to the next. Had this day been cooler and less humid, times would have been lower and age grades higher. Had it been similar in heat with howling winds and falling rain, the reverse would have happened-slower times and lower age grades. Age Grades are, nonetheless, the best way of gauging, across all age divisions, who had the best day. Everyone in that race would have had the same conditions to run in. <span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN </span>The top five included <b>Mary Cass </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">62</span>, <b>Patrice Combs</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">66</span>, <b>Suzanne Cordes</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">63</span>, <b>Jeanette Groesz</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 74</span>, and <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">60</span>. Cass and La Burt battled for 60-64 honors with La Burt taking the win, but only by 4 seconds. Age Grading recognizes Cass's 2 extra years in assigning her the top age grade of 90.63;</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkthdvXeLUDFuF2r9wfLhIbxWpfIXwRY1F4A5iEuCgfdJacJsNQTxB0SB5LYMTEhmO-Wi31dSmmo4-HYA7OeuuNkhqkMU09-GnRNWRn4aF6Hmm-xs-fcD0NqaYVWahg039Dr2_h3eA9YUxFFN7EibSRo65v8Nu9uxlHIw-ArddCPNNMxPUQ6LbroVX8u3/s1346/Cass-2nd%2060-64%20-1st%20Age%20Grading.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkthdvXeLUDFuF2r9wfLhIbxWpfIXwRY1F4A5iEuCgfdJacJsNQTxB0SB5LYMTEhmO-Wi31dSmmo4-HYA7OeuuNkhqkMU09-GnRNWRn4aF6Hmm-xs-fcD0NqaYVWahg039Dr2_h3eA9YUxFFN7EibSRo65v8Nu9uxlHIw-ArddCPNNMxPUQ6LbroVX8u3/w400-h266/Cass-2nd%2060-64%20-1st%20Age%20Grading.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mary Cass</b>, working her way to the top age grading score <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> La Burt was second at 88.71. Combs stopped the run of 60-64 runners with her 3rd place out of 65-69.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60Tua1bUjqo16AvVSZytMtkMz2y8ToNEfIFeSpY_A9PzUtuZIWi1H9oG606ltTEA7IvoiBHIZaXzWivcx2pMaVMVBOwFjNUWD3J9xeS0fjwOg-yZD0XxL8m2wjZJI4wWYtyexK-czc5j0hOojjE_-aZJh1LLZeflpzRNRKL8CI-SKhsMQ99nNo7dSl619/s1346/Groesz_Jeanette-Top%205%20Age%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60Tua1bUjqo16AvVSZytMtkMz2y8ToNEfIFeSpY_A9PzUtuZIWi1H9oG606ltTEA7IvoiBHIZaXzWivcx2pMaVMVBOwFjNUWD3J9xeS0fjwOg-yZD0XxL8m2wjZJI4wWYtyexK-czc5j0hOojjE_-aZJh1LLZeflpzRNRKL8CI-SKhsMQ99nNo7dSl619/w400-h266/Groesz_Jeanette-Top%205%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeanette Groesz</b> finishes strong, claiming 4th place over all age divisions in the Age Grading contest <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Groesz and Cordes rounded out the top 5 in 4th and 5th at 84.11 and 83.22. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPparXB_ZlhooUEh48XrRo1HM6qpI9wf52EfnlmqiQ3RIV5Hk6OuWIS0CWZd3btPCUss8J0JWCFdiUsoaj9xckcuBhioImjRsnqTbM0ko1lzZp0whVAc_9-Uw-89YgKqh7kM_rm-SZTVivWvooFpwhEg7W3-CJpQNqrygirUqBO-bObYDi2JGVA_nfg8v2/s848/Cordes%20Chasing%20anothe%20runner-top%205%20age%20grade-CROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPparXB_ZlhooUEh48XrRo1HM6qpI9wf52EfnlmqiQ3RIV5Hk6OuWIS0CWZd3btPCUss8J0JWCFdiUsoaj9xckcuBhioImjRsnqTbM0ko1lzZp0whVAc_9-Uw-89YgKqh7kM_rm-SZTVivWvooFpwhEg7W3-CJpQNqrygirUqBO-bObYDi2JGVA_nfg8v2/w324-h400/Cordes%20Chasing%20anothe%20runner-top%205%20age%20grade-CROP.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne Cordes</b> closing off her 'Top 5' Age Grading over all age divisions <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl, Victoria Crisp</b>, and <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> finished just outside the top five. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cass has been on the Age Grading podium a couple of times this year. To my recollection, this is her first win and well deserved!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> 90.63% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt</i> 88.71% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs</i> 85.04%</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN </span>Top five in the men's race were: <b>Rick Becker, Christopher Miller, Gregory Putnam,</b> and <b>Steve Schmidt, </b>and <b>Mark Zamek</b>. Becker climbed to the top of the podium, with a 90.02%, where he has been so often, after a day of racing at a Cross Country National Championship. Awarded Masters Harrier of the Year in 2010, he repeated in 2016 and 2018. Schmidt, despite losing the 60-64 race to Zamek, had the #2 Age Grade at 88.40. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs88V4-5ZBG8OGeSIEsLtV14bmQqqGUz-QKCae2lg8G_ROnrBGvsTzVEdcJEBokwSwGbHr_SEWho7KCYEmuPnOpdFgCsz52A4hcQLwUhoxXix7OSlXi5GsGcSH_DiF-lAxtOKw1x8SH6EEMjCJ1NEzbBE4boOyl21AJkVFcV7iXU62DJYFPSba1Cxbz12/s1346/Schmidt_Steve-%232%20Age%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs88V4-5ZBG8OGeSIEsLtV14bmQqqGUz-QKCae2lg8G_ROnrBGvsTzVEdcJEBokwSwGbHr_SEWho7KCYEmuPnOpdFgCsz52A4hcQLwUhoxXix7OSlXi5GsGcSH_DiF-lAxtOKw1x8SH6EEMjCJ1NEzbBE4boOyl21AJkVFcV7iXU62DJYFPSba1Cxbz12/w400-h266/Schmidt_Steve-%232%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Schmidt </b>enjoyed another amazing outing; he scored the 2nd fastest age grade of the day <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">In a rare double, Miller not only made the overall podium, with the win, but also mounted the Age Grading podium. Zamek was 4th at 87.13, and Putnam 5th with an 86.60. <b>Robert Qualls, Trevor Pettingill</b>, and <b>David Angell</b> finished just outside the top 5.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Becker</i> 90.02% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Schmidt</i> 88.40% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Miller</i> 88.08%</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bta_7Z8lLaSbXiAhMyRsHoB6EP10Npf4yDTPxhi1U0GUg8oZnLmiZ4YxPY34fsDkUkAH44yU77C6GgN79T6EWcjhqRSll_9o-KhzJSMh4H8Sy11wzo3UQvuzpcaxaoKF20R9orcR-1Dx8d2jpNm-bi5Pjrl7lmtAnARPu3BlRq3TO4NVZ_7ed6s8RS6A/s1346/Angell_David-Top%205%20Age%20Grading.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1346" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bta_7Z8lLaSbXiAhMyRsHoB6EP10Npf4yDTPxhi1U0GUg8oZnLmiZ4YxPY34fsDkUkAH44yU77C6GgN79T6EWcjhqRSll_9o-KhzJSMh4H8Sy11wzo3UQvuzpcaxaoKF20R9orcR-1Dx8d2jpNm-bi5Pjrl7lmtAnARPu3BlRq3TO4NVZ_7ed6s8RS6A/w400-h266/Angell_David-Top%205%20Age%20Grading.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Angell</b> flying to the finish-every second counts! Top 5 Age Grade over all age divisions <span style="font-size: x-small;">at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton FL</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Michael Scott</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-size: large;">TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN </span>The men's side of the team races were characterized by dominant wins, for the most part. <span style="font-size: medium;">40+ </span><i><b>Team Run Flagstaff</b></i> brought a strong team to defend their Masters 5 Km XC 40+ title from last year. As it turned out, they had no challengers. They won with a sweep! <span style="font-size: medium;">50+ T</span>he <i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC</i> competed along with the <b style="font-style: italic;">Atlanta TC. </b>But Atlanta took the first 4 spots and then 6th, with Bell leading the way. That gave them a 16-39 victory. <i>Shore</i> was presumably entered primarily with their eyes on the GP contest. The 90 points moved them from 4th to 3rd in that contest. Atlanta's win gave them 100 points, moving them past <i>GVH </i>into first spot in the 50+ Team Grand Prix. <span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span>It was similar in this division, except that, with <b>Steve Schmidt</b> leading the way, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ann Arbor</i> did draw first blood. But it was then all Atlanta as they captured the next 3 spots, to win 9-13. <i>Ann Arbor </i>did not care; their main goal was to make sure they stayed on the GP podium. Mission accomplished! <i>Atlanta</i> had the GP win locked up going in; taking 1st gave them 100 GP points, boosting their total to a perfect 500 points! <span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span>The <b style="font-style: italic;">Boulder Road Runners</b> took the first 2 spots and 4th, taking the Masters 5Km title. They will wear the 70+ GP crown as well. Atlanta, with only one of their usual top three in the scoring, was not able to hold off a determined effort from the <i>Shore AC</i>. Boulder took 1st with 7 points, to 20 for <i>Shore </i>and 23 for<i> Atlanta. </i>The <i>Atlanta TC</i> had 2nd place in the 70+ GP wrapped up already. It di dnot matter whether they finished 2nd, 3rd, or did not score. This was only <i>Shore AC's </i>70+ team's 2nd event of the year. They had no GP related goals. <span style="font-size: medium;">80+</span> It was<i> </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i> taking the 'Woody Allen' points with a perfect score of 6. They will enjoy their Team Grand Prix title as well.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN 40+ </span>Both teams had to call down help from older age divisions. With just 3 runners on each team, when <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> from 60-64, and <b>Karyn Baig</b> went 1-2 for <b style="font-style: italic;">Shore</b>, that settled the matter. Even with <i>Atlanta's</i> <b>Hiroko Guarneri </b>and <b>Alicia Eno</b> taking 3rd and 4th in the team competition, <i>Shore </i>had the win. In the end it was 8-13, <i>Shore</i> over <i>Atlanta</i>. That gave <i>Shore</i> the GP win as well. In <span style="font-size: medium;">50+</span> and <span style="font-size: medium;">60+</span>, the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Genesee Valley Harriers</i> and the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta Track Club</i> took the titles unopposed. <i>GVH</i> cemented their GP win, while <i>Atlanta </i>60+<i> </i>enjoyed their third outing, thus qualifying for a 2023 GP award. <span style="font-size: medium;">70+</span> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Team Red Lizard</i> did not have to win to take the 70+ GP title. But if they did not score a complete team, then the GP title would have gone to <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta</i>. As with 40+, once <b>Jeanette Groesz </b>and <b>Sharon Gerl</b> went 1-2, their third runner just had to finish. <b>Cande Olsen </b>did finish, in 4th place. That gave <i>Red Lizard</i> the win at Boca and the GP win. They took first over Atlanta 7-14. Moreover, the 100 GP points gave them a perfect 500 GP points, the only Women's team this year, across all team age divisions, to achieve the 5-win milestone!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>That wraps up the 2023 USATF Masters Grand Prix season. The next USATF posting will cover the final standings. After that it is on to a preview of Club Cross in Tallahassee and the kickoff of the 2024 Grand Prix year!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-17387916149015074372023-10-06T12:44:00.000-04:002023-10-06T12:44:34.982-04:00Masters Athletes Head for the Heat! USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boca Raton FL--Preview<p> <b>October 4, 2023 </b>Boca Raton FL; USATF MASTERS 5 KM CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS. Masters runners from as far away
as New England, the Pacific Northwest and the Mountain West, and as near as a
few miles down the road, are headed to the USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country
Championships. The South County Regional Park, north of Miami FL, welcomes Masters
runners from across the country. Last year’s event, in Boulder, CO was
challenging because of the altitude. This year’s edition has heat and humidity.
Race time temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid-80’s with a
dewpoint in the low 70’s. Luckily, the race is only 5 Km long. The organizers
promise to have plenty of water available at the start and finish and in
between. On the plus side there is supposed to be little wind. Until today it looked like the smoke from Canadian wildfires might give a low Air Quality as well. Apparently the smoke was carried south and was moving closer to the surface. Yesterday's reading was 140. Today it was 39, in the good range. Hopefully it will stay down below 40 for Saturday's race.</p><p>The course at the South County Regional Park is a two-loop affair around a lake. Organizers report that it has been accurately measured and is fast. They also plan to have a split clock out on the course.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span> A dandy competition is shaping up
in the Men’s race for the Overall Championship. The main protagonists appear to
be <b>Chris Gomez</b> and <b>Bryan Lindsay</b>. Gomez won the 2022 5 Km Masters
Cross Country race in Boulder in 16:35. [Except that I learned on the 5th of October that Gomez would be a scratch--see comment at end of this section below.] Lindsay won this year’s Masters 5 Km
Championship in Atlanta with a 15:35 on a hilly road course. He also took the 1 Mile title on his hometown course in Indianapolis with a sterling 4:25. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6baRZipWf1Qy22F7_WQwFUw0_MwdLzzb1HxkdkCOV9Ei3YmjY-xHFg8m0d2g6mpbmYaIudckwyJgl_ME7DodNSJZT_-1Rh27I3tXgyuyNNz1aXFBQSxnGWFb9qRL5eIJLU5D_ag2VDH8y7c1MZGfYhUlZmUzRv5kNns70dJPykyynJf8X1V2g1AwiPWzt/s4482/Lindsay_Bryan-Men%20Overall%20Win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3364" data-original-width="4482" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6baRZipWf1Qy22F7_WQwFUw0_MwdLzzb1HxkdkCOV9Ei3YmjY-xHFg8m0d2g6mpbmYaIudckwyJgl_ME7DodNSJZT_-1Rh27I3tXgyuyNNz1aXFBQSxnGWFb9qRL5eIJLU5D_ag2VDH8y7c1MZGfYhUlZmUzRv5kNns70dJPykyynJf8X1V2g1AwiPWzt/w400-h300/Lindsay_Bryan-Men%20Overall%20Win.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bryan Lindsay</b> breaks the tape as he wins the Overall Championship at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship in Indianapolis <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Monumental Mile</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Altitude and
terrain are great equalizers in Cross Country, not to mention the weather. In a
torrential rainstorm, those two met over 10 Km in the Men's 40+ race at the Club Cross Country
Championships last year in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Gomez won that
duel, finishing 42 seconds ahead of Lindsay. It is hard to read too much into that competition. Because of the huge tree that fell during the Men's 60+ race, local officials wanted to cancel the rest of the Championship. A compromise was reached. The result was that the Masters 40+ Men's race and the two open races would be changed into circuits around a 1200 Meter rough track at the Polo Grounds in Golden Gate Park. Two others deserve mention. <b>David
Angell</b> is on the comeback trail; he won the 2018 edition of this
championship in Buffalo NY and that same year finished 3<sup>rd</sup> in the
highly competitive Club Cross Championships in Spokane. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iaNsjqWvMlHDdBwKw4Yo_BTEOlzslkoutkeIhQJWpwwvcw1da0beD7rh_4OFAMXTJQDz4-j4uaApsHgbDaRdo6xssqQ0w8RvUQO3Ao8i0wK3Y3dxrjLlX4VA4BzxPkEnz4TVIXFeKwChS9gf_AlBhRboqIZHQsn8R1V5DxrvXXI1Sni_euKO1rET5NP7/s6000/Angell-Loeffler-Maravilla-OverARise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iaNsjqWvMlHDdBwKw4Yo_BTEOlzslkoutkeIhQJWpwwvcw1da0beD7rh_4OFAMXTJQDz4-j4uaApsHgbDaRdo6xssqQ0w8RvUQO3Ao8i0wK3Y3dxrjLlX4VA4BzxPkEnz4TVIXFeKwChS9gf_AlBhRboqIZHQsn8R1V5DxrvXXI1Sni_euKO1rET5NP7/w640-h426/Angell-Loeffler-Maravilla-OverARise.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Left: <b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#1487</span>, <b>Jorge Maravilla </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#1448</span>, and <b>Eric Loeffler</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">blue singlet-orange letters </span>leading the field around the course in Spokane WA, on their way to a 3-1-2 finish in the Men's 40-59 Masters Race at the 2018 USATF Club Cross Country Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Three weeks ago, he
finished 5<sup>th</sup> overall at the 12 Km Masters Championships. It may be a stretch too far to give him a shot at the win. But he is experienced at Cross Country and his recent progress has been impressive. <b>Jesse
Chettle</b>, one of Gomez's teammates,<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>is an
intriguing wild card in this race. He enters with plenty of flat speed. He
scorched the field in the 5K at Grandma’s Marathon in 2022, taking the win
outright, in 14:52. On the other hand, Chettle clocked a strong, but more approachable, 21:00, this past April at a 4 Miler, the CCVI Trolley Run in Kansas City MO. That is age grade equivalent to a 16:14 5K. Which Chettle will we see on Saturday? If it is the one who can run a sub-15 5K, watch out! It is hard to see anyone else pressing those four. <b>Dirk de Heer </b>ran a minute and change slower than his teammate, Gomez, at Boulder last year. That is close enough to suggest he could be in the mix for the podium. <b>Gregory Putnam</b>, out of the 50-54 division might have a shot. He finished 30 seconds behind Angell at the recent 12 Km Masters Championships. He, too, has several fine showings at national Cross Country Championships under his belt. Gomez is the reigning champion; he has to be the favorite going in. Lindsay is reputed to be in excellent shape. If he can stay with Gomez, he should have the edge if it comes down to a final sprint. Gomez will need to pull away in the middle of the race. Lindsay is the best bet for 2nd place. I like Angell for the podium after those two but concede that a speedy Chettle or de Heer could push him off the podium. <i><b>Note: Chris Gomez </b>is a late scratch</i>. <i>That means Lindsay moves up to the favorites position and moves, in my mind, Chettle, onto my predicted podium. de Heer may have something to say about that.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top Contenders for the Overall Men's podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>David Angell Jesse Chettle Bryan Lindsay</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If experience at the top were the
sole determinant, <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl </b>would be the athlete to beat in the
Women’s race.<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>Friend-Uhl won
the Women’s race overall at the 2016 Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, over 6
Km. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjHHx92D4loORom_bjxPi7Nss4HfOSEXW5cYNpHcVtRpH5bV6ijmPbqz67eIA_m3ZrrLam0GMP7EKusduRpqTxMmwg5Eo-bWuC4IF_uBWa-1a5Tr-9WwuHmCNipkPp_dWJ-fjRQanM4QU4zQk8Qr0l0wqOI5_0mkue6ewZIxdD3EmrFQWwqVUkOHmes-Z/s960/Friend-Uhl_Wins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjHHx92D4loORom_bjxPi7Nss4HfOSEXW5cYNpHcVtRpH5bV6ijmPbqz67eIA_m3ZrrLam0GMP7EKusduRpqTxMmwg5Eo-bWuC4IF_uBWa-1a5Tr-9WwuHmCNipkPp_dWJ-fjRQanM4QU4zQk8Qr0l0wqOI5_0mkue6ewZIxdD3EmrFQWwqVUkOHmes-Z/w400-h266/Friend-Uhl_Wins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl </b>finishing off her Winning Run in the Masters Women's Overall Championship at the 2016 Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">She finished 2<sup>nd</sup> overall at the 2019 Masters 5 Km Championships
in Atlanta. Friend-Uhl is now winning division titles again after overcoming some health
issues. At this summer's USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, she took the division crown in each event she entered, from the 400 meters up to the 5000 Meters, the latter in 20:11. She has a 19:38 5K from mid-June. Friend-Uhl’s teammate and running client, <b>Jennifer Sober</b>, won the 45-49
division 5000M title this summer at the Masters Outdoor Championships in 18:59,
and has cracked 19 minutes twice on the roads this year, an 18:42 and 18:52 in January and February. <b>Euleen
Josiah-Tanner</b> finished 7 seconds behind Sober in that 5000M, but has
enjoyed success in Cross Country, both domestically and internationally. She won
her 45-49 division over 6 Km at the 2021 Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, and finished 5<sup>th</sup>
in the same division at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championships in
Finland. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhMfHf8dcAFqW0ij-Z9HEoEHJx3T-OJeqSZubzArGNN1-0ppjocTmvLcD7_UEzz-Q_ui8Q5bakFoK-qOYMiwzMN1sfgFgO-3Rivw1KulYFONp4ycRua4vQ3Y1xXCk7Vw1VcqyoOxQ0wr9aZuF3uJQf-fPEibTA1cWV-Qh9LY-I5ddl_c6FtkUXE4myd6Z/s856/Euleen%20Josiah-Tanner-Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="580" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhMfHf8dcAFqW0ij-Z9HEoEHJx3T-OJeqSZubzArGNN1-0ppjocTmvLcD7_UEzz-Q_ui8Q5bakFoK-qOYMiwzMN1sfgFgO-3Rivw1KulYFONp4ycRua4vQ3Y1xXCk7Vw1VcqyoOxQ0wr9aZuF3uJQf-fPEibTA1cWV-Qh9LY-I5ddl_c6FtkUXE4myd6Z/w271-h400/Euleen%20Josiah-Tanner-Crop.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> on her way to the 45-49 win in the Masters Women's Race at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Her performances seem to be on an upward swing; she finished 6th overall at the 12 Km Championships last month. <b>Angela Giuliani</b>, who finished 6<sup>th</sup> Overall at the
Masters 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis with a 5:26, and ran a recent
19:37 5K, was in the mix for a podium finish. But a flare-up of chronic heel bursitis
may prevent her from competing or perhaps limit her pace. On September 30th she tried a walk/jog workout for the first time in several weeks and the discomfort was less. She speculated that she might not run again until warmups and then make a game-day decision. <b>Samantha Gerrits</b> may insert herself into the mix. She clocked a 20:24 5K this past May, but last October turned in a 19:42. In 2021 she had two sub-20 performances. Since Sober won the last meeting with Josiah-Tanner over this distance, albeit on the track rather than the turf, she should be the slight favorite. But given Josiah-Tanner's more extensive experience on the turf, it would not be surprising were she to take the honors. What about Friend-Uhl? She is the only one of the three with top Overall finishes in Masters national championships on the turf and the roads. If she were not coming back from some challenges, it might be an easy call. As is, it appears she may not quite be ready to challenge for the win. A podium berth seems well within her reach. That suggests a finishing order of Sober/Josiah-Tanner/Friend-Uhl. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top Contenders for the Overall Women's podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl Euleen Josiah-Tanner Jennifer Sober</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN </span>The age grading exercise compares the athlete's time, over a given distance, to the projected fastest time in the world over that distance for a runner of that age. Grades are in percentages ranging from 80%, a national class performance, to 90%, a world class performance, to 100%, essentially the equivalent to the fastest time in the world. These percentages are developed for the roads but are applied here to performances on the turf. If the course is measured accurately, times on the turf will usually be slower, for the same effort, than times on the roads. Hence, age grade scores, called Performance Level Percentages or PLP's tend to be lower at cross country events than on roads. It also inappropriate to compare age grade scores across courses and for the same course with different weather conditions. For example, a course may be slow when it is muddy from rains and perfectly fast otherwise. Head-to-head competition is more revealing than just looking at PLP's. But there are fewer such comparisons available.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Top contenders for Women’s Age
Grading, which recognize the strongest runners for their age, include: <b>Mary
Cass </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">62, </span><b>Patrice
Combs</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">66</span>, Friend-Uhl <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">50</span>, <b>Jeanette Groesz </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">74</span>, and <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">60</span>. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Cass had the 4th highest PLP at the 12K with a 94.6. At the Club Cross Championships in San Francisco last December, Cass finished 5th with an 88.28. In Boston at the 2021 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships, Cass finished 6th at 84.7.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjqlTlwcamKK0Q9ORFze0Be7tdiitr54ZOoOYKtnpL7cjqPIMxWdp0jNPCbrK7kcmOHk0Fh5L-WH4nkSwug7u2xpcfAayzYNLHkEsIXeOe02olG6aL2g_VKUmIftaH1sRsVe0obz_hMZiYJZjasHlL9xNNFGOJzzMgTwf-eV3i44gv5YhDDjLbuAYN9Ph/s1275/Cass%20et%20al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1275" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjqlTlwcamKK0Q9ORFze0Be7tdiitr54ZOoOYKtnpL7cjqPIMxWdp0jNPCbrK7kcmOHk0Fh5L-WH4nkSwug7u2xpcfAayzYNLHkEsIXeOe02olG6aL2g_VKUmIftaH1sRsVe0obz_hMZiYJZjasHlL9xNNFGOJzzMgTwf-eV3i44gv5YhDDjLbuAYN9Ph/w640-h428/Cass%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mary Cass</b> leads <b>Stella Gibbs </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#1771</span> through Boston's Franklin Park on their way to a 2-3 finish in the 60-64 Division at the 2021 USATF 5 Km XC Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At the 5 Km in Atlanta this year, Cass finished 6th with a 92.66. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Combs had several high-flying age grade finishes before the Pandemic. In 2019, she finished 4th at the 2019 Masters 5 Km and 8 Km Championships and 8th at the 1 Mile and 15K Championships. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHjlAufwA1SjxnrIgWcVFMQgYuuCLwS0_D4f6D7YG8HWlxrOBI4DsBUDg9t6D6pnywFMnuKHvaZj5EPcsQUy0K5EHuYIJrx3j6ZYw0xGj2Yxw95CXxrla2mcs1-lDTCwSRl7HHP5H9VDQYGD0GPnj-j49xlzNLEihu-z0yuedeRXe3zMSAs-z_gywYR37/s1355/Combs-FinalTurn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1355" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHjlAufwA1SjxnrIgWcVFMQgYuuCLwS0_D4f6D7YG8HWlxrOBI4DsBUDg9t6D6pnywFMnuKHvaZj5EPcsQUy0K5EHuYIJrx3j6ZYw0xGj2Yxw95CXxrla2mcs1-lDTCwSRl7HHP5H9VDQYGD0GPnj-j49xlzNLEihu-z0yuedeRXe3zMSAs-z_gywYR37/w640-h426/Combs-FinalTurn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Patrice Combs</b> leading two of her younger teammates into the final turn before the finishing straight, on her way to the 60-64 Win and a 4th Place in the Overall Age Grading Championship <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Her 5 Km time of 21:20 at age 62 merited a PLP of 89.06. More recently she finished 9th at this year's 5 Km Championships in Atlanta with an 87.75. Cass, as noted, finished ahead of her. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Friend-Uhl finished 10th overall in age grading at the highly competitive Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in 2016 and followed that with a 7th at the 2018 Cross Country Nationals, also in Tallahassee. Her highest PLP at a national championship came in 2019 over 5Km in Atlanta; her 17:34 at the age of 48 earned a 92.06. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Groesz has a harder time matching these folks on the roads. But on the turf, she competes very closely. She outpointed Cass in San Francisco at Clubs this past December finishing 2nd overall in 89.11. The October before that, she finished 4th in Boulder; no one who finished ahead of her is entered here. In January 2022, she finished 5th with an 82.16 in San Diego. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zEuKimfPYxGOx3TcsqMZj4B-GtVUhDp9T6jE-T0NC1IHADKbOJpNcjYKl-t1uNImucaQEMboWKH66_6k5B4sT6-aHuOsSRqe4xv9GGjk-oNofslDZ0wwE6oeWIYqJo1VeypfT2uCzckiR7is1Hhf4_CTHsOIXeGAnGL2p11O6Mz362XfEyPiBa7_FqMu/s1257/Groesz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zEuKimfPYxGOx3TcsqMZj4B-GtVUhDp9T6jE-T0NC1IHADKbOJpNcjYKl-t1uNImucaQEMboWKH66_6k5B4sT6-aHuOsSRqe4xv9GGjk-oNofslDZ0wwE6oeWIYqJo1VeypfT2uCzckiR7is1Hhf4_CTHsOIXeGAnGL2p11O6Mz362XfEyPiBa7_FqMu/w400-h268/Groesz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeanette Groesz</b>, on her way to a Top Five Age Grading Finish in the Masters Women's Race at the 2022 USATF Cross Nationals Championships in San Diego <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Again, no one who finished ahead of her is entered here. Her teammate, <b>Sharon Gerl</b>, who is entered here, finished 12th at 78.67. If we go back to December of 2021 when Club Cross was at Tallahassee, Groesz finished 7th. This time, the final athlete on our list, La Burt, did finish ahead of her in 4th, a full percentage point ahead. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDdbCzaJ7qaDqmg_u_pt_UhPHJATSf6EcRrmSdAuvvjipMPCzNfymT-bJzNWwebnUBJMLnOECixkzi77geck1WJO8YzsNDec2RIM4FkQgyFLn56hp1EBAkmOhk-SIkM1l5-tA7WKoi4ZRLfgAu3dT3sguLd_hFe7kOSYthiIZqRCcMXMCIcaYy9yCB7nE/s1257/LaBurt_Lapham%20et%20al%20end%20of%201st%20loop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDdbCzaJ7qaDqmg_u_pt_UhPHJATSf6EcRrmSdAuvvjipMPCzNfymT-bJzNWwebnUBJMLnOECixkzi77geck1WJO8YzsNDec2RIM4FkQgyFLn56hp1EBAkmOhk-SIkM1l5-tA7WKoi4ZRLfgAu3dT3sguLd_hFe7kOSYthiIZqRCcMXMCIcaYy9yCB7nE/w640-h428/LaBurt_Lapham%20et%20al%20end%20of%201st%20loop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt</b> leading <b>Gwen Lapham </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#894</span> and Others onto Loop #2 on the 6 Km Cross Country Course at Tallahassee, on her way to the 55-59 Win and a 4th Place Age Grading Finish at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">More recently on the roads, La Burt has come in ahead of Groesz, in age grading, at both the 1 Mile where La Burt was 6th to Groesz's 9th and at the 12 km championship where La Burt was 5th, well ahead of Groesz, but a full percentage point, and one place behind Cass. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For the sake of prediction, I will go with La Burt- Groesz- Cass as the more likely finishing order. I fully expect all of the athletes in this list to have superb performances! The PLP's just sort out how good their day was!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top Contenders for the Women's Age-Grading podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>Mary Cass Jeanette Groesz</i> <i>Suzanne La Burt</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Men’s Age-Grading
contest features Angell, <b>Rick Becker </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">68</span><b>, </b>Gomez <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">41</span><b>,
Robert Qualls </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">71</span>, <b>Steve Schmidt </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">63</span>. <b>David
Westenberg </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">65 </span>and <b>Mark
Zamek</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">60</span>. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Angell is, admittedly, a longshot in this list. In what was arguably his best Cross Country performance ever, in Spokane, in 2018, when he finished 3rd overall in the Club Cross championship, he finished just outside the top 20 PLP's recorded in the M40-59 race. Earlier that year, in a smaller championship, the Masters 5 Km XC in Buffalo, Angell had the 9th highest PLP at 83.76. <b>Doug Goodhue</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">81</span>, currently on the comeback trail from knee surgery, had the third highest PLP at that championship, 85.16. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5X_LPodAxKpv6Yh0-f83Gmry1_FJ4i15H0n4n2hAsPa_3avQxecBuX7XWpKcBWul3CfkWRqmGN8qGsTKLFhj-h8J_8G34yxM8nXUNAhqIZhsZvaahifBj42x0-vfY-SUof1_y7H2HVxo7e0z1BCFUEEAcN7CpAmoTt8Ld6QFPag1f9RRJqAjWNRIGPTn/s6000/Doug%20Goodhue-M75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5X_LPodAxKpv6Yh0-f83Gmry1_FJ4i15H0n4n2hAsPa_3avQxecBuX7XWpKcBWul3CfkWRqmGN8qGsTKLFhj-h8J_8G34yxM8nXUNAhqIZhsZvaahifBj42x0-vfY-SUof1_y7H2HVxo7e0z1BCFUEEAcN7CpAmoTt8Ld6QFPag1f9RRJqAjWNRIGPTn/w400-h266/Doug%20Goodhue-M75.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Goodhue</b> on his way to the Age Grading Podium in the Masters Men's 60+ race at the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Buffalo, NY <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Andy Martin, Exclamation! Services</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Angell's best recent PLP was at Cross Nationals in Richmond, where he finished 10th in the 40-59 division at 84.9. Westenberg, included in the above list, finished 10th in the 60+ division with an 85.9.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Becker was a top cross country age grader in 2017 and 2018 when he finished 2nd and first at successive Club Cross Championships in Lexington and then Spokane. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4PQurIMFxZZASpSwtWm3ZbZAwN_q2rt8cJQs9CK19QAoTJzRRMOnjSS4kU2ZtMSZjmecsenGmNpZpluwnx8oY9C_tje6uyOyIMHATG14lXE3prPhx1eQaz9dd1-nUX1mh-U8EZ0HIxC7S5n2N_ln_JnntSJhJbjhUzClHXvWGIBhkuKQFB2Ro6qEGwEy/s960/Rick%20becker%202nd%20M60+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4PQurIMFxZZASpSwtWm3ZbZAwN_q2rt8cJQs9CK19QAoTJzRRMOnjSS4kU2ZtMSZjmecsenGmNpZpluwnx8oY9C_tje6uyOyIMHATG14lXE3prPhx1eQaz9dd1-nUX1mh-U8EZ0HIxC7S5n2N_ln_JnntSJhJbjhUzClHXvWGIBhkuKQFB2Ro6qEGwEy/w400-h266/Rick%20becker%202nd%20M60+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Becker</b> on His way to a 2nd place in Men's 60-64 and the Top Age Grade PLP in the Masters Men's Race at the 2017 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington KY <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In January of 2022, he finished 2nd again at the San Diego Cross Nationals Championship. When he returned to Club Cross in San Francisco last December he had a decidedly off day; his PLP was not among the top ten in 60+. He will be looking to erase that taste with a strong outing here.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gomez [Scratched now], like Angell, is a longshot. Favored to win the race overall, it would be a stretch for him to make the age grading podium. At Boulder last year when he won overall, he finished 10th in age grading with an 81.68, behind Qualls, listed above, in 4th and <b>Mark Callon</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">see below </span>in 7th. His 6th place finish in the Men's 40-59 race at Club Cross last December netted him a 26th place PLP.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Qualls has been winning everything in sight in his 70-74 division since entering it in the spring of 2022. But placing highly in the age grading has been more of a challenge. Qualls ran well in San Francisco, winning his age division but had the 24th best PLP in the 60+ race at 81.87. Becker, despite being unhappy with his race scored two percentage points higher. On the other hand, the race that day was so unusual, it would be easy to put too much weight on it. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76THGccFuwnpP4BZ8BigJDnLn-uq-7tCXDq5Ew7-MR8Te0Bua6SeBFaI_uwHnxX7dGmeXFBULem5ZhUmC3a3fuSl2HlBTwEvbVi-jAgVJDu0h3EZ8zFJWtg6M9jS-bBdPsaa49qvzQy8vaQU5Y7ghfp7E-ux_Y-DnqmZ3kyD3RdjuTneAlEpkDohx_iVf/s1261/Qualls%20wins%2070-74%20Recap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76THGccFuwnpP4BZ8BigJDnLn-uq-7tCXDq5Ew7-MR8Te0Bua6SeBFaI_uwHnxX7dGmeXFBULem5ZhUmC3a3fuSl2HlBTwEvbVi-jAgVJDu0h3EZ8zFJWtg6M9jS-bBdPsaa49qvzQy8vaQU5Y7ghfp7E-ux_Y-DnqmZ3kyD3RdjuTneAlEpkDohx_iVf/w225-h400/Qualls%20wins%2070-74%20Recap2.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robert Qualls</b> finishing off his winning run and Top Ten Age Grade score at the 2022 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Highlands NJ <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Qualls finished 4th in age grading in Boulder a couple of months before. At the 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis in June, not only did Qualls break the 70-74 American Record, he finished 3rd in age grading. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Schmidt is probably the favorite. At Club Cross last December, he finished 2nd in age grading in the 60+ race, at 88.39, ahead of some pretty strong runners. He was well ahead of Becker, Qualls and Westenberg. Angell, out of the 40-59 race, was closer, at about 87.54. But, unlike the 60+ race, that was not a true Cross Country race, although I am sure it was quite miserable to run in it. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: It was known a t the time that the course was not a true 10 Km in length. I heard that it was about 6 Miles long. I have recalculated any PLP I report for that race as a 6 mile run. The official results assumed it was a true 10K. </span>Schmidt has not run in another cross country race since then. But he has done well on the roads: 2nd at Atlanta in the 5 Km with a 91.98; 2nd at the Half Marathon on a warm day in Syracuse, on a hilly course at 89.65; </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcmp0iaVq_dz4heJHYygOGS2ICgcf-YCCc7TwgqZhAHcJE-VOUlsg0kmo8ToJU1z3KiFHCf1L3Te95bh6BiOh77enH3zXrOd0A8wduhIw2sN_Rb600tqKGYDD3LRA5Mvywojm95Ilp0c2LUiRgtziZt4ekKQTX2b6nrmWW6rKpQvF6_wBAPgJz1x_qtOE/s550/Steve%20Schmidt%20driving%20through%20Mile%2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="367" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcmp0iaVq_dz4heJHYygOGS2ICgcf-YCCc7TwgqZhAHcJE-VOUlsg0kmo8ToJU1z3KiFHCf1L3Te95bh6BiOh77enH3zXrOd0A8wduhIw2sN_Rb600tqKGYDD3LRA5Mvywojm95Ilp0c2LUiRgtziZt4ekKQTX2b6nrmWW6rKpQvF6_wBAPgJz1x_qtOE/w268-h400/Steve%20Schmidt%20driving%20through%20Mile%2010.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Schmidt</b> powering through the streets of Syracuse NY on his way to 2nd place Overall in Age Grading at the 2023 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Syracuse Half Marathon</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">3rd at the 10K in 89.65; and 4th in the 12 Km last month with a 91.1. None of the athletes who have come in ahead of him in age grading are entered in this race. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Westenberg may be surprised to find himself in this list, but he has earned it. At Cross Nationals in Richmond, he finished tenth in age grading at 85.9, a full percentage point above Angell, even though they ran in two different races. In San Francisco at Club Cross, he again topped notable runners like Becker and Qualls in posting the 11th best PLP at 85.81.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_TrjX_DjDSL7d0VQcwu-ScQQzwOVdzQWU2ToMUEmgeRBFlrp3sH5JFtZTYLO4ACV-Ts3OJp_6vV89iEBNEMJ4f8Y26VD1At-OkoEqbOOP__gb4j9dlKRklCFQhmw5iEkUFmvuR2LsOsvJh1IUyM8V7tw8ElZk7y9delW3XuUlCTwrdJb9Z_AoplVr1Ue/s2048/David%20Westenberg_fb%20Post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="2048" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_TrjX_DjDSL7d0VQcwu-ScQQzwOVdzQWU2ToMUEmgeRBFlrp3sH5JFtZTYLO4ACV-Ts3OJp_6vV89iEBNEMJ4f8Y26VD1At-OkoEqbOOP__gb4j9dlKRklCFQhmw5iEkUFmvuR2LsOsvJh1IUyM8V7tw8ElZk7y9delW3XuUlCTwrdJb9Z_AoplVr1Ue/w400-h278/David%20Westenberg_fb%20Post.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Westenberg </b>navigating a large mud puddle on his way to a 2nd place finish in M65 and a Top Twelve in Overall Age Grading in the Masters Men's 60+ Race at the 2022 USATF Club Cross Country Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Zamek is a bit of a puzzle, and therefore a wild card. He has been rehabbing a set of injuries for the last year. He pushed it last spring, entering the 10 Km Championships in the midst of 70-mile training weeks. It paid off during the race. He finished on the podium in the incredibly competitive 60-64 division, behind Nat Larson and John Van Danacker, not entered, and ahead of Schmidt. Schmidt edged him for 3rd best PLP by 0.01 percentage point. Incredible! But a week later he could not do a workout. Whether that was directly due to the 10k effort or was the result of pushing his training hard after the week following the race, is an open question. Either way he was diagnosed with Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy <span style="font-size: xx-small;">PHT</span>. No one works harder on Physical Therapy than Zamek. But few are as reluctant to go easy when necessary. He decided he could risk a tempo run in the 1 Mile Championships. He did so and helped his Shore AC team to victory by a single second. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8XBtOSJgVzb2Uzieb5F1816CXOMwxW3ICAR2WVkHuFzCb-0IJGw_7s2gGjLmXomSG_fP20nYmekhWYtSp-P0Eyn3UAcRisoLXEISQ5Untl6bxW84_oOqKP3sJt3md006UB2SI9RBJ_WKfHU8xVGvVkcYwrfVYQUFOQ6naApSs-JDn8cg3qcEwhxYah8xw/s441/Zamek_Mark%20with%20Guzik_david-CROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8XBtOSJgVzb2Uzieb5F1816CXOMwxW3ICAR2WVkHuFzCb-0IJGw_7s2gGjLmXomSG_fP20nYmekhWYtSp-P0Eyn3UAcRisoLXEISQ5Untl6bxW84_oOqKP3sJt3md006UB2SI9RBJ_WKfHU8xVGvVkcYwrfVYQUFOQ6naApSs-JDn8cg3qcEwhxYah8xw/w299-h400/Zamek_Mark%20with%20Guzik_david-CROP.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Zamek</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Shore AC</i> </span>Crossing the Finish Line with the 4th best Age Grade PLP at the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Pam Fales</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br />His effort was more restrained than the 10K. He had the 26th highest PLP. My guess is that his goals for this race are similar, to run a good tempo and help his team. After all, he wants to run well in Tallahassee, not be in the middle of rehab again.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Others who have had good age grades in the past include <b>Doug Bell</b>, <b>Mark Callon</b>, <b>Doug Goodhue</b>, and <b>Gregory Putnam</b>. The recent scores for Bell, Callon and Putnam suggest the podium would be a stretch. Goodhue is on the upswing but is probably not ready for a podium or near-podium effort yet.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It looks like the most likely order of finish is: Schmidt-Becker-Qualls. But one can easily imagine different scenarios.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top Contenders for the Men's Age-Grading podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>Rick Becker Robert Qualls Steve Schmidt</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 40-44 </span>Gomez, Lindsay, Chettle and de Heer, all out of this division are considered in the discussion of the Overall Championship above. Based on that, the projection for the division is: Gomez-Lindsay-Chettle. <i><b>Note: Chris Gomez </b>is a late scratch. That means Dirk de Heer gets added to the 40-44 predicted podium.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Jesse Chettle </b></i><i><b>Dirk de Heer </b></i><i><b>Bryan Lindsay</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><span><b>David Angell</b> was listed for the overall podium. He is the favorite for this division. It appears the top other contenders are <b>Matthew Di Pretore</b> and <b>Christopher Hernandez. </b>Those two met at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. Hernandez had the edge there, 17:12 to 17:30. Di Pretore ran 34:59 t take 4th at the 10K Championships and Hernandez 43:47 for 5th place at the 12Km championships. I do not find recent Cross Country championship results for them. Hernandez finished 4th in 40-44 at 2019 Cross Nationals in Tallahassee. <b>Leonardo Canete</b> ran some 5K's in the 17:30 - 17:45 range this summer and will press those two. The most likely outcome seems to be: Angell-Hernandez-Di Pretore. But DiPretore and Hernandez are very close and it could go either way.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>David Angell Matthew Di Pretore Christopher Hernandez</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>50-54 <b>Steve Bell, Brent Fields</b>, and <b>Gregory Putnam</b> appear to be the three strongest runners. Putnam finished 2nd in the 2021 edition of these championships in Boston, and finished 4th in the division at 2021 Club Cross in Tallahassee. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipT_vj3DfjhtT951qCYF__yIiVWNfo4e0VkbT2Sjw38d0bj4JvVclDcyXe_W4rr2a6DoCdm3sXjaK8pQSJ2ZB1GBr_onzYFLeNoC97RdtXYcK-efNuAkmIi8kkieGjGRoHBjdY9-9BxYTpGBsL4x6kQeoayT6Xw42KC8fSxVESigNki4DkVVLh9K8NJxJ/s1257/Putnam_Godwin_Hammer_larson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1257" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipT_vj3DfjhtT951qCYF__yIiVWNfo4e0VkbT2Sjw38d0bj4JvVclDcyXe_W4rr2a6DoCdm3sXjaK8pQSJ2ZB1GBr_onzYFLeNoC97RdtXYcK-efNuAkmIi8kkieGjGRoHBjdY9-9BxYTpGBsL4x6kQeoayT6Xw42KC8fSxVESigNki4DkVVLh9K8NJxJ/w400-h268/Putnam_Godwin_Hammer_larson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gregory Putnam </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white singlet </span>leading a host of talented Cross Country Runners as he secures a Top Five 50-54 Finish at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">On the roads, he met Bell and Fields in Dedham at the 10K, taking division honors with a 34:21. Bell was 15 seconds back in 2nd, with Fields in 7th at 36:18. Bell and Fields, teammates, also met in San Francisco at Club Cross last December and at Cross Nationals in Richmond in January. But Putnam did not compete there. Bell came in ahead of Fields at both. It does not appear there is anyone else int he division to push those three unless it is the teammate of Bell and Fields, <b>Christopher Harris</b>. Harris ran at the 5 Km in Atanta but in the community race. Had he run the same time in the Masters Championship he would only have been 30 seconds behind Fields. If Harris should also happen to be better on the turf than on the roads, he could be a threat for the podium. For now, I put the likely order as: Putnam-Bell-Fields.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Steve Bell Brent Fields Gregory Putnam</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><span><b>Mark Callon</b> has the target on his back in this division. A newly minted 55-year-old, Callon finished 4th last October at Boulder in the 50-54 division. He finished 24th in M50 at Clubs in San Francisco but had finished 13th the year before in Tallahassee. Callon took 6th M50 at the 2022 12 Km Championships. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCbT0kxFzepm1xp1cWHZLFake3sWPaE7yFc-Mxrgmx6c45FyymTe7mjr0GrFPXO_zi92hrBmTIF-oTHVbpUxCkEJ42kADAFkZI1qW8DhyphenhyphenzBLSDhzERf2_U755isTNrb6cl4NKbhFoCIV6jGPVmWIb1c31RVxPs0vNJI_tPj5fYAeQbuKbd8VYRi5nyVYd/s1449/CallonM50PlusRecap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="781" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCbT0kxFzepm1xp1cWHZLFake3sWPaE7yFc-Mxrgmx6c45FyymTe7mjr0GrFPXO_zi92hrBmTIF-oTHVbpUxCkEJ42kADAFkZI1qW8DhyphenhyphenzBLSDhzERf2_U755isTNrb6cl4NKbhFoCIV6jGPVmWIb1c31RVxPs0vNJI_tPj5fYAeQbuKbd8VYRi5nyVYd/w215-h400/CallonM50PlusRecap2.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Callon </b> finishing off his 12 Km Effort on a warm day at USATF-NJ's By Hook Or By Crook Course in Highlands NJ <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>He has had some niggling issues this year but, despite a sore high hamstring, managed a 1:17:54 at the San Jose Rock n Roll Half Marathon. He ran a minute and a half faster last year at San Jose but he should be good for a 5 Km XC effort. That is probably equivalent to a solid sub-18 5K. He also has a 3.87 mile XC race under his belt. <b>Jeffrey Conston</b> is in the best position to push Callon in the division. Conston finished 11th in M50 at cross Nationals in Richmond. As a new 55-year old, he moved up to 5th M55 in Atlanta with an 18:09. At Indy in June, he took 3rd in the division in 4:59.04. After that it looks like <b>Dale Flanders</b> and <b>Scott Siriano</b> should battle for the final podium spot. Flanders finished 45 seconds ahead of Siriano at Richmond and then on the roads, bested him by 29 seconds at the 5 Km Championships. At Indy they were in a virtual dead heat at the Mile, with both awarded the same time to the next full second, 5:22, but with Siriano given 6th to Flanders's 7th. The most likely order of finish, assuming Callon's high hamstring holds up, is Callon-Conston-Flanders.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Mark Callon Jeffrey Conston Dale Flanders</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Steve Schmidt </b>is the main man here. If <b>Mark Zamek </b>is planning on running fast rather than just running a smooth tempo effort, it could be interesting. As noted in the age grading section. Schmidt beat all comers except Nat Larson (not entered for Boca) at Clubs in San Francisco. But Zamek ran Atlanta, finishing in 4th just 9 seconds behind Schmidt. And at the 10 Km in Dedham, Zamek went all out, running a 36:12 to take 32rd ahead of Schmidt. As noted, though, a week later he could not run. Since then, Zamek has been up and down. He ran a tempo pace for the Mile and finished 6th in the division at 5:20. If he gives a similar effort here, it should be Schmidt-Zamek going 1-2. Regardless of how those two sort out, <b>Lester Dragstedt</b> looks solid for 3rd. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3iMAUKlf4ZZcuAeZWOcjo1hYyWp21sW85yzIpwRw3kZ0GdhP0ZF8fs3FHJ9PzOgCAejFWZY_BHkCIVqLq-KetXPXOkRjuGlGcHqWN6oUkbfrHDGAEkpKqAygLOyeYCNOCf79prRGfASJtqAx18THCWlXGhnu4n8iH4Q7YieusBjBQtdfdD1YtyuTTBRt/s947/Dragstedt_Loop1-ATL%2060+CROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="947" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3iMAUKlf4ZZcuAeZWOcjo1hYyWp21sW85yzIpwRw3kZ0GdhP0ZF8fs3FHJ9PzOgCAejFWZY_BHkCIVqLq-KetXPXOkRjuGlGcHqWN6oUkbfrHDGAEkpKqAygLOyeYCNOCf79prRGfASJtqAx18THCWlXGhnu4n8iH4Q7YieusBjBQtdfdD1YtyuTTBRt/w400-h381/Dragstedt_Loop1-ATL%2060+CROP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lester Dragstedt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">far left </span>battles <b>Larry Sak</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">white singlet </span>in the trenches at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond VA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo By Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>Although well back from those two at the 5K and 10K championships, Dragstedt has been a solid performer all year. He finished 6th at Richmond and 23rd at Clubs in San Francisco. If any of those have an off day, either <b>Eric Hawkins</b> or C<b>raig Williams</b> look to be next in line. My best guess at the likely order is Schmidt-Zamek-Dragstedt.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Lester Dragstedt Steve Schmidt Mark Zamek</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><span>The biggest names on the list are <b>Rick Becker, David Westenberg</b>, and <b>Ken Youngers</b>. Becker is discussed at length in the age grading section. He should be due for a great run. Westenberg is coming off training for a Marathon that allowed him to qualify for the Boston Marathon. As a dedicated middle distance runner, he is always ready to run a 5K, whether on the turf or the roads. Admittedly he has tried to awaken the fast twitch muscles in the last week or so. Perhaps he will not be at peak fitness for a 5K? In addition to his cross country races, referenced in the age grading section, Westenberg took the honors at the 10 Km Masters Championship in Dedham MA with a 'no pushing' 39:19. <b>Ken Youngers</b> has been hampered by a health issue over the last 10 months or so. Despite that, he was able to finish 2nd at Cross Nationals in Richmond in January and 3rd at the 5K Championships in Atlanta in February with an 18:47. He matched that time at the fast Macon Labor Day 5K. But he was a minute faster in 2022. </span></span>Michael Lebold, another middle-distance athlete, was two minutes behind Westenberg at Club Cross in San Francisco. He has not pushed his mileage up as much as Westenberg but his training was sufficient to break 51 minutes and garner a 2nd place in the division at the 12 Km championships three weeks ago. <b>Kevin Dollard, John Blaser</b>, and <b>Reno Stirrat</b> are always ready to run a strong race and could challenge for the podium if it is their day. Nonetheless, it seems more likely that the finishing order will be Becker-Westenberg-Youngers. Westenberger had the advantage at Club Cross but Becker has enjoyed a solid training block coming into the race and is a fierce competitor on the turf. It will be fascinating to see how it turns out. A runner who can handle heat and humidity better should fare well. That suggests Youngers might have a good day.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Rick Becker David Westenberg Ken Youngers</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span>As noted above, <b>Robert Qualls</b> has been winning every national championship race he enters since summer of 2022. His two main rivals in this race are teammates, <b>Doug Bell</b> and <b>Douglas Chesnut</b>. The three met on the turf at Cross Nationals in Richmond, with Qualls enjoying the victory with a minute and a half cushion. Qualls shows no sign of slowing down. He took top honors at the masters Outdoor Championship sin the 1500 and 10,000 meters. In late August he took top honors at a hometown race, the Journal Jog 8K, at 34:25, in Reno NV. Bell and Chesnut are pretty close in ability. Bell had the edge on at Cross Nationals, 35:46 to 36:08. Chesnut had the edge in Atlanta over a hilly 5K, 20:50 to 20:54. And they finished almost in a dead heat at Indy, with Bell getting the edge, 6:10 to 6:11. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwc_LAOTPLoABQeygxyX_0PydJCClkaceGGNFiOds5T568S9GgzejwhPHe_o_JSK4PdXDmGPQSsfIYmYiLVuOZO8W92NZ_ZJLY-d0m_Vz8Ui-9wcGq4LR4DoSXr6o5KwEswcD8LlaFluJUKmZml5rimonT4wNbA6yeIHXSkrqS-q8uoPd7b8hiHAYcEOz/s689/Bell%20Et%20Al-MyersCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="530" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwc_LAOTPLoABQeygxyX_0PydJCClkaceGGNFiOds5T568S9GgzejwhPHe_o_JSK4PdXDmGPQSsfIYmYiLVuOZO8W92NZ_ZJLY-d0m_Vz8Ui-9wcGq4LR4DoSXr6o5KwEswcD8LlaFluJUKmZml5rimonT4wNbA6yeIHXSkrqS-q8uoPd7b8hiHAYcEOz/w492-h640/Bell%20Et%20Al-MyersCROP.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Bell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#601</span><b style="font-size: x-small;"> </b>leads some of the 60+ competitors around the Mechanicsville XC course at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Kirk Larson </b>is not far off. He was a minute behind Chesnut at Richmond but is probably running better now than then. He was a half-minute back in Atlanta in 21:22 and ran a very nice 44:03 to capture 2nd in the division in Dedham at the 10K Championships. At Indy, he was right with Bell and Chesnut, finishing 5th with the same 6:11 time as Chesnut. If Larson, an Atlanta runner, handles the humid heat better, he could find his way to the podium. <b>Jerry Orange,</b> my old Athletic Annex Indiana teammate, has lived in Florida now for almost a decade. In 2014 we took the 5 Km XC team championship when 60's teams needed 5 finishers for a complete team. He competed at Cross Nationals in 2019 at Tallahassee, finishing sid 4th in 65-69. Another runner who is used to the heat, he could be dangerous. <b>Eugene Myers</b>, who finished 6th in M70 at Club Cross in San Francisco and 5th at Richmond, a second ahead of Larson, would, ordinarily, be in the mix. He was cheering on his wife at the 12 Km in Highlands, sidelined by an injury. My guess is he may be back for Club Cross at Tallahassee, but this race is probably too soon. The most likely scenario seems to be Qualls-Bell-Chesnut but the weather conditions could be a wild card that jumbles things up.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Doug Bell Douglas Chesnut Robert Qualls</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Rick Katz</b> is the new kid on the block in this division and emerges as the favorite. That is especially so as <b>Dave Glass</b> is a scratch. Katz ran a good half minute faster than Glass at Richmond, finishing 8th in M70. Still in M70, Katz ran faster than Glass in the Road Mile at Indy as well. <b>Jerry Learned</b> has had an up and down last 12 months with a health issue. In October he came in 2 minutes ahead of Katz at the 5 Km Championships in Boulder. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0KZdmfJ49T495U-h0XhpLaiMwM3jyHUdNyZJecLxRgcvgEJLMo1d5aRstVbajp4-AqSFgi7M63V5S4Fspa6P3agvFKnEpmhwOj5ApUhubGQ4PdBQrtJVDAUHwy4WjQKzOEzVY1lIywz72OD2vjnpaVRWb_-S_NAtwoGKAPdwVYayf_tU4xfK35e6fS7J/s1351/Katz-Rick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1351" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0KZdmfJ49T495U-h0XhpLaiMwM3jyHUdNyZJecLxRgcvgEJLMo1d5aRstVbajp4-AqSFgi7M63V5S4Fspa6P3agvFKnEpmhwOj5ApUhubGQ4PdBQrtJVDAUHwy4WjQKzOEzVY1lIywz72OD2vjnpaVRWb_-S_NAtwoGKAPdwVYayf_tU4xfK35e6fS7J/w400-h268/Katz-Rick.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Katz </b>on his way to an 8th place finish in M70 [before moving up to M75]-at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Three months later he came in almost 4 minutes behind Katz at Richmond. After struggling through the early part of the spring, he ran much better at Dedham, where he finished in 49:59, outdueling me, <b>Paul Carlin</b>, over the last half mile to edge me by 5 seconds. That was a sign that his turnaround had begun. At Atlanta and Sacramento I had been able to pass him early in the race and finish ahead of him. At the 12 Km in Highlands, Learned did even better, clocking 58:32 to come in a minute and a half ahead of me and only 14 seconds behind his teammate, Glass. But it is worth noting that Katz came in 4 minutes ahead of me at Richmond, so being able to run with me does not mean that Learned can run with Katz. But if Learned has continued on the upswing, he could definitely give Katz a battle for the win. And again, the humid conditions favor the Atlantan over the Coloradan. With Glass out, I might have been the favorite to round off the podium. I finished 4 minutes ahead of <b>Przemek Nowicki</b> in Richmond, and 2.5 minutes ahead in Atlanta. Nowicki is an experienced cross country runner and will appreciate a relatively flat course. A late change in plans has made me a scratch; Nowicki is now the pick for third place.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The likely order of finish is: Katz-Learned-Nowicki. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Rick Katz Jerry Learned Przemek Nowicki</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Doug Goodhue</b> is the heavy favorite in this division as his recovery from knee surgery fades further back into the distance. He ran 2 minutes faster than <b>Ed Bligh</b> in Atlanta, arguably the #2 favorite, despite taking a fall. At Indy in June, Goodhue, already in the Masters Hall of Fame, ran a minute faster than Bligh in taking the 80-84 title in 7:26. In mid-September, Goodhue averaged under 8:30 per mile in winning the 12 Km Championships. And Goodhue has many top finishes n the turf. He finished 2nd in M75 at the Lehigh Club Cross Championships, outrunning many a younger athlete, in 2019. In 2018 Goodhue took the 75-79 win at the 5 km Masters XC in Buffalo with a 4-minute cushion. Two months later he took the 75-79 win at the Spokane Club Cross Championships with over 6 minutes to spare. Bligh, who finished 2nd in Richmond and 2nd in Atlanta in 28:30, recorded an 8:27 Road Mile in Indy. That suggests that <b>Robert O'Rourke</b> can give Bligh a battle for the silver medal. O'Rourke ran 28:41 in the Captain Zinn Memorial 5K on August 12th. That was probably not as challenging a course as the one in Atlanta, but it suggests he is not far off. And he may have a bit more raw speed than Bligh, which can come in handy in a 5 Km XC race. O'Rourke clocked 7:42 at the Big Bang Mile in New Jersey, 45 seconds faster than Bligh's race in Indy. Still, O'Rourke has to show that he can outrun Bligh. If <b>George Gilder</b> were enjoying the same fitness that he did in 2022, he would be the likely candidate for 2nd place. That year he won the 10Km 80-84 Championship in 58:03.This year he ran almost three minutes slower in finishing 3rd. It will be interesting to see if the April 10K was an anomaly and Gilder is in shape to challenge for the podium. <b>Stan Edelson </b>could also make some noise. He finished 2nd of 4 at the 5Km XC in Boulder last October and, a year before, enjoyed an 80-84 win at the 5 Km XC at Boston over a strong field of 8, including Bill Borla and Roland Cormier (not entered here). It seems the most likely outcome is Goodhue-Bligh-O'Rourke, but we will need to run the race!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Ed Bligh Doug Goodhue Robert O'Rourke</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><span><b>Adrian Craven </b>who has the 2023 85-89 Masters Grand Prix all locked up, will take this championship unopposed. He just needs to finish.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">90-94 </span><span><b>Eric Seiff</b>, the oldest entrant, at 90 years of age, has no rivals. If he makes it to the starting line, no mean feat at 90, and finishes, he has the 90-94 championship. He would be, if I recall correctly, our first 90-94 male champion this year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">WO</span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span>If <b>Angela Giuliani</b>'s heel bursitis allows her to run at close to full speed, she should be able to take the win. She finished 3rd in the division at Indy in 5:26 after almost deciding not to run due to the heel acting up during warmups. She apparently ran a 19:37 5K on September 9th. Her mile time suggest she could run under 19:00 if all is well. In 2022, <b>Samantha Gerrits</b> ran three 5K's ranging from 19:42 to 20:58. She ran a 20:24 this past May. That suggests she is in line for 2nd, or 1st if Giuliani is unable to run at full speed. <b>Alex Dietrich</b>, a sometimes race walker who prefers the middle distances for her track races, ran 24:15 for the 5000 meters at the Masters Outdoor Championships this past July. The only race result I can find for <b>Lorinda</b> <b>King</b> is a 40-minute 5K. Most likely it will be Giuliani-Gerrits-Dietrich in that order.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Alex Dietrich Samantha Gerrits Angela Giuliani</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><span><b>Jennifer Sober</b> and <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> were considered in the Overall Championships section above. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJtDDbREvr5UD1qqS_e_QoIR51BZbAmAPvUm3kGe8dS-KsEgV5MOJfKt-K21iyGhrrRFwl0OUbI_FK0v7d4KtQM831qdKqvTfiAw1FDUD50RNUiVB79illgfQBSKIschay9kQ5sar0lFTK-xig63QG529WGaWB1JWPN8vbHwqmvKkclpi4SUk9i3RRV1L/s960/Sober%20&%20Friend-Uhl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJtDDbREvr5UD1qqS_e_QoIR51BZbAmAPvUm3kGe8dS-KsEgV5MOJfKt-K21iyGhrrRFwl0OUbI_FK0v7d4KtQM831qdKqvTfiAw1FDUD50RNUiVB79illgfQBSKIschay9kQ5sar0lFTK-xig63QG529WGaWB1JWPN8vbHwqmvKkclpi4SUk9i3RRV1L/w400-h400/Sober%20&%20Friend-Uhl.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two 5000 Meter Winners from the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships- Client and Coach-<b>Jennifer Johnson Sober </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">L</span> and <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">R</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>Based on that discussion it appears it should be Sober and Josiah-Tanner going 1-2. <b>Karyn Baig</b>, who finished 3rd in the 45-49 division at the 12Km Championships in 52:53, looks good for 3rd. In the summer of 2022, her 5K times ranged from 20:49 to 21:53. <b>Alicia Eno</b> and <b>Hiroko Guarneri</b> ran 22:38 and 22:50, respectively, in Atlanta; they can certainly push Baig for the podium. <b>Alicia Martinez</b> appears to be a track athlete who prefers the middle distances and the 800 meters in particular. It will be interesting to see if she can stay with some of the leaders in the race. If so, she might have an edge at the finish. The most likely order seems to be Sober/Josiah-Tanner/Baig.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Karyn Baig Euleen Josiah-Tanner Jennifer Sober</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><span>See the Overall Championships section for consideration of <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b>. She should take the win in this division with plenty to spare. <b>Amy Bonnerot </b>and <b>Cassandra Crane</b> are more closely matched. Crane has more recent experience in Cross Country at the national level, finishing 32nd (of 41) at Club Cross in San Francisco and 8th (of 10) at Cross Nationals in Richmond. Bonnerot has a slight edge on the roads. Her 1:41:02, at the Philadelphia Distance Run HM last month, compares favorably with Crane's 1:42:57 at the Grand Island HM. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnAouswrQ9X4ozOGfs4KXA5wmGPg7SWYnKj2EtRFzcdx9hFxRbvOiJUSTW-qfgciZVuH9sRgLRe9iWn_MGuSfwG-0GTHJXMCRaSxdvMLyVbie-KCzvKgtWojR9SP-9rMx4sDZGHSGsMzF_2dYEZCWtuJYHA3wPNh5bbuBKQiIoockEqjLkOWc_dBRlnN_/s433/Crane_CassandraCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="307" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnAouswrQ9X4ozOGfs4KXA5wmGPg7SWYnKj2EtRFzcdx9hFxRbvOiJUSTW-qfgciZVuH9sRgLRe9iWn_MGuSfwG-0GTHJXMCRaSxdvMLyVbie-KCzvKgtWojR9SP-9rMx4sDZGHSGsMzF_2dYEZCWtuJYHA3wPNh5bbuBKQiIoockEqjLkOWc_dBRlnN_/w284-h400/Crane_CassandraCROP.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cassandra Crane</b> finishing off a fine run on a moist day at the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Pam Fales</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>Bonnerot's 45:55 10K in August is a bit faster than Crane's 46:17 at the 10 Km national championships in April. Given the closeness of the times and Crane's greater experience at national championships on both the turf and the roads, I will go with Crane over Bonnerot but it should be a duel worth watching. The most likely order seems to be: Friend-Uhl/Crane/Bonnerot.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Amy Bonnerot Cassandra Crane Sonja Friend-Uhl</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><span><b>Brenda Osovski</b> looks to be the favorite. Her 46:09 at the Masters 10 Km Championships is ten minutes faster than <b>Lori Mangual</b>'s best 10K. Mangual's 5K's in 2022 ranged from 26:07 to 28:39. That compares favorably to <b>Valerie Silver's</b> 5K's ranging from 29:26 to 30:36. Mangual also appears to have more recent experience with Cross Country at the USATF-Long Island level. Osovski competed at both Club Cross in San Francisco and Cross Nationals in Richmond this GP season. Osovski-Mangual-Silver is the expected order of finish.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Lori Mangual Brenda Osovski Valerie Silver</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><span>This is one the most competitive division in the championship. </span><b>Mary Cass </b>had been winning all of the championships she entered in this division for the last year, until La Burt aged up from 55-59. It is likely that it will be <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> leading the way in this championship. Cass will give her a strong challenge. Among the others, <b>Suzanne Cordes</b> probably has a slight edge over <b>Mireille 'Mimi' Silva</b>. Cordes ran at both San Francisco and Richmond, trailing Cass in San Francisco by 1:13, and La Burt in Richmond by 2:07. That seems to line up with the 10K and 12K results on the roads where La Burt had the edge by 34 and 49 seconds respectively. Cordes and Silva both competed at Tallahassee Clubs in 2021; Cordes came in well ahead of Silva. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAcLdfnCtqB88ABHk15ckSxQGAZOisY1FXNlJRv5HVo1nHwwnDcosDHZ-vjo7L5PlEiLzIFCIQC0h2XvZBvWHLDH4l-s5LtmqPNWUAZoyoO_mjJ24jojLlu8DNJ1OkFAFsA6xNuM5OpxjyuoafJTVwVZIlWLp2H6wL9VZoVSbLRFcwkT_zzaosSTV3_tE/s839/Cordes-end%20of%201st%20loop-Simmons%20Cropped%20Out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="739" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAcLdfnCtqB88ABHk15ckSxQGAZOisY1FXNlJRv5HVo1nHwwnDcosDHZ-vjo7L5PlEiLzIFCIQC0h2XvZBvWHLDH4l-s5LtmqPNWUAZoyoO_mjJ24jojLlu8DNJ1OkFAFsA6xNuM5OpxjyuoafJTVwVZIlWLp2H6wL9VZoVSbLRFcwkT_zzaosSTV3_tE/w564-h640/Cordes-end%20of%201st%20loop-Simmons%20Cropped%20Out.jpg" width="564" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne Cordes </b>leading two of her rivals at the 2021 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michale Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That suggests a finishing order of La Burt-Cass-Cordes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Mary Cass Suzanne Cordes Suzanne La Burt</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><span><b>Patrice Combs</b> appears to be back atop this division after a pause in her participation in national championships. At the age of 59, she finished 6th in the 2016 Cross Nationals in Tallahassee. Three years later she finished 7th (of 40) at the highly competitive 2019 Club Cross Championships at Lehigh. Earlier that same year she took 1st place in 60-64 at the 5K, 8K and 15K and netted silver medals at the 1 Mile and 10K championships. This year she has taken first place at the 5Km championships and won her age group at Peachtree with a stunning 44:14. K<b>itty Musante</b> will push her for the win but finished a minute back from Combs in Atlanta. <b>Jan Tefft</b>, out of Arizona, and <b>Cindy Williams</b>, out of Atlanta look to be closely matched. Williams finished 3rd in Atlanta in 24:55. Tefft answers with a 24:32 5K this August 15th. And Tefft also has a 23:55 at the 'World's Fastest 5K', Carlsbad. Williams counters with the results from Peachtree, where they both ran; Williams came in almost a full minute ahead of Tefft. One could argue that home curse advantage played a role. Williams has much more experience at national championships. That is doubly so for Cross Country national championships, where I find no recent results for Tefft. Wiliams, on the other hand, finished 10th (of 20) in this division at Club Cross Country in San Francisco, and 5th (of 20) at the 5 km XC in Boulder. Those are just two most recent cross country championships in a long string over the past decade. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikscqjRzVHdh5DSWY0bOytf9_HIyWeWw3OCvTv1is9GXpZS33DwyI5B1zzj5mVPDlWU_zAOvfzBAaPpUL2oUPr9-sHKOENZnLMSKNNt7sruYCPsYUyBnDa8IRzf7c1MEBH4_mw326UL3U3ccs0kty3fEzZQhx5H9HUlKBJq9flepjD7XY2oRxY389iVb5M/s282/Williams-Start-Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikscqjRzVHdh5DSWY0bOytf9_HIyWeWw3OCvTv1is9GXpZS33DwyI5B1zzj5mVPDlWU_zAOvfzBAaPpUL2oUPr9-sHKOENZnLMSKNNt7sruYCPsYUyBnDa8IRzf7c1MEBH4_mw326UL3U3ccs0kty3fEzZQhx5H9HUlKBJq9flepjD7XY2oRxY389iVb5M/w377-h400/Williams-Start-Crop.jpg" width="377" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cindy Williams </b>racing at the 2019 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>For that reason and the Peachtree results, I suggest that Williams has a slight edge. Again that is a race within the race that is worth keeping an eye on. Taking all that in, it looks like Combs-Musante-Willams. But Tefft will certainly make a strong run for the podium.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><i><b>Patrice Combs Kitty Musante Cindy Williams</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><span><b>Jeanette Groesz</b> should take this division. She is very tough on the cross country turf. She has won her division at the last two Club Cross Country championships, in Tallahassee in 2021 and San Francisco in 2022 under very different conditions. She also went into altitude at Boulder last year and took 2nd, losing to the only 70-74 year old who is likely to beat her at Cross Country, her teammate, <b>Sabra Harvey</b> (not entered here). <b>Victoria Crisp</b> could push her in the race. Crisp won the 65-69 division in the 5Km Championships in Atlanta in 2019 in 23:14. Groesz finished 2nd in Atlanta this year in 70-74, a half minute slower. But if one applies the age grading formula to age up Crisp's 2019 result to 2023, it comes out to a 24:33. Her most recent 5K, a 24:25 at the Delray beach Turkey Trot in 2021 reinforces that projection. <b>Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall</b> finished 3rd in Atlanta this year off a 27:30. <b>Cande Olsen </b>finished almost three minutes behind Hudnall in Atlanta this year. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCuxq7eRnbfsy9ySzS8ItsH9oQFtZ1DtIifKZm_W5DmeI3UAy18xgvVxQs_KD4KztTbJvVb-EmwOhVUeqfxYg5_At9ijCw4VaZyLwH6iu_2kn00odbSWboUsb217k-a3o5TdJ2FzdgxgFrP1j2vnOYl7ezY816tXPejKoOrGQMC0WiuWE18ttUim2D9rI/s1356/Groesz_Jeanette-4th_ageGrading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1356" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCuxq7eRnbfsy9ySzS8ItsH9oQFtZ1DtIifKZm_W5DmeI3UAy18xgvVxQs_KD4KztTbJvVb-EmwOhVUeqfxYg5_At9ijCw4VaZyLwH6iu_2kn00odbSWboUsb217k-a3o5TdJ2FzdgxgFrP1j2vnOYl7ezY816tXPejKoOrGQMC0WiuWE18ttUim2D9rI/w400-h266/Groesz_Jeanette-4th_ageGrading.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeanette Groesz</b> on her way to a Top Five Overall Age Grading Score at the 2019 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span>But she was able to finish 52 seconds ahead of Hudnall at the 2021 Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee. That suggests the Cross Country terrain may work in Olsen's favor. Still, that is a large difference in the more recent 5K </span>meeting. It looks like a finishing order of Groesz-Crisp-Hudnall may be in order.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Victoria Crisp Jeanette Groesz Norma Hudnall</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><b>Sharon Gerl</b> and <b>Andrea McCarter</b> are entered in this division race. Gerl is a newly minted 75 year old, and has run much faster than McCarter on a consistent basis. An example is the 1:26 and change 10 Miler Gerl ran in Sacramento in April compared with a 1:31:26 10K that McCarter ran on Labor Day. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9dCxfyyFNm0NZ6PEzJaatG8V9AO8J7fq67cGUHKG1sg0CT8IWgynNJqCxBWpFYRWh16XdGYonVaYDBgTgu31Kxi4vI7DBrh_9LB-rmWZJB-hPqCGy6bSmgwX4KjPQsI-U6x0njAvZyQ0tK1gZWtp-OhxYCjPCK70v_v6qw8VPpHgo4GL6z4AVjixIC73/s1356/Gerl_Sharon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1356" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9dCxfyyFNm0NZ6PEzJaatG8V9AO8J7fq67cGUHKG1sg0CT8IWgynNJqCxBWpFYRWh16XdGYonVaYDBgTgu31Kxi4vI7DBrh_9LB-rmWZJB-hPqCGy6bSmgwX4KjPQsI-U6x0njAvZyQ0tK1gZWtp-OhxYCjPCK70v_v6qw8VPpHgo4GL6z4AVjixIC73/w400-h266/Gerl_Sharon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sharon Gerl</b> navigates the Tallahassee Cross Country course in 2019 as she anchors her Red Lizard team to a 70+ Win <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Michael Scott</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The finishing order should be Gerl-McCarter.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Top contenders for the podium in alphabetical order:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b>Sharon Gerl Andrea McCarter</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Marie-Louise Michelsohn</b> is the sole entrant in this division. It appears she is new to national championships. She has competed in triathlons and ran her 5K's in the summer of 2022, in the range from 36:15 to 39:10. She needs to finish the race to earn the championship.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89</span> <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> has, in contrast, been very active in national championships this year and has won the 2023 85-89 Grand Prix. She has won championship races this year from the 1 Mile to the 10 Mile and also took top honors in the 6 km race at Cross Country nationals in Richmond. She, too, need only finish the race to again be our oldest Gold medalist at a Women's national championship.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><b><span style="font-size: medium;">TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS</span> </b>Not many teams have made the trip to Boca. Nonetheless there will be some interesting contests. The analysis is based on declared teams as of the end of registration and, in one case, an intent to move an already registered runner onto a team during packet pickup.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">WO</span><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 40+ </span><span>It is <i>Atlanta</i> vs. <i>Shore</i>. It appears Atlanta will have a slightly tighter pack overall, despite La Burt leading off for Shore with an almost certain win. If Baig can come in ahead of both Eno and Guarneri, it could make a huge difference. But with only two teams in the division and scoring by place, not time, it will be close. If Eno and Guarneri beat Baig, it goes the other way. If my 45-49 analysis is right, it seems this could go to Shore.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span>Prediction: <i><b>Shore AC Atlanta Track Club</b></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">50+ </span><span>The <i>Genesee Valley Harriers</i> are unopposed. As long as all three of their athletes finish, they not only take first in the 5 Km Cross Country competition, they win the 50+ Women's Grand prix title for 2023.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span>Prediction: <b><i>GVH</i></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span><span>The <i>Atlanta Track Club</i> will take this championship unopposed.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span>Prediction: <b><i>Atlanta Track Club</i></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span><span><i>Team Red Lizard</i>, out of Oregon, enter as the strong favorites. If all three athletes run well, it will be no contest. Groesz and Gerl should go 1-2, with a potential duel between the <i>Atlanta Track Club's </i>Hudnall and Olsen determining whether Red Lizard goes 1-2-3 or 1-2-4. Either way, barring something unexpected, this one should go to Team red Lizard, allowing them to win the 2023 Grand Prix along with the 70+ Team gold medals in this competition.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span>Prediction: <b><i>Team Red Lizard Atlanta Track Club</i></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 40+ </span>Assuming <b>Ryan Stevens</b> gets moved onto <i>Team Run Flagstaff's </i>declared list of runners at packet pickup, this division goes, unopposed, to TRF, out of Flagstaff AZ. They defend their 2022 title won at altitude in Boulder CO.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Prediction: <b><i>Team Run Flagstaff</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50+ </span>Itis <i>Atlanta</i> out of Georgia against <i>Shore AC</i> out of New Jersey once again. This time Bell and Fields should go 1-2 and even if Conston should beat Dolan, it does not appear that anyone else on Shore's team should.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Prediction: <b><i>Atlanta Track Club Shore AC</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span>It is <i>Ann Arbor Track Club</i> vs. the <i>Atlanta </i><i>Track Club</i>. <b>Steve Schmidt</b> should take first for Ann Arbor. But after that it is likely that Becker, Dragstedt and Youngers will take 2-3-4 for the win. <i>Ann Arbor </i>will happily celebrate winding up on the 2023 Grand Prix podium<i>. Atlanta </i>will also have a Grand Prix podium to celebrate, in their case, first place.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Prediction: <b><i>Atlanta Track Club Ann Arbor Track Club</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span>In this 3-way contest involving <i>Atlanta, Boulder</i>, and <i>Shore</i>, it is pretty clear cut. Bell and Chesnut should go 1-2 in the team competition. Larson may be able to beat Katz and Kirschner. If Learned could also beat them both, the final score would be closer. But Boulder would still take the win. Shore does not measure up to those two strong teams but, if everyone runs well, they will wind up on the podium nonetheless.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Prediction: <b><i>Boulder Road Runners Atlanta Track Club Shore Athletic Club</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80+ </span>The <i>Atlanta Track Club</i> is the sole entrant. They will likely take care of business as they usually do, and go home with the Gold medals for the win.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Prediction: <b><i>Atlanta Track Club </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That is it for the preview. It will be interesting to see if the warm, humid conditions have a major or a minor effect on the outcomes. Let the races determine the Champions!</p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-89133823917718213222023-10-04T17:05:00.001-04:002023-10-04T17:05:13.293-04:00Masters Athletes at the Last Three Major Marathons –Chicago 2022, New York 2022, Boston 2023As we head into the fall Marathon season, let us look back at the last three Abbot World majors in the United States in terms of top Masters runners. For marathoners, the three Majors, Boston, Chicago and New York have been the races of choice. Other races like Houston and L.A., especially with marathoners in the west, have their moments. But year in, year out, thousands of Masters Marathoners have their sights set on competing in one of those three venues. They outpulled the USATF Masters Marathon Championship when that was an annual event. With no Masters Marathon championship held since 2016, their luster is shinier than ever for top Masters distance runners. <div><br /></div><div>How have American Masters athletes done in the last three races, in chronological order? <span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: These three marathons attract a large contingent of elite international Masters athletes. In the data below following each athlete, their age division place, including the international athletes, is in brackets following their time. The age grading score, the PLP, is given last. If it is considered a ‘World Class’ performance, 90% or above, it is bold, with enlarged font; upper national class at 85% gets only the enlarged font. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>CHICAGO October 9, 2022.</b> Chicago is generally considered the fastest of the three courses. It is the flattest with a -0.05 meter/km drop; the finish is 2 meters higher than the start. That compares to a drop of 0.12 m/km for New York and 3.27 m/km for Boston. But Chicago has fewer hills. The elevation gains reported on Strava by <b>Rick Lee</b>, who ran all three, are: Chicago 272 feet; NYC 896 feet; and Boston 863 feet. The worry with Chicago is that in early October it can often be too warm. That was not the case in 2022 though. It was upper 40’s at the start and 60’s at the finish, under fair skies with 7-14 mph winds. </div><div>MEN The top three Masters finishers were all from <span style="font-size: medium;">40-44</span> <b>Prescott Leach</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:19:57 [1] 40 Waltham MA 89.65% age grade</span>, a newly minted Masters athlete, was the best of the bunch, covering the 1st 5K, of the 42.195K in the marathon, in 16:30 and keeping his 5K splits under 17 until his last full 5K. <b>Ryan Smith</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:28:06 [6] 40-44 Boulder CO 84.72%+</span> led <b>Christopher Antunes</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:28:38 [7] 41 Winchester MA 85.05</span> by 2:20 at the 30K mark. By 40K, Antunes had closed to within 1:04; he took another 32 seconds out of Smith’s lead but ran out of racecourse. Smith was the 2nd American finisher with Antunes third. That was pretty impressive work for what was, apparently, Antunes's first marathon. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e8gRQu4hI4SaidgUOqEIly_xdGGLr1Tgc39djea7YU6tF7D1LMS0OfaPPvBXP3yemhQ4KASZFFAIrP9jTeT4HvyDln2MZ4cNq7RJKR91rZeLvTTRF2ceQN8PQVvJrXnrxC7WXRRNr9qcVTzaNjEb_1gqgDmnWQYu-_Vwc-KGZbrI7XrkHnfDqEsuQf1B/s1599/Christopher%20Antunes-posted%20on%20Strava.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e8gRQu4hI4SaidgUOqEIly_xdGGLr1Tgc39djea7YU6tF7D1LMS0OfaPPvBXP3yemhQ4KASZFFAIrP9jTeT4HvyDln2MZ4cNq7RJKR91rZeLvTTRF2ceQN8PQVvJrXnrxC7WXRRNr9qcVTzaNjEb_1gqgDmnWQYu-_Vwc-KGZbrI7XrkHnfDqEsuQf1B/w300-h400/Christopher%20Antunes-posted%20on%20Strava.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Antunes and a future marathoner at Packet Pickup before an Epic 1st marathon <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by C Antunes on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Top Americans in the other divisions included: <span style="font-size: medium;">45-49</span> <b>Gabriel Kliot</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:29:42 [1] 45 Redmond WA 87.27</span> was 1:21 slower than <b>Guillermo Pineda Morales</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2:31:32 [2] 49 Ridgewood NJ 89.20</span> to the halfway mark but rallied and took the lead before the 35K mat; </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrwNhELZ-mUNeS5TUsp7YWlxpuILicCa5HQ52Qc8aBLLXakhTkeL58vXc9511YXJ-1cP0t0FCocth899h0AxVitBkQ52O6f5Ck3eEiVzdiGLa9riQFp-5ztFGUy4DdqTQJjJqz5TgQCrgAbouNpVN4p6ZOB6vwxmDHkTIJdnp4PGX4mGB3Uu6mkZJvtZM/s1019/Gabriel%20Kliot-posted%20on%20Strava.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1019" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrwNhELZ-mUNeS5TUsp7YWlxpuILicCa5HQ52Qc8aBLLXakhTkeL58vXc9511YXJ-1cP0t0FCocth899h0AxVitBkQ52O6f5Ck3eEiVzdiGLa9riQFp-5ztFGUy4DdqTQJjJqz5TgQCrgAbouNpVN4p6ZOB6vwxmDHkTIJdnp4PGX4mGB3Uu6mkZJvtZM/w400-h349/Gabriel%20Kliot-posted%20on%20Strava.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gabriel Kliot</b> on his way to a 45-49 Win at the 2022 Chicago Marathon <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by G Kliot on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54</span> <b>Ken Rideout</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:29:53 [2] 51 Brentwood TN 91.76</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span> <b>Jeff Mescal</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:48:26 [4] 57 Hebron IN 86.21</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Timothy DeGrado</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:58:22 [2] 61 Arvada CO 84.54</span> and <b>Rick Lee</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2:59:34 [3] 61 Bayville NJ 83.98</span> are friendly rivals on the Masters National Grand Prix circuit, running for the Boulder Road Runners and Shore Athletic Club respectively. They decided to try for the 60-64 Marathon Record of 2:42:42, set by <b>Brian Pilcher</b> six years earlier. Running together they were on record pace through the 10K, which they passed at 38:29. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchgsJmA9hV0ib_rDC9AdLY3uWi_atAcQawfWzIEjI1HWz_p0ZiTf5vq3LUffV3ZRVEVC-QpQDX57Wp2lGKEa3GcsoQe9HCrs_oVjQoepdi4BZT3KMOOcktd6RLwVj7ol9JMe1XOWd8BnRMBBYwVIPlBv8LT4aA4VdQ_NxqruFgH_1ACn2bhwcVgNfVmLk/s800/Rick%20Lee-posted%20on%20Strava-credit%20L%20Delea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchgsJmA9hV0ib_rDC9AdLY3uWi_atAcQawfWzIEjI1HWz_p0ZiTf5vq3LUffV3ZRVEVC-QpQDX57Wp2lGKEa3GcsoQe9HCrs_oVjQoepdi4BZT3KMOOcktd6RLwVj7ol9JMe1XOWd8BnRMBBYwVIPlBv8LT4aA4VdQ_NxqruFgH_1ACn2bhwcVgNfVmLk/w360-h400/Rick%20Lee-posted%20on%20Strava-credit%20L%20Delea.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee </b>giving a thumbs up to <b>Laura Delea, </b>a supporter, at Mile 11 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by L Delea, posted by R Lee on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>DeGrado fell back after that. By the halfway mark, Lee was 23 seconds behind record pace and 51 seconds ahead of DeGrado. They both soldiered on, but the early pace left them spent. DeGrado caught and passed Lee in the final 2 kilometers; <span style="font-size: medium;">65-69</span> <b>Robert Mason</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:22:02 [8] 67 Wilmington DE 79.23</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">70-74</span> <b>David Mart</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:34:21 [2] 70 Haymarket VA 77.05</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">75-79</span> <b>Lawrence Blackman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:08:45 [2] 78 Denver CO 74.93</span>; 80+ <b>Jim Harman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">5:58:18 [1] 80 Crest Hill, IL 54.37</span>. </div><div>WOMEN Once again, the top three American Masters overall came from <span style="font-size: medium;">40-44</span> <b>Meriah Earle</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:38:39 [2] 44 Escondido CA 89.12</span> had no problem, hitting the 10K in 37:12 and the half in 1:18:42 on her way to besting all other American Masters by 13 minutes. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcabA-ftP17WiuSb_A5KjKIqhFckN4euUe2DOk0hy0AEpboZ_bEaAdH_a3jWXjSt4MsNJ281WccUANnsW6N1-R23a8ZjajFNsNibVIgzLmjhYMV2EkMcYxvrjbZYuE6Uq7fFxy0mYq3J4d0D2Kj-nnZINamFGei9xOlCxXaq7lItb85AS11uNRcraU0Oq/s960/Meriah%20Earle%20Winning%20Carlsbad%205000%20in%20April%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcabA-ftP17WiuSb_A5KjKIqhFckN4euUe2DOk0hy0AEpboZ_bEaAdH_a3jWXjSt4MsNJ281WccUANnsW6N1-R23a8ZjajFNsNibVIgzLmjhYMV2EkMcYxvrjbZYuE6Uq7fFxy0mYq3J4d0D2Kj-nnZINamFGei9xOlCxXaq7lItb85AS11uNRcraU0Oq/w400-h300/Meriah%20Earle%20Winning%20Carlsbad%205000%20in%20April%202023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Meriah Earle</b> winning the 2023 Carlsbad 5000 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by M Earle on Facebook</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>It would have been closer had <b>Natasha Bliss</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:51:53 [5] 41 La Mesa CA 80.39</span> not run the London Marathon in 2:43:28 the week before. As it was, Bliss started out conservatively, ran a negative split and edged <b>Jennifer Bigham</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:51:56 [6] 41 Pittsburgh PA 80.37</span> for 2nd American Masters. Bigham took it out hard, was almost 5 minutes ahead of Bliss at the halfway point but paid the price with a tough last 10K; <span style="font-size: medium;">45-49</span> <b>Sara Girotto</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2:55:08 [2] 46 Wynnewood PA 82.31</span>, on her way to winning the 45-49 2022 USATF Masters Grand Prix, took the title of first <span style="font-size: medium;">45-49</span> American Master at Chicago; </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLg8TeBXqquAyd3TWwsIrwIc3sxpC5counW3cJ6IVg0Kpe3OHCvs9aU77oWS-XJb9i23LjYXxZ2aE0PP0dgqbBapawXiyqJS-eZnxPMBSDK3lfP5j9BxQAc55_j1ja8TFauBBabLmgAg8RP2nrZRxRC4JcDGZ5gJDTV8isEFbB62jkq13Js75nY3700h-/s960/Sara%20Girotto%20&%20Steve%20hranilovich-Coach-Chicago.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLg8TeBXqquAyd3TWwsIrwIc3sxpC5counW3cJ6IVg0Kpe3OHCvs9aU77oWS-XJb9i23LjYXxZ2aE0PP0dgqbBapawXiyqJS-eZnxPMBSDK3lfP5j9BxQAc55_j1ja8TFauBBabLmgAg8RP2nrZRxRC4JcDGZ5gJDTV8isEFbB62jkq13Js75nY3700h-/w400-h400/Sara%20Girotto%20&%20Steve%20hranilovich-Coach-Chicago.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sara Girotto</b> and her coach, <b>Steve Hranilovich</b> sporting their Chicago Marathon medals <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo posted by S Girotto on Facebook</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54</span> <b>Mary Pardi</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:02:43 [1] 52 Falmouth ME 84.81</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span> <b>Hong Wang</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:15:50 [3] 55-59 W Lafayettte IN 82.29+</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">60-64</span> <b>Sandra Petrovskis </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">3:35:31 [4] 62+ Grand Rapids MI 82.45+</span> ran the Berlin Marathon two weeks before this race but ran 8 minutes faster in Chicago; <span style="font-size: medium;">65-69</span> <b>Grace Wasielewski</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:34:31 [2] 69 Prospect Heights IL 92.32</span>; 70-74 <b>Sharon Vaughn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:08:16 [2] 70 Austin TX 81.08</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">75-79</span> <b>Nancy Rollins</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:22:21 [2] 75 Evanston IL 83.73</span>;<span style="font-size: medium;"> 80+</span> <b>Mary Ann Bosky</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">6:51:09 [2] 81 Spokane WA 62.15</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Top three Age-Grading PLP's for Chicago: </div><div>MEN <b><i>Ken Rideout</i></b><b> </b>51 91.76%%; <b><i>Prescott Leach</i></b><b> </b>40 89.65%; <b><i>Guillermo Piñeda Morales</i></b> 49 89.20%</div><div>WOMEN <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leslie Cohen </i>66 87.21%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Locky Trachsel</i> 54 87.07%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Roberta Groner</i> 44 86.69% </div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>NEW YORK November 9, 2022</b>. Upper 60’s temperatures at the start and low to mid-70’s at finish. Dewpoint 61-62 range. Mostly cloudy skies with 6-10 mph southerly winds. Runners would be advised to be careful, hydrate well, and adjust pace if necessary. Times were generally slower than Chicago. The course is always harder, and the weather was, in a rare year, hotter. </div><div>WOMEN The Overall Masters winner was <b>Edna Kiplagat</b>, 42, from Kenya, out of the elite field, in 2:24:16. The top three American Masters were <span style="font-size: medium;">40-44</span> <b>Roberta Groner</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:43:06 [2] 44 Ledgewood NJ 86.69%</span>; <b>Jesssica Hruska</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:54:32 [4] 42 Dubuque IA 79.73</span>; <b>Ana Cabrera</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:57:11 [6] 40 Tarrytown NY 77.51</span>. No Americans challenged Groner, the first American Woman at the Doha World Championships Marathon; they all did a good job of dialing back their planned race pace. </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDF86ojs7SD0Ez2avtul33NPYEiB_bfjihSiNysduRxfAE5zoLXMfuaqowe78xt7pbdOLlmYUrc922cLGM-yRFcdrooX2L7qfCd3tmQ2kT_pwDcB-T1DIkBjs6eudm2aVAJcaVepeWf7O_v5dcUFq7fw8VbhvskyyMcg0VFdpOl9ebFGVrV4CxaLBrU9SY/s2048/Roberta%20Groner%20breaks%20the%20tape-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDF86ojs7SD0Ez2avtul33NPYEiB_bfjihSiNysduRxfAE5zoLXMfuaqowe78xt7pbdOLlmYUrc922cLGM-yRFcdrooX2L7qfCd3tmQ2kT_pwDcB-T1DIkBjs6eudm2aVAJcaVepeWf7O_v5dcUFq7fw8VbhvskyyMcg0VFdpOl9ebFGVrV4CxaLBrU9SY/w400-h266/Roberta%20Groner%20breaks%20the%20tape-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roberta Groner </b>breaks the tape to take the victory at the 2021 USATF Masters 12 Km Championship in Highlands NJ<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Cabrera and Hruska, on her way to the 2022 40-44 USATF Masters Grand Prix title, had to sort out their finishing order and contend with <b>Lisa Roberts</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:57:53 [7] 43 Charlotte NC 78.82</span>. Cabrera took it out the fastest; by the 10 K mark, Cabrera had a half minute on Roberts and nearly a full minute on Hruska. At the halfway point, Cabrera had over 1:30 on Roberts and over 2 minutes on Hruska. But the back half was where Hruska’s conservative strategy started paying off. By the 30K mark, Hruska had caught and passed Roberts and cut a minute out of Cabrera’s lead. Hruska caught Cabrera before the 35K mark and pulled away to take 2nd American Masters by more than 2 minutes. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiemEdxjaP3mzMEHx4yi4h-sqZfUB-qVvBYveoNEO5mSaD4VM44E_IFWoOEbjBLhPANZOD9WKaMjWxTQpiID8_gN6W4Hth4zhjFTqrK3PtnkrZYQl35DIihHjebCXHR8MFaq9c6jfFhsMqL54h1NTu_JcQgrhWYBYeBlf3BSCTcMSK42GaTsw0nSgjzkQ/s2061/Hruska%20WinsCROP-ATC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2061" data-original-width="1785" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiemEdxjaP3mzMEHx4yi4h-sqZfUB-qVvBYveoNEO5mSaD4VM44E_IFWoOEbjBLhPANZOD9WKaMjWxTQpiID8_gN6W4Hth4zhjFTqrK3PtnkrZYQl35DIihHjebCXHR8MFaq9c6jfFhsMqL54h1NTu_JcQgrhWYBYeBlf3BSCTcMSK42GaTsw0nSgjzkQ/w346-h400/Hruska%20WinsCROP-ATC.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jessica Hruska </b>winning the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Overall Championship in Atlanta GA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Atlanta Track Club</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Roberts closed on Cabrera over the last 5 kilometers but never got within a half-minute. Groner was never close to being challenged for first American Masters finisher.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Top Americans in the other divisions included: <span style="font-size: medium;">45-49</span> <b>Vivien Lim</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:06:19 [3] 49 Great Neck NY 80.11</span>, the defending champion, had to contend with <b>Iris Klein</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:06:49 [4]</span> and <b>Erica Dottin</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 3:07:00 [5]</span>. Dottin led the way with Klein 2nd and Lim 3rd. Dottin was 3 minutes faster than Klein to the halfway mark and 4 minutes faster than Lim. The conservative strategy also paid off in this division. Lim passed Klein at 38K and led Klein past Dottin in the last 2 kilometers as they finished 1-2-3 in that order; <span style="font-size: medium;">50-54</span> <b>Locky Trachsel</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:02:40 [1] 54 New York NY 87.07</span>, the 2-time defending division champion; <span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span> <b>Sunny Jiang</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:13:24 [1] 55 Irvine CA 83.32</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">60-64</span> <b>Karen Reilly</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 3:37:25 [2] 60 San Diego CA 79.40</span>. Even experienced marathoners like <b>Doreen McCoubrie</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:38:28 [3]</span> can run into trouble on hot days. McCoubrie led Reilly by 5:24 at the halfway point, and by almost 5 minutes at 30K. Reilly chipped away as McCoubrie slowed, passing her in the final 2 kilometers for the win; <span style="font-size: medium;">65-69</span> <b>Leslie Cohen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:36:27 [1] 66 Santa Monica CA 87.21</span>, defending champion, knew her pace; Cohen’s 5K’s were close to 25 minutes for the 1st through the 5th. When her pace slowed after that, it did not slow much; she reeled in <b>Abbie Wade</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:36:43</span>, who ran into trouble after 20K, recovered partially over the next 5K, and then slowed a lot. Marathons are unforgiving. <span style="font-size: medium;">70-74</span> <b>Joan Gerold</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:06:43 [1] 73 Stony Brook NY 85.87</span> matched her 2015 win; <b>Liz Burger </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:08:02 [2] 75 Long Beach CA 71.31</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">80-89</span> <b>Anne Kunz</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">6:58:16 [1] 81 New York NY 61.09</span> also started out faster than was wise but started slowing her pace after 10K; she was able to keep her pace under control and claim the victory with 6 minutes to spare. </div><div>MEN <b>Guillermo Piñeda Morales</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:37:48 [4] 49 Ridgewood NY 85.07</span>, who finished 2nd in 45-49 at Chicago, battled for 1st American Masters with <b>Yuzuru Sakakibara</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:34:48 [1] 40</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Brookline MA 81.05</span>. Morales pushed from the start, hitting the 15K in 52:47. Sakakibara opted for a steady 18 minute per 5K pace. After the 15K mark, Morales slowed his pace and Sakakibara gradually took a few seconds out of his lead each 5K, passing him between 25K and 30K. <b>Micah Polansky</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:40:02 [5] 40 New York NY 78.4</span> and <b>Oz Perlman</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:40:14 [6] 40 New York NY 78.3</span> battled for 3rd American Masters. Perlman had the early lead, but Polansky moved past him by the 10K mark and led the rest of the way. Sakakibara had competed at Chicago and Boston in 2022; this was his turn to be first American Masters athlete. Top American Masters in other divisions included: 45-49 Morales; 50-54 <b>Victor Urichima</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:54:12 [10]</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">52 Chicago IL 79.66</span>, who had to overtake <span style="font-size: x-small;">Jason Tavakolian 2:54:22</span>; 55-59 <b>Blaise Brochard</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:53:51 [2] 56 New York NY 82.75</span>; 60-64 <b>Stephen Ridley</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:07:42 [1] 60 Columbia SC 79.58</span> outlasted <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:08:32 </span>who started out more conservatively than in Chicago but ran into problems with the heat over the second half of the race; 65-69 <b>Dave Walters</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:04:24 [1] 67 Lisle IL 86.8</span> added this one to his division win in London a month earlier; 70-74 <b>Mike Wien</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:40:32 [6] 71 Boulder CO 75.71</span> repeated as top American finisher, adjusting his pace for the heat; 75-79 <b>Andrew Suozzo</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:04:08 [1] 76 Cathedral City CA 73.52</span> 80-89 <b>Benny Kim</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">6:01:42 [3] 80 Fort Lee NJ 53.86</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Top three Age-Grading PLP's for New York: </div><div>WOMEN <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leslie Cohen </i>66 87.21%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Locky Trachsel</i> 54 87.07%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Roberta Groner</i> 44 86.69% </div><div>MEN <b><i>Dave Walters</i></b><b> </b>67 86.80%; <b><i>Guillermo Piñeda Morales</i></b><b> </b>49 85.07%; <b><i>Blaise Brochard</i></b> 56 82.75%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>BOSTON April 17, 2023.</b> There have been more challenging conditions at the Boston Marathon but this year's would not be called favorable. It was neither too hot nor too cold, in the upper 40’s, but there was a light drizzle, and a steady headwind of 9–14 mph. </div><div>MEN No doubt <b>Fernando Cabada</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:23:01 [1] 40 Aurora CO 87.73</span> was the favorite to take the First American Masters title. He did nothing to dispel the notion, hitting his first 5K in 15:50 and keeping his subsequent 5K splits well under 16:00 through the 15K. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTNiRO8SO1hymTZXNbSqund7NjGYLxtdG4zjt3_EFDMMjIrUCFfNYgV5eYeuLbI7m5ewgmrU0ycQjHq56gWK79QlIAFngeWUxAnVZmC6HrewZ2IV930h-yyZGJB1y6lQBi8Z9UzRy8ersTx8ULn8M1Fbk4IIxSHhUNo2yoBRkozG0XS0HByUvlb2hOgAD/s3488/Cabada%20and%20Open%20runners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2842" data-original-width="3488" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTNiRO8SO1hymTZXNbSqund7NjGYLxtdG4zjt3_EFDMMjIrUCFfNYgV5eYeuLbI7m5ewgmrU0ycQjHq56gWK79QlIAFngeWUxAnVZmC6HrewZ2IV930h-yyZGJB1y6lQBi8Z9UzRy8ersTx8ULn8M1Fbk4IIxSHhUNo2yoBRkozG0XS0HByUvlb2hOgAD/w400-h326/Cabada%20and%20Open%20runners.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fernando Cabada</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">dark singlet</span> running in the lead pack on his way to the masters win at the 2023 USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships hosted by the Sactown Ten <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of SRA Elite</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Anthony Bruns</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:23:39 [2] 43 Denver CO 89.45</span> and <b>Prescott Leach</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:23:44 [3] 40 Waltham MA 87.29</span>, top Masters American male at Chicago, ran in tandem for the first 30K. Leach drifted back slowly after that, winding up as third American Masters, behind Bruns. Those two lost a minute and a half to Cabada in the first 15K but kept the gap there over the next 10K. Cabada pushed it up to its largest extent at 1:41 by 30K. Bruns took 6 seconds back in the next 5K, as Leach started to drift back. Between 35 and 40K Bruns took another 17 seconds back. That was it, though; Cabada had over a half minute on Bruns at the finish. Cabada not only was top American Masters, but he was also the top Masters athlete overall. Bruns was second, and Leach 3rd. Top American Masters in other divisions included: <span style="font-size: medium;">45-49</span> <b>Steve Lawrence</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:28:40 [1] 45 W. Bloomfield Hills MI 87.88</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">50-54</span> <b>Guillermo Piñeda Morales</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2:33:30 [1] 50 Ridgewood NY 88.83</span> made his 2nd straight Top American Masters finish at a major marathon and was, in this case, top 50-54 overall. Morales got out well and hung on as <b>Chris Hartshorn</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:34:07</span> came from 2 minutes down at 35K to just 37 seconds back at the finish; <span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span> <b>Thomas Tayeri</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:46:40 [3] 58 Palo Alto CA 87.94</span> is running his marathons 20 minutes faster than he did in his early 50’s! That was good enough to finish as top 55-59 American; <span style="font-size: medium;">60-64</span> <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:46:36 [1] 62 Bayville NJ 91.4</span> proved that third time is the charm, at least for this set of major marathons. Everything worked; he went out solidly and finished strong. At Boston the first half is very much a downhill course; the uphills are in the 2nd half, including the infamous ‘Heartbreak Hill.’ </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8UrRcyPOihwuVkaUeJi2LDtz75XJuUNvxoRESVa3BrRgwTPIi6GXIlmhuOjxW3SZ43rVBl6mbOKy9tfWw6SnvBXNr-IIOSPg9hpTHBbGUmUUobzmtxt3n6unCfg-jBjs_cIbM-22FFEO8YTVIIZjqg9e0o7UZpCRvF6R2tYb4hkavLX5n89Rf1A1PaEL/s1605/Rick%20Lee-2nd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1605" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8UrRcyPOihwuVkaUeJi2LDtz75XJuUNvxoRESVa3BrRgwTPIi6GXIlmhuOjxW3SZ43rVBl6mbOKy9tfWw6SnvBXNr-IIOSPg9hpTHBbGUmUUobzmtxt3n6unCfg-jBjs_cIbM-22FFEO8YTVIIZjqg9e0o7UZpCRvF6R2tYb4hkavLX5n89Rf1A1PaEL/w400-h340/Rick%20Lee-2nd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee</b> capturing Silver Medals in Age Division and Overall Age Grading at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Lee ran the second half of the race in 1:24:32 after an opening half of 1:22:04, a good distribution of effort. <span style="font-size: medium;">65-69</span> <b>Dave Walters</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:01:22 [1] 67 Lisle IL 88.26</span> made it two for two, as he followed up his NYC win in 65-69 with a win in Boston; <span style="font-size: medium;">70-74</span><b> John Hieb</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:27:39 [3] 73 Murphys CA 82.46</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">75-79</span> <b>Lee Cook</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:55:55 [1] 78 Greer SC 79.01</span> withstood a late challenge from <b>Julio Aguirre</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:58:13</span>, who cut Cook’s lead in half over the last 7K; <span style="font-size: medium;">80-89</span> <b>Myung Joon Kim</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">4:12:55 [1] 80 Los Angeles CA 77.02</span>. </div><div>WOMEN The overall Masters winner was, by a long shot, <b>Sara Hall</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:25:48 [1] 40 Flagstaff AZ 86.05</span>, who finished 17th overall and 4th American overall in her first marathon as a Masters aged athlete. Hall finished almost 20 minutes ahead of her nearest rival for the Masters honor. Others contending for top 3 American Masters included: <b>Carmen Hussar</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:45:01 [1] 45 Homewood AL 86.48</span>, <b>Laurie Knowles</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:46:37 [2] 45 Atlanta GA 85.65</span>, and <b>Gina Rouse</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:46:22 [6] 43 Knoxville TN 84.27</span>. A relative newcomer to marathons, Hussar finished 2nd Masters at Grandma’s the previous June. A marathon veteran, Knowles last ran Boston in 2021, as did Rouse. Rouse finished 3rd American Masters that year, behind Dot McMahan and Shalane Flanagan, just ahead of Knowles. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06r9udtiWnaYVUo48K9CTIr3b57g8XeIIUlnqleNz3LtjB86LTinbc1pNFKMeEgSnZs57k0y9YtRq9FkEiGLUDXHuGbUZixcllSdxvAok3jpVh0y0AqlLVZcRtQ05TizAkfWl7UGcDy1O-H4zYBHR_NoaLBHpDtF_qc_h3_BkC6q1lB4qY5xoXXqss2Uq/s5315/Laurie%20Knowles%20wins%205K%20Championship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3612" data-original-width="5315" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06r9udtiWnaYVUo48K9CTIr3b57g8XeIIUlnqleNz3LtjB86LTinbc1pNFKMeEgSnZs57k0y9YtRq9FkEiGLUDXHuGbUZixcllSdxvAok3jpVh0y0AqlLVZcRtQ05TizAkfWl7UGcDy1O-H4zYBHR_NoaLBHpDtF_qc_h3_BkC6q1lB4qY5xoXXqss2Uq/w400-h271/Laurie%20Knowles%20wins%205K%20Championship.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laurie Knoowles</b> winning the 2018 USATF Masters 5 Km Championship in Atlanta GA <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jason Getz, Getz Images.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Hussar got out fast, sometimes a mistake in Boston. She hit the 10K in 35:47. She dialed the pace back a bit after that but still hit the halfway point in 1:16:06. At that point Rouse was almost 5 minutes back and Knowles almost 6. The question was whether Hussar would pay a price later in the race, perhaps on the infamous Newton Hills. Hussar was still going strong at 35K, with a 6-minute lead on Knowles and over 6:30 on Rouse. That was when Hussar started to slow. By the 40K mark, Knowles had cut the gap to 3.5 minutes, with Rouse another half minute back. Hussar really struggled from the 40K mark (24.8 miles) to 25.2 miles where her pace slowed to 9:40 per mile. But Hussar gritted her teeth, crossing the finish line with over a minute on Rouse, who had rallied in the last 2 kilometers to finish 15 seconds ahead of Knowles. Top American finishers in the other divisions included: <span style="font-size: medium;">50-54</span> <b>Laura Ankrum</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:08:41 [3] 50 Holualoa HI 80.09</span>; <span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span> <b>Lisa Veneziano</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">2:57:38 [1] 58 Fenton MI 94.49</span>, the 12 Km 55-59 American Record holder enjoyed her first sub-3-hour marathon since 2021; </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUugn44qtcThPGc1Nymv9iBO_vYLd3rXUnU4sC4yhhwp_9qFO6iwD8yYpIP0uImBwdWvR7qveFrOQGGFsQqGsq0JGUNENrWfrKUc529hqidODEez74dd8zvXgR5fzFRjnfoszp-Cr8-qZuQ2QjJpEFQ44DCxsVK9tGOGfuB9bKfKtc0CbYybuMxmO1i_WC/s2499/Veneziano-2nd%2055-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2499" data-original-width="1785" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUugn44qtcThPGc1Nymv9iBO_vYLd3rXUnU4sC4yhhwp_9qFO6iwD8yYpIP0uImBwdWvR7qveFrOQGGFsQqGsq0JGUNENrWfrKUc529hqidODEez74dd8zvXgR5fzFRjnfoszp-Cr8-qZuQ2QjJpEFQ44DCxsVK9tGOGfuB9bKfKtc0CbYybuMxmO1i_WC/w286-h400/Veneziano-2nd%2055-59.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lisa Veneziano</b> capturing the 55-59 Win and earning a top 5 overall Age Grading Award at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships hosted by the Atlanta Track Club's Publix Marathon Weekend </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64</span> <b>Heather Knight-Pech</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:10:37 [1] 61 Darien CT 91.88</span> won her division at Boston in 2017-2019 and then again in 2022. She did not enter the fall 2021 event. Would she make it 5 for 5 in 2023? Knight-Pech had a serious challenge from <b>Cindy Conant</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:13:55</span>. Knight Pech built a lead of over 5 minutes by the halfway point. Conant chipped it down to 4 minutes by the 40K mark, but Knight Pech still had a 3-minute gap by the finish. She had her five for five; <span style="font-size: medium;">65-69</span> <b>Leslie Cohen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:28:56 [2] 67 Santa Monica CA 91.78</span> was first American in New York and was looking for the same outcome in Boston. <b>Becky Backstrom</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:30:13</span> battled her for it. Backstrom went out faster, hitting the 15K with a 20-second lead. By the halfway point, Cohen had recovered; only a 6-second gap remained. Cohen reversed the gap over the next 5 Km and never looked back. Backstrom was moving faster at the very end, reducing the gap from 1:34 at 40K to 1:17 at the end. Cohen got her 2nd straight division win at a major marathon; <span style="font-size: medium;">70-74</span> <b>Debbie Clark</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:38:26 [1] 70 Colleyville TX 92.16</span> nailed first American in this division with a cushion of over 20 minutes. In two earlier tries, in 2013 and 2014, she finished 4th American; the win in 2023 must have tasted sweet; <span style="font-size: medium;">75-79</span> <b>Jeannie Rice</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">3:33:15 [1] 75 Concord OH 103.01%</span> is an amazing runner. She holds American Records in distances from the 1 Mile to the Marathon; she just set 3 World Records on the track this July, from 1500M to the 10,000M. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV19p_Yz4abYg9H3kkwMyt5dsoh10MyClyMP7taQVvYyFn3Z7urrgJBL3VRjPX67oTeOC3_V1uswRJ4km0DxtrQk-aCFAtGjf2qj9BAWulmj-KiIHkRet1Ot8wZ34ATR3CcFivSHP3qQcBl4zzjvk92pjV1Z6kpEjf1-rOygAkdALgCyr38ZFTdfv6Boz/s2499/Rice%20wins%2070-74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2499" data-original-width="1785" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV19p_Yz4abYg9H3kkwMyt5dsoh10MyClyMP7taQVvYyFn3Z7urrgJBL3VRjPX67oTeOC3_V1uswRJ4km0DxtrQk-aCFAtGjf2qj9BAWulmj-KiIHkRet1Ot8wZ34ATR3CcFivSHP3qQcBl4zzjvk92pjV1Z6kpEjf1-rOygAkdALgCyr38ZFTdfv6Boz/w286-h400/Rice%20wins%2070-74.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice </b>winning the 70-74 division and earning the top Age Grade Overall at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships, hosted by the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>This was her 8th time to run Boston. She had finished anywhere from 4th to 1st in her age division. The Marathon is unforgiving. If you are not fully fit, a marathon, and this is especially true of Boston, will find your weakness and hold you accountable for it. She won on her 1st try in 2013 and her 3rd try in 2015. Her next outright win, including international competitors, did not come until 7 years later, in 2022. That is how indefatigable Rice is! She does not give up! Going into this year, Rice had never won two consecutive Boston Marathons and she had never broken 3:38. She got her 2nd consecutive win, broke 3:38 with her 3:33:15 and age graded over 100%. That was a faster time than the recognized world record, but Boston, because it is point-to-point and falls by over 3 meters per km, is not record eligible; <span style="font-size: medium;">80+</span> <b>Hansi Rigney</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 5:07:42 [2] 81 Carmel CA 83.04</span>.
</div><div><br /></div><div>Top three Age-Grading PLP's for Boston: </div><div>MEN <b><i>Rick Lee</i> </b>62 91.40%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Anthony Bruns</i> 43 89.45%; <b><i>Guillermo </i></b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Piñeda Morales</i> 50 88.83%</div><div>WOMEN <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 75 103.01%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lisa Veneziano</i> 58 94.49%; <i style="font-weight: bold;">Debbie Clark</i> 70 92.16%</div><div><br /></div><div>It will be exciting to see what the 2023-24 Marathon season has in store. Perhaps there will be a new American or a new World Record!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-5645577408637349132023-09-26T12:57:00.003-04:002023-09-29T16:40:59.436-04:00Masters Athletes Take Down Three American Records at 2023 Masters 12 Km Championships<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9864970848188130"
crossorigin="anonymous"></script><p> <b>September 21, 2023. </b>On Sunday, September 17, the Sandy Hook National Park greeted over 300 athletes from across the country for the USATF Masters 12 Km Championships. The day dawned fresh and clear. As the morning wore on, the sun climbed but the temperature, unlike last year, just climbed modestly. When the athletes gathered for the 9 AM starting time, the thermometer read 67F, with a dewpoint of 51F; it was not humid. Under fair skies, the wind was calm; during the race the strongest wind was only 6 mph. It was a favorable day for running. One would prefer it cooler but there were no major problems with conditions. USATF-NJ hosted the event at their By Hook Or By Crook Run.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">RECORDS</span></b> Some athletes who looked, on paper, like they had a chance at an American Record, were sidelined and did not compete or encountered a barrier to competing at their best. That still left three who took on the challenge and succeeded. </p><p><b>Jeannie Rice</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached/OH </span>was widely expected to bring down <b>Libby James's</b> 75-79 American Record of 1:01:11, set 9 years ago. James was untouchable in the middle part of the last decade. From 2011 to 2014 James set 75-79 American Records at distances from the 5 Km <span style="font-size: xx-small;">23:34 </span>to the Half Marathon 1:45:52. But Rice is at another level, as we learned when she ran her 3:33:15 at Boston! She averaged a few ticks under 8:10 per mile, at 75, for those 26.2 miles! If she ran the same pace in this 7.44 mile long 12 Km race, her time would have been 1:00:34, 37 seconds under the American Record. In the preview I wrote, "<span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Should she run an equivalent age grade at this 12 Km, she would break the existing 75-79 record by over 5 minutes." I dismissed that as overly optimistic. But I was wrong. Rice, the 2019 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, broke James's record by over 6 minutes! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHh87aR2oXFwEQp3VYcZyKhVhtEdwLRijyw079OSzIMX6e8LN5aoLnBtJ8cBXTnb1fRpGtUMgJAghrABKYL1i73kNWG5_niqcNku6YCm2UPw0kgCeVRq5yMBFAs8vLwQF1m54ZHuFltrTEPKrw5mtKOjDf2xfTE-rsHl_PdBvsP3Tyc8y6MiWum0pYbTmM/s2048/Jeannie%20Rice-New%20AR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHh87aR2oXFwEQp3VYcZyKhVhtEdwLRijyw079OSzIMX6e8LN5aoLnBtJ8cBXTnb1fRpGtUMgJAghrABKYL1i73kNWG5_niqcNku6YCm2UPw0kgCeVRq5yMBFAs8vLwQF1m54ZHuFltrTEPKrw5mtKOjDf2xfTE-rsHl_PdBvsP3Tyc8y6MiWum0pYbTmM/w400-h266/Jeannie%20Rice-New%20AR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice </b>sets a New American 12K Record for 75-79 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are courtesy of <b>Jason Timochko.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Rice went off at 7:08 for the first mile and averaged well under 7:20 per mile. Her final, winning time was 54:50!</span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Perry Shoemaker</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">52 Potomac Valley TC </span>has been running well after taking a break from national championships. In the middle of the last decade, she won the overall race at the USATF Masters 12 km Championships when they were in Alexandria VA. This spring, at what must be her favorite, iconic road race, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in Washington DC, Shoemaker broke the 50-54 record for the Ten Mile Run! Her time of 1:00:37 meant a pace of 6:03.7 per mile. She would need to run faster; that pace, in a 12K, would bring her to the finish line in 45:06, ten seconds slower than the existing record. Thirty years ago <b>Shirley Matson </b>ran 44:56. In the three decades since, no 50–54-year-old had run a faster 12K, until this past Sunday. Shoemaker needed to average 6:02 per mile or better to take down the record. Shoemaker averaged 6:00 per mile for a 44:39 which gave her the record by17 seconds! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WtukJD9OcylX8qikVxosbpScIub9InZAol8dj-BVMm93LJFyJvhFM9R0TqCKt7RHX3ytTCiwpG0aOqS4UY0w81pVc60mg9v6LI30aOwACPSRS74E6V5XCF6eQp30mMtohNKmHpGLsNmTdmZXXd55BGSrteuZzSUfs_c5YUp6awzvcehJo1SIOOkfUV0l/s2048/Perry%20Shoemaker-2nd%20overall%20and%20new%20AR%20in%2050-54%20division.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WtukJD9OcylX8qikVxosbpScIub9InZAol8dj-BVMm93LJFyJvhFM9R0TqCKt7RHX3ytTCiwpG0aOqS4UY0w81pVc60mg9v6LI30aOwACPSRS74E6V5XCF6eQp30mMtohNKmHpGLsNmTdmZXXd55BGSrteuZzSUfs_c5YUp6awzvcehJo1SIOOkfUV0l/w400-h266/Perry%20Shoemaker-2nd%20overall%20and%20new%20AR%20in%2050-54%20division.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Perry Shoemaker </b>bearing down for 2nd place overall and a new 50-54 American Record</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Shoemaker removed the oldest 12K record from the books. Now the 45-49 record is the only one from the 1990's.</span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Nat Larson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">61 Greater Springfield Harriers </span>has been breaking American Records for years but has been on a tear since turning 60 last summer. Coming into this race he owned the 60-64 records at 1 Mile, 5 K, 10K, 10 Mile, and Half Marathon. The American Record Larso0n was chasing was owned by <b>Tom McCormack</b>, who came to the United States, along with the famed Coach, <b>Ray Flynn</b>, to form part of the renowned 'Irish Brigade' of East Tennessee University. McCormack's record time was 42:50, set on a fast course in Alexandria VA in 2014. That works out to a few ticks over 5:45 per mile--not bad for a 61-year-old. Larson was the right age; he enjoyed his 61st birthday this summer. And he found the right pace! Larson confided earlier this year that he enjoys when it when a runner he knows, who is a bit younger and, reliably, a bit faster, is in the race. That way he can find the right pace without worrying about it much. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQ-3LqQNGL1W-Ce85dl990RyxECrEAePyRDjfTWEwJ3r1jYbb8P1Pwlwwz35sHIn_ENs_cT-aIGgZwlY3at1I8yle7mO10_VXhREINCjWIuVnJJTPyN1P1HJN3v0L3fBzuf-VIG0ALpOnm2b6sg64c9WyU3Xkq-fIl8jzk62YGJ_h1ig44LOLiQLbi7Js/s1684/Larson_Nat_New%20AR-1st60-64-1stAge%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1684" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQ-3LqQNGL1W-Ce85dl990RyxECrEAePyRDjfTWEwJ3r1jYbb8P1Pwlwwz35sHIn_ENs_cT-aIGgZwlY3at1I8yle7mO10_VXhREINCjWIuVnJJTPyN1P1HJN3v0L3fBzuf-VIG0ALpOnm2b6sg64c9WyU3Xkq-fIl8jzk62YGJ_h1ig44LOLiQLbi7Js/w400-h324/Larson_Nat_New%20AR-1st60-64-1stAge%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson </b>closing in on the finish line and a new 60-64 12K American Record! He also won 60-64 and had the top Men's Age Grade!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><br /><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">He averaged 5:42 per mile for a chip time, used for Masters records, of 42:25. He had the American Record by 25 seconds!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">One might ask if any of those three were World Records or close to a World Record? The answer is that there are no World Records for any road races other than the Marathon. The Half Marathon and 10K have WMA Championship Records.</span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">MEN</span> <b>Brian Flynn</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State TC</span>, a newly minted Masters runner as of this summer, snuck in under the radar. Athlinks had no record for a Brian Flynn from New Jersey. Perhaps he moved recently from Virginia? Looking back now, I can see a plausible record for that Virginia resident, Brian Flynn, including a 49:12 performance at the Utica Boilermaker in early July. That translates to something like 38:55, very close to what the Flynn entered at these championships ran. But even now I cannot be sure it is one and the same Flynn. On race day, Flynn was the man of the hour; he took it out hard, leading all others through the first mile. One Open Runner stayed with him, and one was starting to come back to the main chase pack. The rest of the main contenders were in that chase pack. <b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/VA</span> and an Open runner led the pack, with <b>Aaron Totten-Lancaster</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>tucked in behind Angell. <b>Dickson Mercer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pacers Running </span>was there to Totten-Lancaster's left, with <b>Fabian Daza </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>and <b>Robbie Genzel</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/CO </span>in solid contact; <b>Michael Dixon</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/NJ </span>was starting to see a small gap develop but was hanging on. Flynn was applying pressure from the front; it did not look as if anyone would catch him. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Angell kept his pace locked at 5:14 per mile for the first three miles; that was enough to leave him solidly in 2nd at that point, with some distance back to the others. Dixon had been dropped, but Mercer was solid through 3 miles, just a few seconds back from Angell. Mercer started to struggle in mile 4 and by mile 5 had dropped back. His inability to train consistently, as hard as usual, over the past months was getting to him. Daza and Genzel came past Angell, and then Totten-Lancaster. Angell ran tough; when those three passed. Angell tried to go with them but had to let them go. Flynn enjoyed a splendid win, taking the finish line tape at 39:01. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxRDS2cptEsnEzizc34hBdRz4pJkw3_uVY092qGguAIYhHoInR0ajhAJAFnx5f4TDR9yovdyqTZsKe27D218DQ2eCgcoVDkAzAv8Jsnhgo9qPDjG_2d0iC5q_Rtp1VvEML-QbrIbuhfDAlnnqmrNw8J57X1JDBlC-WQoQzyamggF-GwuPimlxaiK-vLjc/s1365/Flynn%20Breaks%20Tape.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxRDS2cptEsnEzizc34hBdRz4pJkw3_uVY092qGguAIYhHoInR0ajhAJAFnx5f4TDR9yovdyqTZsKe27D218DQ2eCgcoVDkAzAv8Jsnhgo9qPDjG_2d0iC5q_Rtp1VvEML-QbrIbuhfDAlnnqmrNw8J57X1JDBlC-WQoQzyamggF-GwuPimlxaiK-vLjc/w389-h400/Flynn%20Breaks%20Tape.jpg" width="389" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brian Flynn</b> takes the tape as he wins the Overall Men's 12 Km Championship</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">It was a full minute before Daza came across in 2nd, with Genzel 120 meters back in 3rd. Flynn and Genzel landed on the podium in their first try at this Masters Championship. Genzel must have felt his trip from Colorado Springs was worth it! Twenty-four seconds faster than last year, Daza moved up from 5th to 2nd! Totten-Lancaster gave it his best effort but could not catch Genzel, finishing 4th in 40:35. Still, he had improved by 1:17 over last year, moving up from 7th overall to 4th. Angell rounded out the top five at 40:41, 19 seconds and 3 places better than last year. Dixon was 5 seconds back from Angell in 6th.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Brian Flynn</i> 39:01 <i> </i><b style="font-style: italic;">Fabian Daza</b> 40:03 <b><i>Robbie Genzel</i></b></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN </span><b>Perry Shoemaker</b>, the veteran from 50-54, led out the field, with <b>Alexandra Niles</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>and <b>Jennifer Pesce</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>falling in behind to form a tight 3-runner lead pack. <b>Fiona Bayly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/NY</span>, out of 55-59 and <b>Abby Dean</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC</span>, 50-54, took the turn, after the first mile, side by side, about 30 meters back from the lead pack. It was another 60 meters further back to <b>Elizabeth Wakeling</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>and <b>Hortencia Aliaga</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>in 6th and 7th. They were being tracked, about 20 meters back, by <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">T.H.E. TC</span>. Shoemaker ran an incredible race, but Pesce showed she is much more than just a 5 K runner. The overall National 5 Km Masters Champion stayed with Shoemaker out and back. When the time came, Pesce made a decisive move and pulled away for the win in 44:31. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqhl3Xi7_bJfC8W3h6qeY6xx0aPpOq35zvJQb7kgjVyniX_j68r5mMhsVlDpOmxWWsw3nrtTjUgr5_V04kwVIC3n_wLYRW6FDPqU29MERg9PTERAA77w6iPzmE49ChL_zxwOLpGMXqc3jF5eYgYYPm49czEPfoXa02zGlT1tnCyPhIOkYbUZYTQOWrGcV/s1365/Jennifer%20Pesce%20breaks%20the%20tape.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="893" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqhl3Xi7_bJfC8W3h6qeY6xx0aPpOq35zvJQb7kgjVyniX_j68r5mMhsVlDpOmxWWsw3nrtTjUgr5_V04kwVIC3n_wLYRW6FDPqU29MERg9PTERAA77w6iPzmE49ChL_zxwOLpGMXqc3jF5eYgYYPm49czEPfoXa02zGlT1tnCyPhIOkYbUZYTQOWrGcV/w261-h400/Jennifer%20Pesce%20breaks%20the%20tape.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Pesce</b>, the Overall Women's Winner Breaking the Tape</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Shoemaker was 8 seconds back in 2nd. Niles was a half-minute back in 3rd. Niles did well to land on the podium in her first Masters National Championship. Wakeling eventually dropped Aliaga and set her sights on Bayly and Dean. She reeled them in to take 4th in 46:46. Bayly was 5th in 47:34, with Josiah-Tanner moving past Dean and Aliaga to claim 6th just 9 seconds behind Bayly.</span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Pesce</i> 44:31 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Shoemaker</i> 44:39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alexandra Niles</i> 45:09</span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS </span><span>The Age-Grading process assigns a Performance Level Percentage <span style="font-size: xx-small;">PLP</span> to each athlete based on how fast their chip time in the race was, relative to the projected World's best for that distance and that athlete's sex and age. A 50-year-old male, for example, who ran the 12K in 48:00 would get a PLP of 75.07. If a 60-year-old male ran that fast, his PLP would be 82.05. A 50-year-old woman would earn an 84.99 PLP for a 48:00 12K. Age-Grading is used to level the playing field across ages to identify the athletes who ran the fastest for their age. </span></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN </span><b>Jeannie Rice</b>, not only broke the 75-79 American record by 6 minutes, she also had the top age grade on the day. In fact, her time of 54:50 was so fabulous that it topped 100%. According to the guru of Masters LDR Elite performances, <b>Tom Bernhard</b>, Rice's PLP of 104.02 is the highest road race PLP of all time! That took top honors. </span></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVxNxzq-HZ-PUEilSjy6un_Ai_1EKEYvMd5kzpk2UZxTfadE68BM6Uk3_mZJ2yxct8jf8AiHS4VcdFXNzjPWLqN6nmkOx_QWS88bu5kHkl1JbkgSNNNUwm1vFHzS26lXTjCRcpVF-LcZpYCigAfJSdIPXjtsmdpm3QOrhVDiQF9uiFgrQTXTFl88B0cGE/s2048/Jeannie%20Rice%20racing%20alongside%20younger%20runners.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVxNxzq-HZ-PUEilSjy6un_Ai_1EKEYvMd5kzpk2UZxTfadE68BM6Uk3_mZJ2yxct8jf8AiHS4VcdFXNzjPWLqN6nmkOx_QWS88bu5kHkl1JbkgSNNNUwm1vFHzS26lXTjCRcpVF-LcZpYCigAfJSdIPXjtsmdpm3QOrhVDiQF9uiFgrQTXTFl88B0cGE/s320/Jeannie%20Rice%20racing%20alongside%20younger%20runners.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice </b>racing alongside athletes, decades younger, as she wins age grading with a remarkable 104.02%</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span>Breaking a record does not guarantee that you will be one of the top age graders. Age Grading is based on a World Standard for a given year of age. American records are, by their nature, based on the best time in America, not the World, and then it is a 5-year record, not for a single year. The second-place finisher, for example is the 65-69 record holder at 51:09. <b>Nora Cary</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>ran that time n this course two years ago when she was 66. Her PLP was 97.53%. Now 68, Cary bounced back from injury earlier in the year, to run a 52:33 at age 68. Her PLP actually went up! This time she scored 97.66 to finish 2nd to Rice. Quite a comeback! Third went to <b>Sabra Harvey</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Team Red Lizard</span>, the 2017 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year. Known initially for her track work and then Cross Country, Harvey moved to the roads in 2017 and added a number of national championships to her collection. But after 2017, she took a break from road competitions. But she joined a team in 2022 and that brought her back to the roads, as well as being a regular on the Cross Country turf. Harvey has been putting in the work and her times have responded. She is just one year younger than Rice. At 74, Harvey ran 58:58 to score a 95.21 PLP and take 3rd place in the Age-Grading Championship. <b>Mary Cass</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62 Liberty AC</span> ran a 49:59 for a 94.54 score. She was followed by <b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">60 Shore AC</span> at 93.54 in 5th. Shoemaker followed just a few hundredths of a percentage point back in 6th at 93.49.</span></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">75 54:50 </span>104.02% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nora Cary</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">68 52:33 </span>97.66 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sabra Harvey </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">74 58:58 </span>95.21</span></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">MEN</span> Last year <b>Nat Larson</b> was, arguably, not at his best, on a hot day. Nonetheless, he made the podium, finishing just a few hundredths of a percentage point off the winning score. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">This year</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Larson took down the American Record, ran faster than last year, and earned the highest PLP. His 42:25 at age 61 scored at 93.72%! <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC</span>, the American record holder at the 50K and 50 Mile distances, is always a threat for the age grading podium. Lee is not just an Ultra runner. He runs all distances; he just earned Gold medals at the 1500M, 5000M, 10,000M and 2000M Steeplechase at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships. Lee took it out hard and then could not stay with Larson later in the race. But his 43:25 at age 62 scored a 92.44% for 2nd place. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcaR3bk9Q97NdN0dtzRt2vX30so1GBXGEsPRVFA-Avppv_JXrK00na0xgmXZShjOWzAnYuvdTnc_X3GMtTp8s8A2jqrWfLxsC89wCGuibfSR2bRbemfV-OUf5BCCB4gklYfwAYWvXMEO_-dHophK2Ai2B44axWFv9799P_aELmCgljSnduhDtGeKbkWG4/s1605/Rick%20Lee-2nd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1605" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcaR3bk9Q97NdN0dtzRt2vX30so1GBXGEsPRVFA-Avppv_JXrK00na0xgmXZShjOWzAnYuvdTnc_X3GMtTp8s8A2jqrWfLxsC89wCGuibfSR2bRbemfV-OUf5BCCB4gklYfwAYWvXMEO_-dHophK2Ai2B44axWFv9799P_aELmCgljSnduhDtGeKbkWG4/w400-h340/Rick%20Lee-2nd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee </b>sprints for the finish-claiming 2nd Age Grading at 92.44%!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Greater Philadelphia TC </i></span>broke up the 60-64 domination of the top of the Age Grading charts by edging <b>Steve Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62 Ann Arbor TC</span>, for third. Dykes has had an up and down year since he finished 4th in age grading here last year. He seems, finally, to have his health issues largely under control. His training has gone well recently, and Dykes is again performing at the top of his age division at distances from 5000 Meters on up to the Ultra Marathons he loves. At the age of 75, he ran 50:38 to earn a 91.50%. Schmidt ran 44:03 to earn a 91.11%, finishing 4th. Fifth place went to the youngster in the group, who had taken 3rd last year. <b>Brian Crowley</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">58 Freedom-Garmin Project</span> ran just 8 seconds slower this year, clocking 42:31 to raise his PLP from 90.41 to 90.94%. <b>Roger Sayre</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">65 Boulder Road Runners </span>ran 45:36 to finish just a few tenths of a percentage point behind Crowley at 90.58%. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">61 42:25 </span>93.72% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">62 43:25 </span>92.44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes</i> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">75 50:38 </span>91.50</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">MEN </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">40-44</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Flynn, Daza and Dixon went 1-2-4 and 6th, as discussed above in the Overall section.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggj1SEA19yz-TUJdJUeuXOepHoQ2_96PEeau2HOVSGDQjVof4HKm1Kw2GRhvYEGzXlFfO_xHtYK7sjZjPcvogJLsyNPRZ-JlU0eksRWSWmFqTOAWHavozgM8BIC5wAJsGGKFk1gStClmVqV2glfavMPCKp7cRTG7nRaYOpN0dki6RmlS8TZltff5SIwh3E/s2048/Fabian%20Daza-2nd%20Overall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggj1SEA19yz-TUJdJUeuXOepHoQ2_96PEeau2HOVSGDQjVof4HKm1Kw2GRhvYEGzXlFfO_xHtYK7sjZjPcvogJLsyNPRZ-JlU0eksRWSWmFqTOAWHavozgM8BIC5wAJsGGKFk1gStClmVqV2glfavMPCKp7cRTG7nRaYOpN0dki6RmlS8TZltff5SIwh3E/w400-h266/Fabian%20Daza-2nd%20Overall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabian Daza finishing off his Overall Second Place Run at the 12K Masters Championships in 40:03</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Joe Gaynor</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>was a half-minute behind Dixon in 4th, followed by Mercer in 5th another 40 seconds later.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Brian Flynn </i></b></span><span style="background-color: white;">39:01 </span><i> </i><b style="font-style: italic;">Fabian Daza</b><span style="background-color: white;"> 40:03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Dixon</i> 40:46</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Genzel, Totten-Lancaster, and Angell went 3-4-5 overall. See discussion above in the Overall section. With just 24 seconds between first and third, this was the most tightly contested podium.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbZZmB7yaPcMFI1N-UkHvDUC1ECK4qweZUXaWukV2_qxLNcQ3Q2Kt1KYcd06v8xdbrq_ENLhbJPgcrdipa7KQMXtUHowI4zu68MHHKNLzFL6Y6mz6uB25A03dDcTrsSSCDhQraN2dgBWTTb9qhz7SAG5qp9rsEH452IbpvQlPnorkTBXPSuukM94SadaI/s1610/Genzel_Robbie%20wins%2045-49.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1610" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbZZmB7yaPcMFI1N-UkHvDUC1ECK4qweZUXaWukV2_qxLNcQ3Q2Kt1KYcd06v8xdbrq_ENLhbJPgcrdipa7KQMXtUHowI4zu68MHHKNLzFL6Y6mz6uB25A03dDcTrsSSCDhQraN2dgBWTTb9qhz7SAG5qp9rsEH452IbpvQlPnorkTBXPSuukM94SadaI/w400-h339/Genzel_Robbie%20wins%2045-49.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robbie Genzel</b> about to cross the finish line with 3rd place Overall and the 45-49 12K National Championship in his grasp</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"> Finishing 3 minutes behind the top trio, <b>Shawn Williams</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>won a terrific battle with <b>Christopher Hernandez</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers</span>, edging him for 4th by 2 seconds, in 43:45.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robbie Genzel</i> 40:27 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aaron Totten-Lancaster</i> 40:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 40:51</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Gregory Putnam</b><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Central Mass Striders</span> entered as the favorite. He finished 2nd last year in a loaded field. Two runners entered, <b>Steve Bell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span> and <b>Brent Fields</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta</span>, are ahead of Putnam in the Grand Prix. But in their one meeting this year at the 10 Km Championships, Putnam edged Bell for the division win by 16 seconds, with Fields further back. Bell got out well and had almost ten meters on Putnam when they made the turn after the first Mile. Fields was another ten behind Putnam. <b>Christopher Harris </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta </span>was twenty meters back from Fields. Bell must have run into difficulty later in the race, whether due to weather or other factors. Putnam had no trouble. He pulled away from the rest of the field and had the win with almost a minute and a half to spare! That was his third consecutive division win at a national road championship this year! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS9nPL-kAyFjoqWJaLEdLguSDnJbXmTgOXTFdcivJ7eY-QM99PjDgT-eb2VObk6Zn6DFasWkuSrHL2iYI8YyueHLEvgFOnOI7xC-VKv381z6ho-pE1qia4v18zb-2FeV5UMLRcTCQJMQtzwi-wFx9evvC6_HdCwjsrW0St9NJxwQGrVNEj4xatYsHokRB/s2048/Putnam-top%2010%20Overall-wins50-54.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS9nPL-kAyFjoqWJaLEdLguSDnJbXmTgOXTFdcivJ7eY-QM99PjDgT-eb2VObk6Zn6DFasWkuSrHL2iYI8YyueHLEvgFOnOI7xC-VKv381z6ho-pE1qia4v18zb-2FeV5UMLRcTCQJMQtzwi-wFx9evvC6_HdCwjsrW0St9NJxwQGrVNEj4xatYsHokRB/w400-h266/Putnam-top%2010%20Overall-wins50-54.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gregory Putnam </b>driving to the Finish to claim 1st in 50-54 and 7th Overall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Fields and Harris moved past Bell to take 2nd and 3rd in 42:36 and 43:12. Bell finished 4th, 28 seconds behind Harris. Bell managed to keep the rest of the field at bay, enjoying a ten second margin for his 4th place finish in 43:40. It was a battle to the finish for <b>Gary Rosenberg </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Freedom-Garmin Project</span> and <b>Joseph Hegge</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State</span>, with Rosenberg taking 5th by a single second!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gregory Putnam</i> 41:12 <b><i>Brent Fields </i></b>42:36 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Harris </i>43:12</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Brian Crowley </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Freedom-Garmin </span>was back to defend his 2022 title; he won by over a minute and a half last year. It looked to be the same story this year as Crowley got out strong from the start and had 40 meters on the field when he took the first turn after the 1 Mile marker. <b>Joseph Shairs </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Central Mass Striders</span> was in 2nd, with a similar gap back to <b>Scott Siriano</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta</span>, and 10 meters further on to <b>Mark Hixson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers </span>in 4th. <b>Jeffrey Conston </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>followed in 5th, 45 meters back from Hixson, with <b>John Hogan </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>tracking him 20 meters back. Crowley pulled away gradually throughout the race. He ran just 9 seconds slower than last year's 42:23, and was, again a minute and a half ahead of the field. That gave Crowley back-to-back impressive performances last year and this!</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNydSyZ9VOrid3VWSuPnKZvm-moCnL3eQ9cVfQx1wuUJhCAUadURUuqCOj0kSwiFb-tu6nMOOdS-tCIg_GlxbCYsGO-ct6ikGSb6hpyIr6ipkRjaklQksIyLQDaATKxAkokDKVNBDnUFXD1pEdJZ67hbZnkZfgmpBLo-JdWfsni9IFxmKFLoghM0Fw2ZbH/s2048/Crowley%20wins%2055-59.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNydSyZ9VOrid3VWSuPnKZvm-moCnL3eQ9cVfQx1wuUJhCAUadURUuqCOj0kSwiFb-tu6nMOOdS-tCIg_GlxbCYsGO-ct6ikGSb6hpyIr6ipkRjaklQksIyLQDaATKxAkokDKVNBDnUFXD1pEdJZ67hbZnkZfgmpBLo-JdWfsni9IFxmKFLoghM0Fw2ZbH/w400-h266/Crowley%20wins%2055-59.jpg" width="400" /></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brian Crowley </b>high-stepping it in for victory in the 55-59 Men's 12 k Championship, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ahead of <b>Brent Fields</b></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">50-54</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;">Shairs hung tough, staying ahead of a fast-closing Hixson. Shairs claimed 2nd in 44:09, just 4 seconds ahead of Hixson. Shairs has started traveling to Masters Championships, along with his training partner from 50-54, Putnam. They were both at Boulder last October. After competing on home ground at the 10K, they both entered here and did very well. Siriano could not stay with Hixson when he made his move. But Siriano kept everyone else well behind him. It was over a minute back to the 5th-place runner. Siriano has had a good year in a highly competitive division; this was his best finish since taking third at the Half Marathon Masters Championships in Syracuse. Hogan was able to outsprint Conston to the finish line, taking 5th in 46:37, a single second ahead of Conston! A second consecutive dominant win in this championship cements Crowley's place among the very top few runners in the division.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Brian Crowley</i> 42:32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Joseph Shairs</i> 44:09 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Hixson</i> 44:13</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Nat Larson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers</span><b>, Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC</span>, and <b>Steve Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ann Arbor TC</span>, who went 1-2-4 in the Age Grading contest are all from this division. See that section for added details. As noted, Lee took the turn after the 1 Mile marker first, but Larson was just a few meters back, biding his time, with <b>Henry Notaro</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>right on his heels. Schmidt started more conservatively and was 80 meters back from those two when they made the turn. Lee is in training for the Berlin and, possibly, Chicago Marathons. Lee has an American Record for 60-64 at 2:42:42 as his challenge goal. Notaro is gearing towards Chicago. Both may have found the early pace unsustainable. In any case, Larson, who is the top gun in this division from the Mile to the Half Marathon, had no trouble with the pace. Lee, no doubt, found Larson at his side, and then in front and was unable to respond. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiAf0bBcpTbfHmvNrCK-4Hx7SnSmG_lOq8M4k7XsiRo_U9YG-DQaO747Syw-EPFen98ajlngnimqkWKQcC21XV2OpaOcU0Hbbwivbmr5heSx8_ImDiKZxoj6sBSorA_PITxZYmbcUE-42d3MsQZK7U-4jfHW_Rbit77LAUKn5Xm9Q83ORfDR3dQNw_dqp/s2048/Lee-Larson-Notaro%20-1%20Mile%20turn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiAf0bBcpTbfHmvNrCK-4Hx7SnSmG_lOq8M4k7XsiRo_U9YG-DQaO747Syw-EPFen98ajlngnimqkWKQcC21XV2OpaOcU0Hbbwivbmr5heSx8_ImDiKZxoj6sBSorA_PITxZYmbcUE-42d3MsQZK7U-4jfHW_Rbit77LAUKn5Xm9Q83ORfDR3dQNw_dqp/w640-h426/Lee-Larson-Notaro%20-1%20Mile%20turn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Turn-1 Mile In- From Left: <b>Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: bold;">#116</span><span>leads <b>Nat Larson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#106 </span>and <b>Henry Notaro </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#341 </span>in the 60-64 12K Championship <span style="font-size: xx-small;">with <b>Chuck Terry </b>#116 40-44, <b>Joe Shairs</b> #109 55-59 and <b>Joseph Hegge </b>#293 50-54</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Larson pulled away to win by almost a minute. Lee is a fighter though, used to many different paces for many different distances. He was never under pressure from the rest of the field, taking 2nd with over a half minute cushion. It must have been later in the race when Schmidt was able to close the gap to Notaro and pass with determination. By the end of the race, Schmidt had 12 seconds on Notaro, claiming the final podium spot. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MAjpgjVqGUjs6D4g6r4WOvateDCObJBCqN4Di7tv0tBhcUIWZgs1hdvOEjOw_8E2e7t9_KZSmABMBq_AzA8wauSciXpvuCeDklQG9-gxXT_8haOqDo_txVfDVFukwnhTCDcUnhrTr9ecwyobvAOFVspkT2k4vm9yGZQwVo_7Xpv0EpfBHc7Zv94Ki088/s2048/Schmidt-4th%20age%20Grade-3rd%2060-64-team%203rd%2060+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MAjpgjVqGUjs6D4g6r4WOvateDCObJBCqN4Di7tv0tBhcUIWZgs1hdvOEjOw_8E2e7t9_KZSmABMBq_AzA8wauSciXpvuCeDklQG9-gxXT_8haOqDo_txVfDVFukwnhTCDcUnhrTr9ecwyobvAOFVspkT2k4vm9yGZQwVo_7Xpv0EpfBHc7Zv94Ki088/w400-h266/Schmidt-4th%20age%20Grade-3rd%2060-64-team%203rd%2060+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Steve Schmidt</b> powers towards the Finish Line to finish 3rd in 60-64, 4th in age Grading Overall and lead his Team onto the 60+podium</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">After Notaro crossed the finish line, it was 2 minutes and a tick before <b>Lester Dragstedt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta </span>claimed 5th, almost a minute ahead of <b>Michael Salamone</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>in 6th. The Larson locomotive continues to chug along at the front of the 60-64 division! </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nat Larson</i> 42:26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee</i> 43:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Schmidt</i> 44:05</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Roger Sayre</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>took the division win at the 10 Mile and Half Marathon championships earlier this year. That made him the favorite. The 10 Mile championships in Sacramento were on a flat, fast course like this 12K. At that event, Sayre won with an average pace of 6:07 per mile; if he matched that pace over a distance 2.56 miles shorter, he would run a 45:30 12 K. Of course, Sayre, like some others, is in the midst of marathon training. The Marathon training is in his legs; that might have slowed him down. He ran a 45:38 and was never challenged. He came in over 5 minutes ahead of the field. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWB58JfyGpA7Y1XDLRrUc_L1qjKK0gYa1WYGRqHCD8GcZVwB2O7PR2RsekyLKKACzke_UMS3mk62CI8sKr0Uv2ybOtaPbB8gWqK6dMidSWfw1m95PIcOFieDBI9h7wbF98qH13I02W0VLGy-m7aa0bR9FAXm-sO2EwRbjxR4wiwrL9VFNRs-8Z6WLFpha/s2048/Sayre_Roger-1%20Mile%20in.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWB58JfyGpA7Y1XDLRrUc_L1qjKK0gYa1WYGRqHCD8GcZVwB2O7PR2RsekyLKKACzke_UMS3mk62CI8sKr0Uv2ybOtaPbB8gWqK6dMidSWfw1m95PIcOFieDBI9h7wbF98qH13I02W0VLGy-m7aa0bR9FAXm-sO2EwRbjxR4wiwrL9VFNRs-8Z6WLFpha/w640-h426/Sayre_Roger-1%20Mile%20in.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roger Sayer</b>, white singlet, leads the 65-69 field in the 12 K Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">running with <b>Lester Dragstedt </b>red singlet 60-64 and <b>David Szostak </b>#390 45-49</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Michael Lebold</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Jamul Toads </span><span>, primarily a middle-distance specialist, </span><span>was just 15 meters back, but it was over 150 meters back to the rest of the field. Lebold had a good outing, staying well away from the rest of the field to earn the silver medal. He showed that he is much more than a track guy! <b>Scott Lucking</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta</span>, who finished 2nd last year in 50:49, ran a gritty race to take 3rd, over a minute ahead of <b>Joseph Knodel</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Morris County Striders</span>, 4th in 53:44. Twenty-two seconds later, <b>John Hadcock</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Lowell Road Runners</span> traveled from New England to claim 5th (and have a beer or two with his running rivals, no doubt). A virus infection on the eye and face kept <b>Reno Stirrat </b>from competing but he will be back in action soon.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Roger Sayre</i> 45:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Lebold </i>50:51 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Lucking</i> 52:34</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><span><b>James Linn</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">New Jersey Pacers </span>reminded us of his speed when he ran 5:52 to take 2nd at the 2023 Masters 1 Mile Road championships, in Indianapolis, ahead of a strong field. But he has endurance too, as exhibited by his 52:23 at this championship in 2021, finishing 6th in his last year in the 65-69 division. He would have competition! <b>Fernando Moura </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia</span> ran 52:08 to finish 3rd here last year. <b>Kirk Larson </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta </span>finished 20 seconds behind Linn in Indianapolis but the 1 Mile is probably not Larson's best event. He finished 2nd in 70-74 over 10K in Dedham, running 44:03. That is age grade equivalent to a 53:32 12K. Linn is on his game! He went out strong and had a lead of well over a hundred meters by the time he took the turn just after a mile of running. No one gained on him the rest of the way. Linn took the victory in 51:49, over a half minute faster than he had run in 2021! </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FAKgI_HVbGUxXp26eLy4V8cl1SUeEXqIDx8TZwmZnhouib1aiIS1soItVHzPIMm6U8cZz5oLit8N4mTJFk3QqvRWA6_-O-IHrpyLkITJt_QIGo2p_fXtBiGYbTD6SFIF-21n-Bwn1nVidoCKtlbxKX61iGTq94HaN3R7mLzc24BtUd_Jfjxoqrr65beE/s2048/LINN_James-wins%2070-74.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FAKgI_HVbGUxXp26eLy4V8cl1SUeEXqIDx8TZwmZnhouib1aiIS1soItVHzPIMm6U8cZz5oLit8N4mTJFk3QqvRWA6_-O-IHrpyLkITJt_QIGo2p_fXtBiGYbTD6SFIF-21n-Bwn1nVidoCKtlbxKX61iGTq94HaN3R7mLzc24BtUd_Jfjxoqrr65beE/w400-h266/LINN_James-wins%2070-74.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>James Linn</b> kicks it in for the 70-74 12 Km national championship!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span>Larson had another good day even though he could not keep pace with Linn. He took 2nd place four minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Moura must have had some challenges with his training; he ran 6 minutes slower than last year, finishing third. <b>Bill Bosmann</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>ran four minutes faster than last year, finishing 4th in 58:44, 17 seconds behind Moura. <b>Peter Auteri</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>finished 5th, 14 seconds ahead of <b>Ward Irvin </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta</span><b>.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span><b style="font-style: italic;">James Linn </b>51:49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kirk Larson</i> 54:02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fernando Moura</i> 58:27</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span><span><b>Dave Glass</b> and <b>Gary Ostwald</b> have been battling all year for the top spot in this division, joined recently by <b>Jim May </b>and <b>Keith Yeates</b>. But late in the year is when the other shoe drops. A few speedy runners aged up over the late spring and summer. <b>Gene Dykes </b>was the one expected to cause the most trouble for that foursome. Dykes is known as a Marathoner and Ultra Marathoner but he typically competes on the track and at shorter distances on the track when it fits his busy schedule. He races much more frequently, and at longer distances, on average, than other runners. He finished 2nd last year, at the age of 74, losing to the 'new kid' in his age division. But his time was 2.5 minutes faster than the winning 75-79 time. It was the ame thing at the 5K in Atlanta this past February. Dykes finished 4th in 70-74 but his 21:22 was a minute and a half faster than the winning 75-79 time. Dykes did not run as often as usual this year; he was trying to get a health issue under control. But he was able to train enough not to lose 5K speed anyway or, if he lost speed, it was just temporary. He ran a 21:24 5K in mid-March. His next race at that distance was a strategic 5000 Meters on the track in 22:07, when he needed to save something for a 10,000M and 2000M Steeplechase a couple of days later. That was in July. And remember that Dykes is better at longer distances. Like Rick Lee, he would leave for Berlin and its famously fast marathon course a few days after this race. Dykes, too, is chasing an American Record for 75-79 at 3:18. In the meantime, there was this race to run. Dykes tends to go out conservatively as he likes to negative split. <b>Ezequiel Garcia</b> must have gone out hard as he was the first 75-79 competitor after Dykes to take the turn after the 1 Mile mark. He appeared to have been over a hundred meters behind Dykes. After Garcia, it was another 40 meters back to teammates, <b>Jerry Learned</b> and Glass<b>. </b>May was 30 meters back, followed a few strides later by Ostwald, with another 15 meters back to Yeates. Over the next 6.44 miles, Dykes pulled further away, winning in the end by over 4 minutes. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlLcH3iDy4FFV0Mx6cAzJVUA0ABDM_QSmo47gI4w1LHxezP6tcsvSLxLojM7hV9fVNPp3O_oi8J8l7tbTEMDPx6Bh_PL6_EOSoBzXYZKaeQt8RD4YAHd7TS6iGpRVQNqLdS03ZFwrJbq-704K3aYpNJYWwORXBz34N9Z8KsxZl7F7OE2j4vOL9F7S8NTB/s2048/Dykes-1%20Mile%20Turn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlLcH3iDy4FFV0Mx6cAzJVUA0ABDM_QSmo47gI4w1LHxezP6tcsvSLxLojM7hV9fVNPp3O_oi8J8l7tbTEMDPx6Bh_PL6_EOSoBzXYZKaeQt8RD4YAHd7TS6iGpRVQNqLdS03ZFwrJbq-704K3aYpNJYWwORXBz34N9Z8KsxZl7F7OE2j4vOL9F7S8NTB/w400-h266/Dykes-1%20Mile%20Turn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">white cap </span>taking the turn after 1 Mile On his way to the 70-74 National Championship and the Age Grading Podium</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span>Dykes was happy; it was a good tune-up for the Berlin Marathon. Ostwald, like Dykes, apparently started conservatively as he passed Garcia, Learned, Glass and May and, by the end, had left them three minutes back. Ostwald not only had the silver medal, he had 95 Grand prix points, allowing him to wrap up the 75-79 title. There was a tight race for the final spot on the podium. Yeates and May were bearing down on Glass as they approached the finish. Yeates and May both passed, with the result that Yeates, May, and Glass finished in that order, 3rd, 4th and 5th, with 4 seconds between Yeates and May, and another 6 seconds back to Glass. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdbn7BLGFuiyU2WwaIVB64ZpCZkGHD8n6GGSS-i-U9gpBST83PEQxU_flDkmzL8mMPfra2maaHs3mbiWdXOMwYG3rFZUykXWfZEyFFf5C80na2rrwg4uJvXkzI74NNwi6R5w2EeOHBbto8KDLAEaOBOX-iOUx83TCXcpQQ7iU-x5eCfcrYrh3_-YxLq2P/s2048/Yeates_May.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdbn7BLGFuiyU2WwaIVB64ZpCZkGHD8n6GGSS-i-U9gpBST83PEQxU_flDkmzL8mMPfra2maaHs3mbiWdXOMwYG3rFZUykXWfZEyFFf5C80na2rrwg4uJvXkzI74NNwi6R5w2EeOHBbto8KDLAEaOBOX-iOUx83TCXcpQQ7iU-x5eCfcrYrh3_-YxLq2P/w640-h426/Yeates_May.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Keith Yeates </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#136 </span>wins the sprint to the finish, taking 2nd in 75-79 ahead of his teammate, <b>Jim May</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">with <b>Jim Nicosia </b>#337 55-59</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Learned took 6th in 58:32, twenty-eight seconds ahead of Garcia.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span><b><i>Gene Dykes </i></b>50:50 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Gary Ostwald</i> 55:12 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Keith Yeates</i> 58:08</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">NOTE: Author's privilege -- I wrote in the preview that I, Paul Carlin, could run my best race of the year and not finish in the top 7 in 75-79, and I was right! I ran almost two minutes faster than last year, enjoyed my best age grade of the year, albeit by just 0.02%, and finished 8th. Great competition right now in 75-79!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span>Masters Hall of Famer,<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><b>Doug Goodhue</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ann Arbor </span>continues to make progress in his recovery from knee surgery. He racked up his 3rd win of the year, after being assigned a 2nd place at Club Cross, this time with a winning margin</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">of over 20 minutes. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpM1MJK_4ZHhqv6FSUHyAQMFh9PflGdrey68EAsSimARX5BbrvRtz67nErNKP38YetLYcIr8WBRkfvDlNPknMuyL-cutW8jRvXChhWGdlo7STp71wGRo2fF0eB0Phqqk5Dhoq6W5v_w4a2utgtfxOMhrPKfov6bE6fGub7yT-rZpnlnM0XrRr6H3X1uCL/s2048/Goodhue%20wins%2080-84.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpM1MJK_4ZHhqv6FSUHyAQMFh9PflGdrey68EAsSimARX5BbrvRtz67nErNKP38YetLYcIr8WBRkfvDlNPknMuyL-cutW8jRvXChhWGdlo7STp71wGRo2fF0eB0Phqqk5Dhoq6W5v_w4a2utgtfxOMhrPKfov6bE6fGub7yT-rZpnlnM0XrRr6H3X1uCL/w400-h266/Goodhue%20wins%2080-84.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Goodhue</b> taking no prisoners as he sprints to the finish for the 80-84 win and a top 30 Age Grade finish!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">If he keeps moving up, he will again become a regular contender for the age grading podium. In 2019, he was among the top 5 men in age grade score at three different events. He made it into the top 30 in this event. <b>Tony Fiory</b> jumped into the Masters 12 Km Championship for the first time and enjoyed his 2nd place finish, 2.5 minutes ahead of <b>Daniel Kirsch</b> who finished 4th last year.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Doug Goodhue</i> 1:02:42 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tony Fiory</i> 1:24:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Daniel Kirsch</i> 1:27:02</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span>Last year, <b>Roland Ratmeyer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Clifton Road Runners</span> finished 7th in 80-84. By aging up to 85, Ratmeyer found himself in a class by himself. He ran a couple of minutes slower but enjoyed the division win!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Roland Ratmeyer</i> 1:36:01</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;">WOMEN </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">40-44 </span><b>Jennifer Pesce</b>, <b>Alexandra Niles</b>, and <b>Elizabeth Wakeling</b> finished 1-2-4 Overall and go 1-2-3 in the division. See the discussion above of the Women's Overall Championship.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeLrjwIwCKJkIdFfNOvx0ETmXzuzIJfwC1zfpakySoyrs0EXC2he6xJ6Cw2uaWgouDxVSLlpYFRL7WElx4WVabIWC4dd1OwLjanNIGp8ByHG1bUg_Id2H6vYOu2mQezvTy-AR5VlXbkZAfkEdv4YeqiOVpP0wNwi1XhNpwNpxr4p6RjvYwNfru5ukUn_T/s1719/Niles_Alexandra-3rdOverall-crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1719" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeLrjwIwCKJkIdFfNOvx0ETmXzuzIJfwC1zfpakySoyrs0EXC2he6xJ6Cw2uaWgouDxVSLlpYFRL7WElx4WVabIWC4dd1OwLjanNIGp8ByHG1bUg_Id2H6vYOu2mQezvTy-AR5VlXbkZAfkEdv4YeqiOVpP0wNwi1XhNpwNpxr4p6RjvYwNfru5ukUn_T/w400-h318/Niles_Alexandra-3rdOverall-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alexandra Niles</b>, flying to the finish and 3rd place overall in the 2023 Masters 12 Km National Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Kiernan Russo</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>finished 4th, 1:26 behind Wakeling. <b>Lauren Jackson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>finished 5th, another 52 seconds back, in 49:04.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Pesce</i> 44:31 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alexandra Niles</i> 45:09 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Elizabeth Wakeling</i> 46:46</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">T.H.E. TC </span>finished 2nd here last year in 49:44 but has been running stronger this year than last. She wasted no time, getting out fast and opening up a 200-meter lead over her closest rival, <b>Michelle Lavigne </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/NY</span>, in the first mile. Lavigne had 20 meters on <b>Hiroko Guarneri</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta</span>, who had the lead int he 45-49 Grand Prix coming into the 12K. Guarneri was 30 meters ahead of <b>Karyn Baig</b>, with <b>Crissa Thurman </b>another 20 meters back. Josiah-Tanner kept her pace up and took the win in 47:33. It was a splendid run for Josiah-Tanner, two minutes faster than last year's effort. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO161pcWZvZr3LWwkotLx0OaV1W324n1syNqtEiBL5A_X7y13aJpjRZxbLc53MA0McCft5DU33iFrTRlrVhSHj61fqu8qtR7Dn6oTN0RvT5Di6ofkj-sMVykmqiJY-Q3a4hIUR6f0oCcauwEGYzA5BOk6JTY4fp-QK-jGWV4Euh1015074ho1iTBnOVMV1/s2048/Josiah-Tanner%201st%2045-49.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO161pcWZvZr3LWwkotLx0OaV1W324n1syNqtEiBL5A_X7y13aJpjRZxbLc53MA0McCft5DU33iFrTRlrVhSHj61fqu8qtR7Dn6oTN0RvT5Di6ofkj-sMVykmqiJY-Q3a4hIUR6f0oCcauwEGYzA5BOk6JTY4fp-QK-jGWV4Euh1015074ho1iTBnOVMV1/w400-h266/Josiah-Tanner%201st%2045-49.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner </b>kicks it in to take the Women's 45-49 national 12 K championship!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">It also enabled her to take the lead in the Grand Prix. Lavigne could not keep pace with Josiah-Tanner, finishing 4 minutes behind her in 2nd. Lavigne enjoyed a cushion of just over a minute at the finish. Guarneri had a tougher time of it as first Baig, and then Thurman were able to work their way past her. Guarneri did cement a 2nd place position in the Grand Prix.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner </i>47:43 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Michelle Lavigne</i> 51:56 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Karyn Baig</i> 53:01</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span>You don't break an American Record without winning your age division championship too. <b>Shoemaker</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley </span>did both. See the discussion at the beginning of this piece. It tops off a very nice year for Shoemaker. A Masters win at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 1:00:37 and an American Masters win at the NY Mini 10K got things going in the spring. Summer included two fine Mile outings and now this American Record and National Championship. <b>Abby Dean</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia </span>did not have her best day. But it was still good enough for a fine 2nd place finish. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AVOxS-oZ_s_WJFTzQDJi-pO4gkZAucp_OxAvrL2mTv0VTe6LRsu7iTDxjpoA3i5ev3Ffow2RjU6NFDOCN8StUftEsMtkYYJD1JyvUCw2nzBanXCYL2fxCCf5ITh0tyMhQo159NWVdKR6f6MT7sFSpklsV_bZn3avVmB9C2qV8xHxRus9NRikAqjvFfWZ/s2048/Dean_Abby-2nd%2050-54.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AVOxS-oZ_s_WJFTzQDJi-pO4gkZAucp_OxAvrL2mTv0VTe6LRsu7iTDxjpoA3i5ev3Ffow2RjU6NFDOCN8StUftEsMtkYYJD1JyvUCw2nzBanXCYL2fxCCf5ITh0tyMhQo159NWVdKR6f6MT7sFSpklsV_bZn3avVmB9C2qV8xHxRus9NRikAqjvFfWZ/w400-h266/Dean_Abby-2nd%2050-54.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Abby Dean</b> bringing it home for a 50-54 Silver Medal at the 12 Km Masters Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Hortencia Aliaga </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State </span>was able to keep Dean in sight for much of the race but was not able to close on her. Dean took 2nd in 48:19, with 18 seconds to spare. Aliaga had a bigger cushion as <b>Samantha Forde</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Impala Racing </span>was 1:07 back in 4th, followed 1:02 later by <b>Christie Nie </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC</span>. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Shoemaker</i> 44:39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i> 48:19 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hortencia Aliaga</i> 48:37</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Fiona Bayly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/NY</span>, despite some pain from a dental mishap shortly before race day, had her usual outing atop the 55-59 standings. It was not a day to try for a record, just a solid outing from start to finish. Bayly's 47:34 gave her the win. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukBv_5UsITcOgJrceKUceMtXWKJzq034Gy56UubYHn0p2vKGILRoBf-QcXjdsZSAZXJdgYThFNPKyNYkcl6SGL-2LsjTY7CKU7blDEkQobiIsLIIKJrPqsTtSa0C2BwyM2aDocL6UjRi9nwOiCCulpeHEu-MiSDbHjDS7RGlEpqGvWp6cPf-r2p7bH674/s1504/Bayly_Fiona-1st%2055-59.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1504" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukBv_5UsITcOgJrceKUceMtXWKJzq034Gy56UubYHn0p2vKGILRoBf-QcXjdsZSAZXJdgYThFNPKyNYkcl6SGL-2LsjTY7CKU7blDEkQobiIsLIIKJrPqsTtSa0C2BwyM2aDocL6UjRi9nwOiCCulpeHEu-MiSDbHjDS7RGlEpqGvWp6cPf-r2p7bH674/w400-h363/Bayly_Fiona-1st%2055-59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fiona Bayly</b> driving for the finish and another 55-59 national championship, this time at 12 Km</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Lori Kingsley </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Willow Street AC </span>had a solid 3-minute margin over the rest of the field, claiming 2nd in 50:18. Kingsley improved her time from last year by two minutes and moved up three places! <b>Jacalyn Lembo</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers</span> placed third at 53:33, adding this bronze medal to the one she won at the Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse. Fifty seconds later, <b>Noriko Charnly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rose City RC </span>crossed the line in 4th, followed 47 seconds later by <b>Alyssa Risko</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Willow Street </span>in 5th. Charnly, too, improved over last year, running almost a minute faster and moving up three places! Risko made top 5 in her first outing at this national championship. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fiona Bayly</i> 47:34 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lori Kingsley</i> 50:18 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jacalyn Lembo</i> 53:33</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>and <b>Kris Clark</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athletics Boulder </span>entered as co-favorites. La Burt finished 2nd in 55-59 here last year, on a warm day, in 50:10. Clark won the 60-64 division in Atlanta over 5K in 19:44, suggesting she could run well under 50 minutes for a 12 K. Both ran well! La Burt took it out strong, building up a 40-meter lead over the first mile. Clark ran tenaciously but could not cut into that early lead until late in the race. The final results showed her 11 seconds back from La Burt at the finish. But Clark had actually closed and passed La Burt, with a couple of hundred meters to go, before falling. La Burt then won the sprint to the finish when, at the last minute, Clark fell again, right before the finish line. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTcn6HV4645ziNS7qN5MdNlECVHyj1CH-3tneA6PbLzUV5R_tFZeQhB-fTkkQA-irWhWJAQOSgC3kNzWpYdASxAefMBtuQgltc6sxZROgxHqbZeghNmU7lLV3-6li_rBQfXr53y3sEjWbpGYxHi6K9L3C1RjQ08O-01PWL8BC_RRw3rFbVfA1AU9pM3v1/s1207/LaBurt_Suz-Clark_Kris-60-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1036" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTcn6HV4645ziNS7qN5MdNlECVHyj1CH-3tneA6PbLzUV5R_tFZeQhB-fTkkQA-irWhWJAQOSgC3kNzWpYdASxAefMBtuQgltc6sxZROgxHqbZeghNmU7lLV3-6li_rBQfXr53y3sEjWbpGYxHi6K9L3C1RjQ08O-01PWL8BC_RRw3rFbVfA1AU9pM3v1/w344-h400/LaBurt_Suz-Clark_Kris-60-64.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#313 </span>kicking away to take the 60-64 national 12 Km title ahead of <b>Kris Clark </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#174</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Clark</span><span style="background-color: white;"> got up and somehow got across the finish line. Officials at the scene noted that she had crossed under her own power, without assistance. That must have cost her a few seconds. La Burt's time was almost a minute faster than last year at 49:15, with Clark at 49:26. What a dramatic finish<b>Mary Cass</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Liberty AC</span>, having an excellent year herself, with wins at Richmond (XC), Syracuse and Dedham, was just 38 seconds back in 3rd place. Her teammate, <b>Lauren Leslie</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Liberty AC </span>took 4th in 53:37, with Clark's teammate, <b>Inge McClory</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athletics Boulder</span> 32 seconds back in 5th. This La Burt/Clark rivalry could be a good one to watch in the next few years!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt </i>49:15<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">Kris Clark</i> 49:26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i> 50:04</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Nora Cary</b> set the 65-69 American 12K Record on this course 2 years ago with a 51:09. In February of this year, she had a non-running mishap, broke her foot and needed surgery. Spring for recovery, summer for training to regain lost fitness and by early September, ran 21:55 at the Verona Labor Day 5K, just ten seconds slower than the year before. At the top of her game again, Cary not only won her age division, she finished 2nd in Age Grading! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xonxSQkXY-F6GiqvredysgLnQtb_EKj4PLRPkIOMI7BpL_giFhjG6kjOgTLzpDwC8LR9jfsK1Rsn1M7VOBU-nLOwacxk91BNTqM434NDAccX6GlVIvFhxWf7vQ2lZQz0p90SWDEF012pk-TN4ZmoIHvZCRnOu22CDphqrCMBtFQnA7DBrO9gwXBc14ve/s1439/Cary_Nora-1st%20in%2065-69-2nd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="1439" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xonxSQkXY-F6GiqvredysgLnQtb_EKj4PLRPkIOMI7BpL_giFhjG6kjOgTLzpDwC8LR9jfsK1Rsn1M7VOBU-nLOwacxk91BNTqM434NDAccX6GlVIvFhxWf7vQ2lZQz0p90SWDEF012pk-TN4ZmoIHvZCRnOu22CDphqrCMBtFQnA7DBrO9gwXBc14ve/w400-h341/Cary_Nora-1st%20in%2065-69-2nd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nora Cary</b> rolls to the finish and a 65-69 national 12 Km Championships along with the 2nd highest age grade score</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Cary led a 1-2-3 sweep for Shore; <b>Diane Rothman</b> finished 2nd in 57:48, three minutes faster than last year. <b>Susan Stirrat</b> must have been happy! Not only did her team do well, she finished 3rd in 1:07:35, running 5 minutes faster than last year, and sewed up the 2023 65-69 Grand Prix! <b>Antoinette Marmora</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Clifton Road Runners </span>followed Stirrat across the finish line in 4th at 1:09:00, edging <b>Judith Hudson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Raritan Valley </span>by just ten seconds.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nora Cary</i> 52:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Diane Rothman </i>57:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Susan Stirrat</i> 1:07:35</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span>On her way to the win in this division, <b>Sabra Harvey</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Team red Lizard</span>, the 2017 Masters Runner of the Year, ran a time that put her on the Age Grading podium. See that section above for more details. Her 59:01 gun-time resulted in a 58:58 net time which earned a PLP over 95.0%. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B4qnX_kgiDIrEEz1vPQgQiXmh2Alx3Er5H-5mRAT9BAMVDDdAbGcNhKRZgwL9EUZ7P7SiM_V9q3fXXt7Vhtximd7jirWtZ4Rp92gl4yIgT1Si3jX7v-u4VnI6CfApeWzsA6G8eMkqs15EQgmNmxVq4eaLcC-oWe71Tct_Vy4djWSXfFF2rw2d-EeEbfm/s1057/Harvey_Sabra-1st%2070-74-3rd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="770" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B4qnX_kgiDIrEEz1vPQgQiXmh2Alx3Er5H-5mRAT9BAMVDDdAbGcNhKRZgwL9EUZ7P7SiM_V9q3fXXt7Vhtximd7jirWtZ4Rp92gl4yIgT1Si3jX7v-u4VnI6CfApeWzsA6G8eMkqs15EQgmNmxVq4eaLcC-oWe71Tct_Vy4djWSXfFF2rw2d-EeEbfm/w291-h400/Harvey_Sabra-1st%2070-74-3rd%20Age%20Grade.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sabra Harvey</b> strides to her 70-74 national 12 Km Championship and 3rd place in age grading!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Her teammate, <b>Jeanette Groesz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Team Red Lizard</span> finished 2nd in 1:03:46, with a margin of over 5 minutes. Groesz ran two minutes faster than last year. <b>Joann Coffee </b>was 3rd in 1:09:24, with<b> </b>Roberta Geist 4th at 1:24:07.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sabra Harvey</i> 59:01 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeanette Groesz</i> 1:03:46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Joann Coffee</i> 1:09:24</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 </span>The incomparable <b>Jeannie Rice</b> had the win in this age division along with the American Record and the top age grading performance! Rice overshadowed fine outings by <b>Sharon Gerl</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Team Red Lizard , </span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QCHnUaKTXBt0aATBMcajQSVtcxTGPpvVge_ZtSSdgg3emzc412xC8UgVBl-afSgtFz4Jlwo51-XjVgUbOHBkGH0bna9iq8ALskiv6iVLkKPrphp5cDcJnx9rsUQuZrDhM_hOcym0zua4o3rwcHyPUtXX7wrPF7AFsjKdbuAF7sycF8yK3HSOYljCZUnF/s2048/Gerl_Sharon-2nd%2075-79.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QCHnUaKTXBt0aATBMcajQSVtcxTGPpvVge_ZtSSdgg3emzc412xC8UgVBl-afSgtFz4Jlwo51-XjVgUbOHBkGH0bna9iq8ALskiv6iVLkKPrphp5cDcJnx9rsUQuZrDhM_hOcym0zua4o3rwcHyPUtXX7wrPF7AFsjKdbuAF7sycF8yK3HSOYljCZUnF/w400-h266/Gerl_Sharon-2nd%2075-79.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sharon Gerl</b> claims 2nd in 75-79 at the 12 Km National Masters Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">who took 2nd in 1:07:00, and by <b>Barbara Donelik</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC</span>, 3rd in 1:11:26, matching her 12K podium finish from last year. <b>Cheryl Kohut</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unattached/NY </span>and <b>Andrea McCarter </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta</span> finished 4th and 5th.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 54:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Gerl</i> 1:07:00 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Barbara Donelik</i> 1:11:26</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 </span><b>Sandy Folzer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia </span>repeated as 80-84 Champion. She was disappointed to run slower than last year, but a win is a win! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwriY1O4oyYrn6THlxYYHZqHeM4XllNerhnITYUERta6o5XhjJtUvzg9bMdXw1n4tbTFm52IuuLv782rPoQNdHzi9LCn9MbleRSNlR4V4XZVXEUU5tnAcy59hlUXOuu053CHrtyJ7uY25JhksaQWkQOokn3wxmsMMUl6YjZiXuLie5IxoE9MHZ7GWh4mT9/s2048/Folzer-Sandra-wins%2080-84.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwriY1O4oyYrn6THlxYYHZqHeM4XllNerhnITYUERta6o5XhjJtUvzg9bMdXw1n4tbTFm52IuuLv782rPoQNdHzi9LCn9MbleRSNlR4V4XZVXEUU5tnAcy59hlUXOuu053CHrtyJ7uY25JhksaQWkQOokn3wxmsMMUl6YjZiXuLie5IxoE9MHZ7GWh4mT9/w400-h266/Folzer-Sandra-wins%2080-84.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sandy Folzer</b> takes her 2nd consecutive 80-84 National 12 Km Championship</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">As a repeat winner she is in the company oof runners like Fiona Bayly and Nora Cary, not bad company!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sandra Folzer</i> 1:28:10</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 </span><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta </span>is also a repeat winner, taking this title unopposed, the oldest division winner at 86.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 2:09:05</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Teams may declare up to 5 team members; only the first 3 are scored. Times of the first three are added up. Cumulative time determines order of finish with lower times winning. [The order by cumulative or average time is the same; I report average times which are more intuitive.]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN 40+ </span>Pesce led the <i>Garden State Track Club </i><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">TC</span></i> to victory in the
Women’s 40+ team competition. She, Niles and Wakeling had the top 3 times in the team competition. Garden state won by an average of 4 minutes per runner. <i>Shore AC</i>'s Russo, <b>Lauren Jackson</b>, and <b>Karen dos Santos </b>had the 4th, 5th and 6th best times as Shore easily took 2nd ahead of <i>West Valley TC</i>. West Valley edged <i>Shore AC 'B'</i><b> </b>for the final podium spot, with <i>Fleet Feet/Essex</i>, <i>Atlanta TC</i>, and <i>Raritan Valley RR</i> in 5th through 7th. This was Garden State's 3rd event, so they are now eligible for a Club Grand prix award. With these 100 points for 1st place at the 12K, they move up to 270 points. But <i>West Valley </i>earned 80 points for their 3rd place finish, raising their total to 280. They retain the lead by a whisker. Shore's 90 points moved them up to 255 points, and into 2nd place in the GP. It could be a shootout in Boca Raton, the last event of the 2023 series. Neither West Valley, Garden State, nor Shore have tipped their hand for Boca. None of the three are entered. If none enter then they finish 1-2-3 in that order. If one of them enters and the other two do not, that team will win the GP if they win the 40+ team race. If all three enter, Garden State needs to win. If they win, it does not matter where West Valley finishes; a tie winds up with Garden State the winner on the head-to-head tie breaker.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State TC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">J Pesce, A Niles, E Wakeling, (A Bernstein, G Panepinto) </span>45:29 average</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">K Russo, L Jackson, K dos Santos, K Monaghan-guaghan </span>49:46</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">West Valley TC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">M La Sala, K Rust, S Dusseau, A Knotts </span>53:12</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50+ </span>The same battle for the win took place in 50+ but the outcome was closer. <i>GSTC</i>'s Aliaga came in first, 2:09 ahead of <i>Shore</i>'s Nie. But then Marzulla came in 1:08 ahead of Garden State's Aspholm. At that point, GSTC had a 1:01 second edge. When Shore's Puma came in at 53:41, the clock started ticking. Shore would win if it got to 1:02. GSTC's Kim crossed the finish line 12 seconds after Puma. That gave Garden State the win by 49 seconds. <i>Willow Street</i> was nearly two minutes back in 3rd, followed by <i>Greater Philadelphia, Impala, GVH, Raritan </i>and <i>Clifton</i> in 4th through 8th. It is not all abut the podium at this stage. What is the implication for the 50+ Club Grand Prix? GVH was leading coming into this event. GVH earned 55 GP points for their 6th place finish, increasing their score on their best 5 events to 415. Impala was 2nd; their 60 points from 5th place raises their total to 370. Greater Philly's 70 points for 4th raised their score to 360. This is only the third event that Shore and Garden state have competed in. Their points raise their GP scores but with just one event left in the Grand Prix, they cannot make the podium</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State TC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">H Aliaga, K Aspholm, A Kim </span>52:26 average</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">C Nie, A Marzulla, A Puma, (N McQueen, M Paul) </span>52:43</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Willow Street AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">L Kingsley, B Stalker, A Risko, (C Brackett)</span> 53:21</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span><i>Shore </i>got a solid win in this division over a strong challenge from <i>Liberty AC</i>. Shore's La Burt scored first, 49 seconds ahead of Liberty's Cass. Things were looking good for Shore when Cary came in 1:12 ahead of Liberty's Leslie. Grocki crossed the finish line next, giving Shore 3 runners in and the low score. Bok finished next for Liberty giving them a score that was 5 minutes slower than Shore. Clifton was over 26 minutes back in 3rd, with Shore 'B;' in 4th and Raritan in 5th. Despite missing the gold medals, Liberty clinched the 60+ Club Grand Prix. They are 190 points ahead with just one event to go! No one can catch them! Shore pulled into a tie with the Impalas 60+ team at 270. If both clubs enter a team at Boca, the team that finishes higher will get 2nd and the other third. in the GP.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">S La Burt, N Cary, D Grocki, (D Capko, D Rothman) </span>52:10 average</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Liberty AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">M Cass, L Leslie, V Bok </span>53:53</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Clifton RR</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">B Otarola, A Marmora, A Uebbing </span>1:06:09</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">70+ </span>Harvey led the way for <i>Team Red Lizard </i>to go 1-2-3 and sweep the division with an average time of 1:03:16. <i>Raritan Valley </i>finished 2nd. With the win, Red Lizard moves into the Club Grand Prix lead, 40 points ahead of <i>Atlanta</i> with one event to go.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">MEN 40+ </span>In the team competition, <i>Garden State</i> 'A' finished 1-2-3-4-5 for a total sweep of the division; they averaged 39:53! In a tight contest for 2nd and 3rd, <i>Shore AC</i> prevailed over <i>GSTC's</i> B team by an average of 12 seconds a runner. Maranzani and Coleman came in ahead of their Garden State counterparts, getting enough of a cushion so that Whitehead could slam the door for the team! The <i>Genesee Valley Harriers</i> were 4 minutes behind, per runner, in 4th, followed by <i>Freedom-Garmin, Raritan Valley</i>, and <i>Clifton</i>. Beyond the immediate championship, GVH's 70 Grand Prix for 4th iced the GP win! GVH's GP leading score increased to 305. Shore picked up 90 points for their 2nd place, propelling them from 15th to 4th, with 180 points. <i>Indiana Elite</i> did not compete so they remain at 200, in 2nd place, and cannot catch GVH with just one GP event to go.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State TC 'A'</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">B Flynn, F E Daza, A Totten-lancaster, (J Gaynor, S Williams) </span>39:53</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">J Maranzani, M Coleman, C Whitehead, (D Campbell, A M Soriano) </span>46:51</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State TC 'B' </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">J Heap, J Demetrick, G Leaman </span>47:03</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">50+ </span><i>Atlanta </i>not only competed in the 50+ division but took the win. Fields, Harris, and Bell went 3-4-5 in the team competition, with just 1:04 between their 1t and 3rd runners. They took the win with a minute per runner to spare. It was very tight for the final two podium spots. <i>Garden State</i> and <i>Freedom-Garmin</i> were separated by just an average of two seconds per scoring runner. Freedom-Garmin's Crowley and Rosenberg came in ahead of their GSTC counterparts but Garden State's Cardoso finished close enough to their first two to settle the duel in favor of GSTC. After Freedom-Garmin in 3rd came the <i>Greater Springfield Harriers, GVH, Shore AC, Clifton, NJ Pacers, Shore AC 'B', Raritan Valley, Atlanta 'B', </i>and <i>Fleet Feet Essex</i> in 4th through 12th. In terms of the Grand Prix, Atlanta picked up 100 points to move from 310 to 410. GVH had been in the lead with 360 points. Their 60 points for 5th place moved their total to 420. Suddenly it is almost a tie for 1st heading into the final event of the season! Greater Springfield's 70 points for 4th place moved them from 180 to 250 and from 4th to 3rd in the standings. Shore's 55 points for 6th place increased their GP total to 225, leaving them now in 4th place in the GP. Looks like some fireworks in Boca for this division!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">B Fields, C Harris, S Bell, (F Dolan, S Angove) </span>43:10</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Garden State TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">J Hegge, M Babin, M Cardoso, (J Hogan) </span>44:24</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Freedom-Garmin</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">B Crowley, G Rosenberg, B Bumgarner, (T Maglione) </span>44:26</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">60+ </span>The <i>Atlanta TC</i> has been the juggernaut in this division winning the last 4 events they have entered and compiling a big lead in the 60+ Grand Prix. <i>Shore AC</i> found a way to stop them this time. Notaro supported Lee's winning time in the team competition with his #3 finish. That allowed Salamone to close things off with his 5th place. Their average time of 44:58 was untouchable. <i>Atlanta</i> claimed 2nd with an average time almost 3 minutes per runner slower. But the Dragstedt-Hannan-Black trio still had plenty of speed, enjoying a similar margin over the <i>Ann Arbor TC</i>. Trailing Ann Arbor in 4th through 8th were <i>Shore AC 'B'</i>, <i>Shore AC 'C'</i>, <i>North Jersey Masters TC, Fleet feet Essex</i>, and the M<i>orris County Striders</i>. Because Atlanta already has 5 events scored, their 90 points only increase their GP total by 50 points to 490. Shore's 100 points for 1st raised their GP total by just 20 points for the same reason. Their total rose from 440 to 460. That means no team can catch them for 2nd place in the Grand Prix. The win got Shore closer to Atlanta but now, with one event left, Shore cannot catch them. A win at Boca Raton would bring them within ten points of Atlanta but that is the limit. Ann Arbor's 80 GP points for 3rd place raises their GP total by 60 points from 315 to 375. That leaves them 70 points ahead of the Boulder Road Runners with one event to go. If Boulder enters a team for the 5 Km XC in Boca, they could still catch Ann Arbor and take 3rd place in the GP. They would need to finish 3rd or better in that race to finish 3rd outright in the GP.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">R Lee, H Notaro, M Salamone (D Schwartz) </span>44:58 average</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">L Dragstedt, C Hannan, D Black (S Lucking) </span>47:40</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ann Arbor TC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">S Schmidt, L Sak, A Pratt (M Mester) </span>50:38</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">70+</span> The <i>Greater Philadelphia TC </i>had the fastest runner by far in Dykes but did not have the depth to win the division. <i>Atlanta</i> had its top three finish 2-4-6 in the team competition. That was enough for a 1 minute per runner advantage over Greater Philly. Greater Philadelphia, in turn, had over a minute per runner on the third-place team, <i>Shore AC</i>. Following in order were: <i>GVH, Ann Arbor, Shore 'B', </i>and <i>Clifton Road Runners</i>. In the Grand Prix standings, the <i>Boulder Road Runners </i>had been leading<i> Atlanta</i> 460 to 440. Boulder did not send a complete team to the 12K. Atlanta's win raised their total by 20 points because the 100 points from the 12k replaced one of their 80-point scores from an earlier event. That ties them with Boulder at 460. It will be a showdown in Boca! Boulder has the edge because their current low score is 60 while Atlanta's is 80. That means if Atlanta would win and Boulder finish 2nd, Boulder's GP total would be 490 to Atlanta's 480. If Atlanta wins and Boulder finishes third, they are tied at 480 but Boulder wins on the head-to-head tie-breaker. Atlanta has to win and hope two other teams beat Boulder. GVH's 70 points from their 4th place finish raised their total to 370 and locked up 3rd place! Both Boulder and Atlanta have complete teams entered with at least one insurance runner. Ann Arbor, the winner of the 2018 and 2019 70-74 Grand Prix did not compete in many events this year. Their 60 points raised their total to 255 and they stand in 5th place, 5 points behind the <i>Syracuse Track Club</i>. They cannot catch GVH, even if they entered a complete team and would win at Boca Raton.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">K Larson, D Glass, J learned (W Irvin)</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>56:58</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Greater Philadelphia TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">G Dykes, F Moura, T Jennings </span>57:58</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">B Bosmann, P Auteri, K Wilson </span>59:16</p><p class="MsoNormal">*********************************************************************</p><p class="MsoNormal">The next and last race in the 2023 USATF Masters National Grand Prix is on October 7th at Boca Raton. Details at: </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-86354599760452667912023-09-16T10:50:00.001-04:002023-09-16T10:50:37.904-04:00Athletes to Compete In 2023 USATF Masters12 Km Championships on the Jersey Shore<p> <b>September 16, 2023.</b> This coming Sunday will see the Sandy Hook National Park provide a spectacular setting for the Masters 12 Km National Championships. A spit of land jutting north towards the Statue of Liberty, it provides glimpses of water and sand and various shore birds. Once the gun goes off, all the focus will be on the race. The USATF-NJ Association hosts the event as part of its By Hook Or By Crook Run; this is their third consecutive year to host the national championship.</p><p>Masters athletes from across the country converge to compete, as individuals and teams, for national glory. The competition and camaraderie bring out the best in us. This course can be fast; records were set here two years ago. It looks like several could fall this year if the weather stays moderate. Last year it was warm; athletes dialed back their efforts or struggled. This year the race starts a half hour earlier and the forecast is relatively favorable. Last September it was already 72F at race time and humid, with a dewpoint of 64. This year it is predicted to be 66F at race time; the dewpoint of 53 suggests extra humidity should not be the problem it was last year. It will be sunny again, and the course has little shade.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Record Possibilities. </span></b>The American Record that seems most certain to fall is Women 75-79. That is because <b>Jeannie Rice</b> is entered. This will be her final tune-up race before going for the Marathon World Record at Chicago. She ran faster than the 75-79 World Record when she clocked 3:33:15 at Boston this past April. Because of a technicality, the course at Boston is not record eligible, although it is known to be, usually, one of the tougher marathons. Should she run an equivalent age grade at this 12 Km, she would break the existing 75-79 record by over 5 minutes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSnId2GfYIJly77Np5gM6v39u9gKbdXVDYQPSX4vMsNH76_XS8w2f8hZq1kqdHLDFR2iwtn7XllPiW3NNXsRSYv_Ya-Xntzf-TjINHQsc-uAERxu7BTC-8Xh_Zy0DKj7149TxDwy_9gB6CVXI9OwDV9WS4gbxuFrx_OJ0fLtUGbnXmqpu6O2Pv7PloyE8/s1353/Women75-79-Rice%20Takes%20the%20Bell.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSnId2GfYIJly77Np5gM6v39u9gKbdXVDYQPSX4vMsNH76_XS8w2f8hZq1kqdHLDFR2iwtn7XllPiW3NNXsRSYv_Ya-Xntzf-TjINHQsc-uAERxu7BTC-8Xh_Zy0DKj7149TxDwy_9gB6CVXI9OwDV9WS4gbxuFrx_OJ0fLtUGbnXmqpu6O2Pv7PloyE8/w400-h266/Women75-79-Rice%20Takes%20the%20Bell.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice on the Track--Taking the Bell for another Gold medal!</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> That is probably too optimistic, but <b>Libby James's </b>2014 record seems almost certain to fall. <b>Roberta Groner</b> is also entered. The first US finisher at the Women's Marathon at the Doha World Championships, Groner has been taking down 45-49 records this year. She now owns the 10 Mile record at 55:13 and has marks in the 10 Km, 33:41, and the Half Marathon, 1:11:28, that are pending final ratification. She ran a minute faster than the current 12 Km record on this course two years ago. She is running even better now. Should she age grade at the same level as her half marathon, she would be more than three minutes under the record. It is probably too warm and sunny for that kind of performance, but Groner running faster than the current 43:38 record seems very likely. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-UsMDK2O4KEh9M_gwPY94oOGL8bdey7aIvQAIDbLWtx5qPCsOcrp9XhzTbuu9UmaagRtJsBsDpBxaNWDYandryx3fh4YOLHfQcVCH-LtT-qhVDwZ7uIwBmLNDA3ivmPr2QwW9NbksKQHyyQDVQVMwjtCsj5JSJk5wuMAoOMImjHokeAq5x_1SNjJnPyh/s2048/Roberta%20Groner%20breaks%20the%20tape-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-UsMDK2O4KEh9M_gwPY94oOGL8bdey7aIvQAIDbLWtx5qPCsOcrp9XhzTbuu9UmaagRtJsBsDpBxaNWDYandryx3fh4YOLHfQcVCH-LtT-qhVDwZ7uIwBmLNDA3ivmPr2QwW9NbksKQHyyQDVQVMwjtCsj5JSJk5wuMAoOMImjHokeAq5x_1SNjJnPyh/w400-h266/Roberta%20Groner%20breaks%20the%20tape-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roberta Groner </b>winning the Overall 12 Km Championship in 2021 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit for this and all other 12 Km Pictures, both 2021 and 2022 go to Jason Timochko</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The Record for Women 55-59 is held by <b>Lisa Veneziano</b>, set here in 2021 at 46:13. Veneziano is not entered but <b>Fiona Bayly </b>is. Bayly won the division last year in 47:38, under tough conditions. Her performances this year at the 10 Mile and the 10 Km championships suggests that a time well under 46:30 is more likely this year. Whether the day is good enough to allow Bayly to get under 46:13 is an open question. The record in 50-54 is 44:56, set in 1993. <b>Perry Shoemaker</b> finished 3rd overall here in 2021, clocking 46:08. But she has been running faster recently. She has always run well at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in Washington DC and this year was no exception. She won the Masters race with a 1:00:37. If she can match the age grade she scored there, Shoemaker would be under the record by 20 seconds or so, not a lot of room for error. On the other hand, she will have <b>Abby Dean</b> to push her. Dean finished 2nd overall last year, and first in 50-54, in 46:42; she could well run faster than that this year. <b>Nora Cary</b> could make a run at her own record of 51:09, set here in 2021, but she may not be fully at the top of her game after recovering from an injury earlier this year. <b>Sabra Harvey</b>, the 2017 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, started competing again after an absence from national championships; her main goal was to help Team Red Lizard in the team championships. That is still her goal but her fitness has returned. Harvey is definitely a threat to acquire the 12 Km record for 70-74; it currently stands at 58:22. Harvey ran 1:16:57 at the Space City Ten Miler in October and 1:44:24 at the Houston Half Marathon. Both performances suggest the 12 Km record is within her grasp. The record at risk on the Men's side is 60-64. <b>Nat Larson </b>has taken down 60-64 American Records from the Mile to the Half Marathon this year. He won here last year on a hot day in 43:43, which is almost a minute slower than the current record of 42:50, set in 2014 by <b>Tom McCormack</b>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDGMffsT5wI8AEIM_1BQwbTEwxPZ9l2PEmkmIihIYYc8MOqxS7NWqNXtfhUaTWzW4I8eqjJYqgyz4NjI7VFk6wTTAs9SX4lMisYef3yrMF7ls8ylT6gizDwgPl_j-Dzu6EBPAWgr4EBizj2Y8o-N3UXmtF6875Czc0USNa-zcNIBAtOc7K0CpgO8ayFxW/s1470/Larson%20Wins%2060-64%20Recap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="798" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDGMffsT5wI8AEIM_1BQwbTEwxPZ9l2PEmkmIihIYYc8MOqxS7NWqNXtfhUaTWzW4I8eqjJYqgyz4NjI7VFk6wTTAs9SX4lMisYef3yrMF7ls8ylT6gizDwgPl_j-Dzu6EBPAWgr4EBizj2Y8o-N3UXmtF6875Czc0USNa-zcNIBAtOc7K0CpgO8ayFxW/w217-h400/Larson%20Wins%2060-64%20Recap2.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nat Larson </b>winning the 60-64 12K Championship in 2022 </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>If the weather is cool enough, Larson could well run fast enough to beat that record. If he equals the performance he had in May when he broke the Half Marathon record, Larson could be a minute under it. And he will have competitive pressure from <b>Rick Lee</b> and <b>Steve Schmidt</b>, both of whom should crack 45 minutes!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Overall Championships</span>. </b><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN</span> The primary contenders appear to be: <b>Fabian Eduardo Daza</b>, <b>Michael Dixon</b>, <b>Dickson Mercer</b>, and <b>David Angell</b>. If any of those three have an off day, others who might factor into the podium race include: <b>Peter Anzovino, Joseph Gaynor, Aaron Totten-Lancaster</b>, <b>Gregory Putnam </b>and <b>Chuck Terry</b>. </p><p>Daza, Mercer, and Angell finished 5th, 6th and 8th last year. Daza clocked 40:21. His Masters win at the Ridgewood 10K this May in 33:24 suggests his fitness is similar. In April of 2022 Daza ran 1:10:31to take top Masters finisher at the Dick's Sporting Goods Half Marathon. If he could rekindle the flame that burned that day, he might even crack 40 minutes! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPITXzTkUJwT50dFPQ3hN89qGwpJN0yY-ASHITDfDZisO8S2zeS8Zluc5JmZr9CdywFQK_VH3DLBVd6r1PqjXVKQ7y7rnLFiYVH2HJXFqOan7yBOzSTv1zNO41_KH629WWX3v-U_5ICWF2gIxYrmG46FEzh9hZvfANDh_B74wXdYqJ26aph4DdZJgYVLt_/s1411/Angell-AT-L%20lead%20out%2045-49Recap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1411" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPITXzTkUJwT50dFPQ3hN89qGwpJN0yY-ASHITDfDZisO8S2zeS8Zluc5JmZr9CdywFQK_VH3DLBVd6r1PqjXVKQ7y7rnLFiYVH2HJXFqOan7yBOzSTv1zNO41_KH629WWX3v-U_5ICWF2gIxYrmG46FEzh9hZvfANDh_B74wXdYqJ26aph4DdZJgYVLt_/w640-h462/Angell-AT-L%20lead%20out%2045-49Recap2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Angell </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">#305 </span>and <b>Aaron Totten-Lancaster</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#261 </span>leading out some of the top contenders in 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Mercer ran 40:42 last year. He finished 5th at the Masters Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse in April but has been up and down since. He rehabbed a hip issue over the summer and then dealt with some hamstring tightness. Mercer appears to be rounding into good shape again but has not been tested in a recent race. Angell has also had issues, but his injury was further back and involved ankle and Achilles problems. </p><p>He was not fully recovered last year when he ran 41:00; he should be a more formidable opponent this Sunday. His 3rd place finish in the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham Ma in April suggest that a time under 41:00 and perhaps under 40:30 is within his grasp. Dickson finished 5th overall at the Spring Distance Classic 15K in 51:29. That equates via age grading to a 40:43 12K. His 33:23 10K at the Ridgewood Run on Memorial Day equates to a 41:09. Those performances suggest he is firmly in the mix. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ydUGZAG_em7LKJPLe1hkrXTNac8ZVwLt75YtAiZJ491LuRS34oLkmUJh53N2WHnRGtmRshUv33QeA0mnkxgmAIirMYJ9w9OBIhwQFhrtTTsyVZwkEM5AuEZljr7X-fMROMXyl7Lhx7Ee28NXoQsLflbFMXvMEUeTcHGwV6FJgkBR1l-V8f22c_-2dkBU/s1478/Daza-5th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="913" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ydUGZAG_em7LKJPLe1hkrXTNac8ZVwLt75YtAiZJ491LuRS34oLkmUJh53N2WHnRGtmRshUv33QeA0mnkxgmAIirMYJ9w9OBIhwQFhrtTTsyVZwkEM5AuEZljr7X-fMROMXyl7Lhx7Ee28NXoQsLflbFMXvMEUeTcHGwV6FJgkBR1l-V8f22c_-2dkBU/w248-h400/Daza-5th.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fabian Daza </b>5th overall in last year's Championship</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Anzovino clocked a 1:15:11 half marathon at the April 2022 Delaware Run Fest, which equates to a 41:44 12K. In November he ran the NYC Marathon in 2:51:34. Gaynor ran 41:26 to finish 11th overall last year. His 27:22 at the Tom Fleming Sunset 5 Miler in late June equates to a 41:24. But he finished a minute behind Dixon at the Ridgewood Run. Totten-Lancaster ran well last year at 41:52, right after moving from Colorado to New Jersey. His training has gone well recently but he has not targeted this race for peak fitness. His most recent indicator of fitness for an intermediate distanced race is his Garden State 10 Mile Relay time of 57:13 in March. That equates, roughly, to a 42:00 effort over 12 Km. Putnam, out of the 50-54 division, is a longshot. But he did land on the podium at the Half Marathon championships. It would be a mistake to ignore him. In finishing 7th overall at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham, his 34:21 suggests 41:30 would not be an implausible goal for this Sunday. Terry finished 4 seconds behind Putnam at Dedham. His 53:26 15K at the Stockade-a-thon equates to a 42:17 12K.</p><p>Based on this review it appears that Angell and Daza will duel for the win. I opt for Angell taking the win because he is on the upswing. He has won several prior Masters National Overall championships which may provide some advantage. This would be a first for Daza. Mercer could well be the 3rd athlete on the podium, but I will opt for Dixon because Mercer is coming out of rehabbing an injury.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>David Angell Fabian Eduardo Daza Michael Dixon</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><b>Roberta Groner</b> is the clear favorite for the win. Her credentials are listed above in terms of her very good chance to break the 45-49 American Record. If she runs close to her potential, under 43 minutes, no one will be able to stay with her. But we still have to run the race; nothing is ever certain. <b style="font-family: inherit;">Kristen Prendergast </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">returns
to defend her title; she took the Overall title last year in 46:07. S</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">he was the 2</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Masters finisher at the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March, at 1:21:57, and took top women’s honors at the Clinton Township Country Run over 15 K in April. Those two races suggest a time around or under 46:00 would not be a stretch. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrqnq2h2Ej_WYvLtoJbynvQY7ll0Y0cskfrvaN0ThbZR53bUFBXBgpdalW9EKkBaQWFCd5oLuApGG1jQ_-bJBCMOWkIGrBBlkkhPPVpbQQaL_ItL-UTPiExFW13Z4h0XkBHkM7QVlNKoaNE4FoJ1kj_D0TS3wOstNzdHNWRbjuTkvrnK6gkzOvzwbXa3J/s1107/Kristen%20Prendergast%20Wins%20Women's%20Overall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="895" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrqnq2h2Ej_WYvLtoJbynvQY7ll0Y0cskfrvaN0ThbZR53bUFBXBgpdalW9EKkBaQWFCd5oLuApGG1jQ_-bJBCMOWkIGrBBlkkhPPVpbQQaL_ItL-UTPiExFW13Z4h0XkBHkM7QVlNKoaNE4FoJ1kj_D0TS3wOstNzdHNWRbjuTkvrnK6gkzOvzwbXa3J/w324-h400/Kristen%20Prendergast%20Wins%20Women's%20Overall.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kristen Prendergast</b> taking the Overall win last year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Abby Dean</b> finished in 2nd, just a half minute back from Prendergast, last year. She had some ups and downs over the winter but came back strong to finish 4th at the 10 Km Masters Championships in Dedham in 38:15. A tough outing at Grandma's Marathon meant her subsequent performances at the Mile Championships and the Beach to beacon 10K were not her best. Another 5 weeks of recovery should do wonders though. No doubt she will be in the hunt! </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Alexandra Niles</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, new to the Masters division, finished 10</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> overall and first woman at the Eversource Hartford Marathon last October in 2:43:23. If she can run well enough on Sunday to earn the same age grade, she would need to run around 44:30. A 2020 Olympic Trials Qualifier, Niles knows how to compete. I have no recent results to parse any further. </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer Pesce</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, the Masters 5 Km National Champion, will also challenge at this longer distance. Her 2</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> place Masters finish at the Blue Cross Broad Street Run over 10 Miles last May. in 59:16 shows that she can handle the distance! That time is age-grade equivalent to a 43:38. That might be a bit optimistic because the Broad Street Run is known as a fast course. But a time around 44:00 seems plausible. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNFyVmW1-VRpKs4g8Z_Q7LnRdWAzkjOlgzIl1hIrp-ePznhK-m2K9Cy3Vi-rvkzJ6Ptevf5X0Zq78VsX9hZ8kghakBRge-Bjo90B3u-9ZNu1IcDVRXnwACemolmf_fCwUnyGY8OhKz11qggTH6zg2q3fkM0WaOpSU05u0vnX2aLePK0ZBxShPH2M7WXfM/s628/Pesce%20wins%20Women's%20Race%20Overall-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="628" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNFyVmW1-VRpKs4g8Z_Q7LnRdWAzkjOlgzIl1hIrp-ePznhK-m2K9Cy3Vi-rvkzJ6Ptevf5X0Zq78VsX9hZ8kghakBRge-Bjo90B3u-9ZNu1IcDVRXnwACemolmf_fCwUnyGY8OhKz11qggTH6zg2q3fkM0WaOpSU05u0vnX2aLePK0ZBxShPH2M7WXfM/w400-h374/Pesce%20wins%20Women's%20Race%20Overall-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Pesce</b> winning the 2023 5 Km Overall Championship in Atlanta</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit;">Perry Shoemaker</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, out of the 50-54 division, who ran 46:08 to finish 3</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> here in 2021 cannot be ignored. She was the first Masters finisher at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler this past April in 1:00:37. That is age grade equivalent to a 44:33 12K. A 37:31 at the New York Mini 10K in June suggests a sub-46 12K is likely for Shoemaker on Sunday. </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Fiona Bayly</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, now in the 55-59 division, is still a threat for the podium. She finished 5</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> here last year in 47:38. But she took the Overall bronze medal at the 10 Km Masters Championships last April in 38:10, suggesting something close to 46 might be possible. She also finished 4th overall at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in Sacramento. Her 1:03:06 is also consistent with something under 46:30 for a 12K. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As noted, Groner is the favorite for the win. After that it is more difficult. I will go for Pesce to take 2nd, followed by Niles. But Prendergast is the defending champion, and she knows the course better than Niles and Pesce. Shoemaker, Bayly and Dean, possibly in that order, will press the other four for the podium!</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><i><b>Roberta Groner Alexandra Niles Jennifer Pesce</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Age Grading Championships.</span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> </span>The age grade medals recognize the fastest runners for their age across all age divisions. The Performance Level Percentage <span style="font-size: xx-small;">PLP</span> measures, in percentage terms, how the fast the athlete's time is compared to the projected fastest time for an athlete of that age, in years. If the World's best time is 40:00 and you run 50:00, your age grade score is 80% because the best time, in seconds, 2400, is 80% of your time in seconds, 3000. The Masters LDR Committee recommends the calculator at <a href="http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/mldrroad20.html">MLDR Road age-grading calculator (howardgrubb.co.uk)</a>, which is calibrated to the USATF approved road race age grading tables for 2020. The Masters LDR Committee has also promoted the language that a 90% or above is a World Class time, with 80% and above a national class time. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span>: Top favorites for the overall age grade awards include: Rice <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">75</span>, Harvey <span style="font-size: xx-small;">74</span>, Groner 45, Shoemaker <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 12.84px;">52</span><span style="line-height: 12.84px;">, </span>Bayly <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">56, </span><b>Nora Cary </b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">68</span>, and <b>Kris Clark </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">60</span><b>. </b>Rice's Boston Marathon time age grades at over 100%. She has competed at some local races over the summer, including a 38:09 5 Miler, that grades at 97.74%, and a 1:41:57 Half Marathon that graded at 101.5%. Harvey's Space City ten Miler grades at 98.33%, and her Houston Aramco Half Marathon at 95.91%. Harvey clearly put in the miles for those efforts. Groner is not far back; her 1:11:27 half marathon graded at 96.87. Her 10 Mile record run graded at 95.38 and her 10 Km record at 95.09%! Shoemaker's Cherry Blossom Ten Miler graded at 93.72. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoQZCPg-u-3faA6_7-NW1dPS7Y6TnN1QJBADOOF-Crn3teDo-I1UgvlV5E8KKQjEqs9PSuDBjalyKsnngKMNtB1umzCHsz6x80S3HJM3KWiUYzrSz_Yeey0PvwVTakOr1lvvcFxsN7P1AAjx-uVdksLslK8C6Omkl5y83FY2nUSi6NAz3XI-NiFlLFgiX/s1204/Shoemaker_VenezianoCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="1110" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoQZCPg-u-3faA6_7-NW1dPS7Y6TnN1QJBADOOF-Crn3teDo-I1UgvlV5E8KKQjEqs9PSuDBjalyKsnngKMNtB1umzCHsz6x80S3HJM3KWiUYzrSz_Yeey0PvwVTakOr1lvvcFxsN7P1AAjx-uVdksLslK8C6Omkl5y83FY2nUSi6NAz3XI-NiFlLFgiX/w369-h400/Shoemaker_VenezianoCROP.jpg" width="369" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Perry Shoemaker</b> finishing 3rd overall in 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 107%;">Bayly's 10K graded a tad lower at 93.52. </span>Cary set the 65-69
American record here two years ago; she is running well again after being injured.<b> </b>Her most recent outing shows she has recovered, at least for the 5K. She clocked 21:55 at the Verona Labor Day 5K. That age grades at: 93.51! Amazing as that is, Cary will need to improve on that to have a chance at top 5! Clark took 4th in age grading at the 5Km in Atlanta with a 93.75 but then sustained an injury shortly before the 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento. This will be her first national championship since that time; it will be interesting to see if she is as fit now as in Atlanta. And there are many other fine athletes who will grade near or above World Class, including: <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Cass</i>, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i>, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeanette Groesz</i>, and <b><i>Suzanne La Burt. </i></b>I will let the numbers guide me on this one but, of course, it comes down to the unknown mix of preparation and performance on the day. The favorites are Rice, Harvey and Groner in that order. </p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order:</i></p><p><b style="font-style: italic;">Roberta Groner Sabra Harvey </b><b><i>Jeannie Rice</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN </span>Only one runner is
missing from the top 7 last year; <b>Rick Becker</b>, who finished first, just .04% points above 2nd place, is in Eugene, Oregon for the final Diamond league meet of the season. <b>Nat Larson</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">61</span><b>, Brian Crowley </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">58</span><b>, Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">75</span><b>, Henry Notaro</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">61</span><b>, Roger Sayre</b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;"> 65</span>, and <b>Dave Glass</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">77 </span>finished in that order last
year, in 2nd through 7th. Larson is a slim favorite. Dykes has gotten a blood platelet issue under
control and seems to be running better than last year. He just took home four
gold medals from the Masters Track and Field Championships this July, including
the steeplechase. <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">62</span>, the American Record 60-64 holder over 50K and 50 Miles, and
60-64 winner at Boston this past Patriot’s Day, also took steeplechase honors
in July. Since then he came in ahead of Larson at the Faxon 20K in New Haven on Labor Day and won his division handily at the Fifth Avenue Mile in the rain. <b>Steve Schmidt</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">62</span>,<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>who beat Lee and Notaro in the
downpour at the Club Cross Country Championships, will try to rekindle that
magic on the roads. </p><p>Larson graded at 90.44% here last year. With cooler weather in the offing, Larson should come closer to his usual level. His 60-64 record performance in the half marathon graded at 94.41%. His 34:24 net time at the 10K championships scored a 94.33. On a warm Labor Day in New Haven, Larson still managed an 89.58%. My guess is that Larson, this Sunday, will be closer to 94% than 90%. </p><p>Crowley's grade last year was 90.40%. Like others in this list, Crowley had some issues to work on these past months. His performances this spring were close to his 12Km performance. His 35:49 10K at the Ridgewood Run in May and his 17:37 5K and his June 17:37 5k both graded at almost 89%. But there have been few races since. It will be interesting to see on Sunday if he is closer to what he was running in the spring or if his fitness is still a bit off. He was rehabbing during that time. He logged good milage from the last week in July <span style="font-size: xx-small;">50-60 per week</span> through Labor Day before taking some time off for a family vacation. He should be ready for a good run!</p><p>Dykes graded at 89.60% last year, well below his norm. But this has been an up and down year for Dykes. In January he thought he had his problems licked when he ran a modest, for him, 1:31:43 Half marathon in Naples FL. That graded at 89.06%. He expected things to go better. But that has not shown up in races yet. He ran in some 5K's and graded similarly in the high 80's. great for most runners but below what he expects of himself. His workouts have improved dramatically lately. He is building toward the Berlin Marathon later in the month. If he comes in healthy, he could rip off a 12K time that would put him back several percentage points above 90, where he was regularly in 2017-2019. </p><p>Notaro has not been as active this year as last. He apparently had a knee issue in the spring but has come back from that. He has logged a lot of miles over the past two months to get ready for Chicago. He is no doubt running for team points this year. My guess is that he is also fit enough to compete as well as in the recent past as an individual. </p><p>Sayre graded at 88.39% last year. My guess is that Sayre could move up. His 1:01:09 at the 10 Mile national championships graded at 92.24%. Like Notaro, Sayre has been logging the miles to prep for Chicago. He should be ready for a fast 12K.</p><p>Glass graded at 88.11% last year. But this has been a difficult year for Glass, starting with Club Cross where <b>Gary Ostwald</b> outran him. That was not too big a surprise on the turf. But when Ostwald started beating him on the roads, that was a surprise. And Glass's age grades fell. Glass is a fine runner and may yet come back to run high 80's again. He has had some months to recover his fitness.</p><p>Lee, as noted, came in ahead of Larson at the 20K on Labor Day, running a 1:15:06 for a 91.63%. That is a fairly typical age grade for Lee. Like anyone he has had his bad days. He races frequently at any distance from 800 meters to 50 Miles. His 2021 12K on this course graded at 89.07% but his half marathon at Gasparilla this February, a 1:19:06, graded at 90.92%. His winning effort at Boston in 2:46:36 graded at 91.40%.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMAwE9ksiaJsTK5fm4Uy57GUfVIfuw4Z2H76aLRvhcVXd5vZhTUFtudEeb8XEaMkn2KrTeqHDgyrUK9VbceVA2z5pH_3tEuaZ59HmsPyUK7lxz0y2J1KctgTdC0WiNux3KpQJ5WZ6OedkTk0v4FqmffK48nbwO95K71AYYcl3JnBN3KeOvc2_BkqEIELf/s2048/Lee_Rick-Taking%20No%20Prisoners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMAwE9ksiaJsTK5fm4Uy57GUfVIfuw4Z2H76aLRvhcVXd5vZhTUFtudEeb8XEaMkn2KrTeqHDgyrUK9VbceVA2z5pH_3tEuaZ59HmsPyUK7lxz0y2J1KctgTdC0WiNux3KpQJ5WZ6OedkTk0v4FqmffK48nbwO95K71AYYcl3JnBN3KeOvc2_BkqEIELf/w400-h266/Lee_Rick-Taking%20No%20Prisoners.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee</b> winning the 60-64 12K Championship in 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Scmidt, known more as a marathoner, actually had his highest age grade this year at the 5K championships in Atlanta, scoring a 91.50% on that 'Atlanta Flat' course. One of the first members of Amby Burfoot's 6DS3 club <span style="font-size: xx-small;">6 decades of sub-3 hour marathons</span>, Schmidt joined the Ann Arbor Track Club's 60+ team this year and has made a big contribution. He has been on the age-grading podium in each of the road championships he has contested, finishing 2nd at the 5K, ahead of Lee and Sayre; 2nd at the Half Marathon on the hilly course in Syracuse, ahead of Sayre; and 3rd at the 10 Km championship behind Larson. Based on those outings, Schmidt seems a good bet for the age grading podium.</p><p>I think Larson will rise to the top again. It could be another 1-2-3 for the 60-64 group as it was at the 10 Km in Dedham. Lee and Schmidt should be close and either could come in ahead of him in age grading. If they can stay close in real time, they can outpoint Larson in age grading; they are each 62 while Larson is 60. Crowley or Dykes could break them up. but I go with Larson-Lee-Schmidt in that order. But it could be like last year where the top three are separated by just hundredths of a percentage point.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><b><i>Nat Larson</i> <i>Rick Lee Steve Schmidt</i></b></p><p><span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: large;">Age Division Championships.</span></span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 700;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">MEN 40-44 </span><b>Daza, Dixon, Gaynor, </b><b>Mercer</b> and <b>Terry </b>were all mentioned in the analysis of the Overall Championships above. That analysis suggests Daza, Dixon, and Mercer could well go 1-2-3 in that order, but Gaynor and Terry will certainly be in the mix and could easily upset that prediction.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Fabian Eduardo Daza Michael Dixon Dickson Mercer</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>Angell and Totten-Lancaster <span style="font-size: xx-small;">T-L</span>, both mentioned for consideration in the Overall Championships, appear to be the strongest two in the field, with Angell likely ahead of T-L. They took gold and bronze in the division, in that order last year, at 41 flat and 41:52. If Angell runs as well as he did at Dedham, a time in the low 40's could be his. Several others look like they could get close to those two. <b>Matthew DiPretore</b> finished two places and a minute and a half behind Angell at the 10 Km Championships. That time suggests a rough 12K equivalent of 42:30. Like many high-altitude runners, <b>Robbie Genzel</b> likes the trails more than the roads. But he ran a road race in March, the Running of the Green Lucky 7K in Denver, in 24:57. That equates to a 43:32 12K. But as that was done at altitude, it suggests a sub-43 is within his reach at sea level if the humidity stays low, as predicted. <b>Christopher Hernandez</b> finished 6th in the division last year, a minute and a half behind T-L. He finished better in Atlanta over a hilly 5K course, suggesting he has the potential to go under 43. <b> Joseph Maranzani</b>, and <b>Shawn Williams</b> will need to run a little faster than they have been to break up those five. Maranzani finished 7th in the division last year in 44:23. His 1:19:53 performance at the Seaside Half Marathon last October was very comparable in age grading terms. It will probably take a sub-43 to make the podium in this division. Williams's 35:07 at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham was only 8 seconds slower than Di Pretore's time. But I can find no other race results for him since the end of April, which raises some doubts about race fitness for this weekend. There is clearly a fair amount of guess work going on, but I will opt for DiPretore to prevail as final athlete on the 45-49 podium, ahead of Genzel and Hernandez.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>David Angell Matthew DiPretore Aaron Totten-Lancaster</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Steve Bell</b> and <b>Gregory Putnam</b> renew their rivalry. They met at the 10 Km Masters Championships earlier this year, hosted by the James Joyce Ramble at the end of April. Putnam took the win in 34:21; Bell was 15 seconds back in 2nd. Putnam has the advantage of knowing the course; he finished 2nd here last year in 42:12. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="367" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5364nEpfD7lpnOaC5cGkkOTfZtCTyHpha2huucvTNYre3ZoZU5hF4u9PXP3_AY08kQhchmhmZpGWy_XAAY1QVHeAyso2MTBAfznrMtIXEnfX0iNElEtMd7u-zxN8OeeawBwLhDHb7kKCfw1CoGO4Kda73AGCgam2UNN1cFtRKqVsoL1Z6xUQh2Z_4rIO/w268-h400/Putnam.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="268" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gregory Putnam</b> headed for 3rd Overall at the Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Syracuse Half Marathon</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5364nEpfD7lpnOaC5cGkkOTfZtCTyHpha2huucvTNYre3ZoZU5hF4u9PXP3_AY08kQhchmhmZpGWy_XAAY1QVHeAyso2MTBAfznrMtIXEnfX0iNElEtMd7u-zxN8OeeawBwLhDHb7kKCfw1CoGO4Kda73AGCgam2UNN1cFtRKqVsoL1Z6xUQh2Z_4rIO/s550/Putnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b></b></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Brent Fields</b>, in the 45-49 division last year, ran 40 seconds slower than Putnam. His 35:38 at the AJC Peachtree Run, not known for fast times, reinforces the notion that he should run around 43:00 or a bit under. That puts him in the mix for the podium this year. <b>Marco Cardoso</b> would be right there with them had it not been for getting caught in a pile-up at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in DC in early April. The injury sustained there was, no doubt, responsible for the 38:35 10K he ran at the Ridgewood Run on Memorial Day. He ran 36:22 at the Giralda Farms 10K a couple of months after the 12K. If he is fully recovered now, he will push the others for a place on the podium. <b>Joseph Hegge</b> ran 43:48 here last year; his 1:18:49 at the UA RnR Half marathon in DC in March reinforces the notion that he should break 44 again this year. <b>Frederick Dolan </b>and <b>Gary Rosenberg</b> will be in the hunt as well. Still, I like a finishing order of Putnam-Bell-Fields. </p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><b><i>Steve Bell Brent Fields Gregory Putnam</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span>If <b>Brian Crowley</b> can run as he did here last year when the won the division in 42:23, it does not seem likely anyone will stay with him. The 35:49 10K he ran on Memorial Day of this year was only 40 seconds slower than his 10K in late April of 2022 at the 10 Km Championships. But he was rehabbing a minor injury in the early part of the summer. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0-ZnC6QucUPbGjopxZzHMdcUrzA4PW6VCh743gRpDkv4FV0Ea3ML3j5gP_BxVCI-Kp6j13OBwv4z_X4oVhDTp67ivlpeecJ1iLkwBPwtLninIDVUFYZkJZij3loSolrXyOrzBNDq21pd2_pTBIsshPpvTRAud7YzY9jMzlNw_jasBw2i-KD8QmsT4_fz/s1214/Crowley%20Driving%20for%2055-59%20Win-Recap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="751" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0-ZnC6QucUPbGjopxZzHMdcUrzA4PW6VCh743gRpDkv4FV0Ea3ML3j5gP_BxVCI-Kp6j13OBwv4z_X4oVhDTp67ivlpeecJ1iLkwBPwtLninIDVUFYZkJZij3loSolrXyOrzBNDq21pd2_pTBIsshPpvTRAud7YzY9jMzlNw_jasBw2i-KD8QmsT4_fz/w248-h400/Crowley%20Driving%20for%2055-59%20Win-Recap2.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brian Crowley </b>winning the 55-59 Championship last year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>His training has looked good lately with lots of mileage in August. He should be good for the division win. <b>David Waid</b> is a podium contender. His 1:19:37 at the Birmingham (AL) Half Marathon and a 1:00:07 Ten Miler last January suggest he should be able to handle a 12 Km time around 44:00. <b>Joseph Shairs</b>, who trains with Putnam, from 50-54, looks like a real podium threat. He ran a 36:09 10K at Dedham, which equates to a 43:51 12K. <b> </b>His 1:20:41 Half Marathon at Boston's Run to Remember on Memorial Day equates to a 44:40. <b>Mark Hixson's</b> 37:12 at the 10 Km Championships this spring equates to a 45:09 12K. He reinforced that expectation with a 29:39 at the Branford 5 Miler in June. <b>Simon Angove, Jeffrey Conston, Dale Flanders, Scott Siriano</b>, and <b>Michael Strickland</b> have strong credentials; any one of them might break up the top 4 I have highlighted.<b> </b>My prediction though is for: Crowley, Waid, and Shairs in that order, with Hixson pushing them strongly.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Brian Crowley Joseph Shairs David Waid</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span>Since he turned 60, <b>Nat Larson</b> has won the division at every championship this year and at almost every race he has entered. The sole exception seems to be the 20K at New Haven over Labor Day, which is not a Masters National Championship. And the 60-64 division as a whole is unusually dominant in age grading. I suggested the top three in age grading, Larson, <b>Rick Lee</b>, and <b>Steve Schmidt</b> might all come from this 60-64 division, with <b>Henry Notaro</b> not that far off. I listed the likely order as Larson-Lee-Schmidt. Read there, and in Records, for more analysis. It should be Larson-Lee-Schmidt in this division. But those three are so strong, the order could easily change. Larson ran 43:43 here on a very warm, humid day. He could well break 43 this year. Lee and Schmidt should both break 44. Notaro ran 44:18 her last year and is in the midst of training for Chicago, as is Lee. It will be another barn-burner of a race! I am going for Larson-Lee-Schmidt.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><b><i>Nat Larson Rick Lee Steve Schmidt</i></b> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span><b>Roger Sayre</b> was on the 60-64 podium here last year in 46:17. He is favored to win 65-69 this year in a similar time, or better. His 1:01:09 M65 win at the ten-mile championships last April converts to a 44:48 12 Km time. He has been running strong all year and has been logging mileage recently as he gears up for the Chicago Marathon. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6QKjzY23ga8lJm6aRrqsM5r87ZOP6zTF-mxNdttHgRfvYPFAMBc8nULNx5sCZ9CIWAE5FKp7nlhimLKaeSfboP5hqAFBPUEK5WnxLl7xwq83446gUaM9NiTM55pmUD6XoFvolBkanM5m-0tA6YyM9X34al8BIuWGWACo3YgWCvTGqztJta1xKKtD_AwP/s2048/Sayre%20Outkicking%20Mora%20for%20Silver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6QKjzY23ga8lJm6aRrqsM5r87ZOP6zTF-mxNdttHgRfvYPFAMBc8nULNx5sCZ9CIWAE5FKp7nlhimLKaeSfboP5hqAFBPUEK5WnxLl7xwq83446gUaM9NiTM55pmUD6XoFvolBkanM5m-0tA6YyM9X34al8BIuWGWACo3YgWCvTGqztJta1xKKtD_AwP/w400-h266/Sayre%20Outkicking%20Mora%20for%20Silver.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roger Sayre </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#316 </span>holding off <b>Joe Mora </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">to his left</span><b> </b>for the 60-64 silver medal in 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>This 12 K will probably be his last tune-up race; it will be interesting to see what he can do. <b>Michael Lebold, Scott Lucking, Timothy Riccardi </b>and, perhaps,<b> Reno Stirrat</b> could all bring it home in around 50 flat. Lebold's 4th place effort at the Ten-mile Masters Championships equates to a 49:57. Lucking finished 2nd here last year in 50:49. But with no recent performances since the 5 Km XC at Boulder that I can find, Lucking may be here primarily as a good teammate, with no thought for an individual award. Riccardi finished 2nd in this division at Dedham; his 41:57 equates to a 50:56 12K.Stirrat ran 54:21 here last year. His 10K at Dedham was 43:46, equating to a 53:10. Stirrat has been up and down over the last couple of years. His workouts suggest he is running better although there are occasional flareups of piriformis and other problematic issues. A lot of people are pulling for Reno to have a good day and come in well under 53! Guessing that Lucking is not at his best, I opt for a finishing order of Sayre-Lebold-Riccardi.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Michael Lebold Timothy Riccardi Roger Sayre</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Fernando Moura</b> took 3rd last year in 52:02 behind <b>Robert Qualls</b> and <b>Gene Dykes</b>. Moura's 36:36 in the Revolutionary War 5 Miler this spring equates to a 55:40. Qualls is focusing on another goal this weekend and is not entered; Dykes has aged up to 75-79. That leaves Moura the favorite, but he has competition. He will need to run as well as he did here last year to win it this year. <b>James Linn</b> did not run here last year but he ran 52:23 here in 2021. Furthermore, his 1:09:25 at the Clinton Township Country Run over 15K this spring equates to a 54:45. <b>Kirk Larson</b> finished 2nd at Dedham in 44:03. That equates to a 53:32. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe2lytlrNKxLkZ-yIvzLv8rk7OiJfond3gejeY_8k8t55LbI_vzRoS7Nr9HjpSTNrJ2K-QFvB99L1Sh6dZbwtIjRKqi0ZIhK0YYktyvy9NbOCeezLy6k1k6Vi9_u8fBnQAssroCsa0YnLIz26saS_3SCxIlShteGw0-Ylwtwh0md20kUsE3K3ORuSf7ae/s1365/Moura-M70PlusRecap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="661" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe2lytlrNKxLkZ-yIvzLv8rk7OiJfond3gejeY_8k8t55LbI_vzRoS7Nr9HjpSTNrJ2K-QFvB99L1Sh6dZbwtIjRKqi0ZIhK0YYktyvy9NbOCeezLy6k1k6Vi9_u8fBnQAssroCsa0YnLIz26saS_3SCxIlShteGw0-Ylwtwh0md20kUsE3K3ORuSf7ae/w194-h400/Moura-M70PlusRecap2.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fernando Moura </b>Taking 3rd place in 70-74 last year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Gene Myers</b> will be pushing those three all the way and could pass one or more of them if they are off the top of their game. Myers took 4th here last year in 55:15. Myers beat Larson on the turf at San Francisco and Richmond but Larson has taken the honors on the roads at 5K, 10K and 1 Mile. I opt for Moura-Linn-Larson.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>James Linn Fernando Moura Kirk Larson</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 Most of the top 75-79 runners are entered. In 2022 <b>Dave Glass</b> won every national championship at 10 Km and up. He finished off the Grand Prix season by going to Boulder CO and winning on the turf at altitude over 5 Km. <b>Gary Ostwald</b> finished 2nd. But Ostwald has come in ahead of Glass every time they have met since, whether on the turf or on the roads, even at a distance as long as ten miles. Glass beat Ostwald by well over 4 minutes last year, in 53:27 as they went 1-3. But at the two most comparable championships this year it was Ostwald taking 1st, with Glass 2nd, at the 10-Miler in Sacramento, by 1:12 and at the 10 Km in Dedham by 46 seconds. But both may have to move aside for the new kid in town, <b>Gene Dykes</b>, who ran 2:31 faster than Glass in the 70-74 division here last year. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutTufxp4dpqTt8zH5Sx6x4zDwT5lUDVtRdbz5D0BqJ90LupczEkWqtVxXPb_aGAjeXDkAqzedvAwqmAPDHklwALF51hDID-wpz4sViOWcU9XMok6XkuB5qH48IxQvXUHMVtZNsY2vFd8uagowcuiPPbD_slYnt5p7PN_obDpjqiaZ1bf3xSXNGAc7QkEd/s1062/DykesM70PlusRecap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="676" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutTufxp4dpqTt8zH5Sx6x4zDwT5lUDVtRdbz5D0BqJ90LupczEkWqtVxXPb_aGAjeXDkAqzedvAwqmAPDHklwALF51hDID-wpz4sViOWcU9XMok6XkuB5qH48IxQvXUHMVtZNsY2vFd8uagowcuiPPbD_slYnt5p7PN_obDpjqiaZ1bf3xSXNGAc7QkEd/w255-h400/DykesM70PlusRecap2.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes</b> finishing 2nd in 70-74 in his last year in the division last year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dykes has had an up and down 2022-23 but seems to be rounding into better form as the fall Marathon season has approached. He has his eyes on a good outing at the Berlin Marathon. His training has been going well. The question seems to be how much under 7:30 per mile he should be aiming for in the Marathon. Translate that 7:30 pace to a 12 Km and you have a 55:48. And, of course, he should run much faster. Dykes recently brought home 4 gold medals from the Masters Outdoor track championships. With most of them he was running tactically because he had another race coming up or had recently finished one. The time most indicative of current fitness was probably his 22:05 in the 5000 meters. He had a day of rest between that effort and his races on Saturday, the 10,000M, and the Steeplechase. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He posted a 10 Mile workout for this Thursday the 14th that included a set of eight '3 minute intervals' starting at 6:55 per mile, working down to 6:30. Maybe that was too much close to this race. But from his Coach's viewpoint this 12 km is just a tune-up for Berlin.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Still, Dykes should be somewhere down in the low 50's and that should be enough for the win. <b>Jerry Learned</b> has also aged up to the 75-79 division. His 55:54 last year was 2 minutes faster than Ostwald. But he has had health issues this year. Unless he is over them, his time is likely to be closer to an hour. <b>Jim May </b>could crash the podium party except that 12 Km is a longer race than he usually tackles. But he finished 3rd, within a half-minute of Glass, at Dedham over ten km. This is just 2 km longer. And he will have his teammate, <b>Keith Yeates, </b>who finished 2nd at the half marathon, to run with; they should come home under an hour in this 12K. </span><b style="font-size: large;">Paul Carlin</b><span style="font-size: large;"> (That's me!) has finished on the podium three times this year, at the 5 Km, the Half Marathon and the 1 Mile. I could run my best race of the year and not crack the top 5, maybe not the top 8. <b>L</b><b>iam Finnigan, Ezequiel Garcia </b>and </span><b style="font-size: large;">Terry McCluskey </b><span style="font-size: large;">all have credentials suggesting they should or could come in ahead of me. The numbers suggest Dykes-Ostwald-Glass in that order and I will not argue with the numbers.</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Gene Dykes Dave Glass Gary Ostwald</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 <b>Doug Goodhue</b> just ran a 1:28:00 Ten Miler at the Crim in Flint MI. That translates to a 1:04:13 10K. That should be good enough to add another national championship to his collection. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio36XKeNRARc1efKS8vV3BzhJ_OchAhIFkv_3yduC4YxfA8DLquMTjniE18i-HvoeP400jxzkmIFny835SASk_-_Be4zrtK0BAXXeiga5wlFVkMTm4qMxYUobcgrpKKG0znxeTP6NjAeVBYTGYjZ2dNINxjFoJt21Q_X_IWVChGg7GNiF8ZCaGFUm84P7/s1317/Goodhue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1317" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio36XKeNRARc1efKS8vV3BzhJ_OchAhIFkv_3yduC4YxfA8DLquMTjniE18i-HvoeP400jxzkmIFny835SASk_-_Be4zrtK0BAXXeiga5wlFVkMTm4qMxYUobcgrpKKG0znxeTP6NjAeVBYTGYjZ2dNINxjFoJt21Q_X_IWVChGg7GNiF8ZCaGFUm84P7/w400-h266/Goodhue.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Doug Goodhue</b> conquering the mud at Lehigh in the 2019 Club Cross Championships</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I forget how many he has but I know it is well over 50! <b>Tony Fiory</b> beat <b>Daniel Kirsch</b> by over 5 minutes at the Ridgewood Run. That suggests Fiory could crack 1:25, with Kirsch not far back. The likely finishing order is: Goodhue-Fiory-Kirsch.</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Tony Fiory Doug Goodhue Daniel Kirsch</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 <b>Roland Ratmeyer </b>should repeat his win of last year. He clocked 1:33:53 and is unopposed.</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Roland Ratmeyer</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">WOMEN 40-44 </span>In the Overall Championship discussion above, I predict a finishing order of <b>Niles and Pesce</b> going 2-3 and probably <b>Prendergast</b> for 4th, out of the 40-44 division. So that is my 1-2-3 for the division.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><b><i>Alexandra Niles Jennifer Pesce Kristen Prendergast</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">45-49 </span>I pick <b>Roberta Groner</b> for the Overall win so I had better pick her to win her division at the same time. Groner has a good crack at the American Record of 43.38. <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> is not likely to keep pace with Groner but should finish 2nd. She finished 2nd here last year in 49:44. Her recent 19:06 performance on the track at the Masters Outdoor Championships suggests she might improve on last year's time this Sunday. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wI8rTKfpQM7yMKKjKM-dMwbmtvs7daLK7lfEr2BDmSqGoOjmxXLtastqHylUwznFEsjNVYFQ6HRpBJgKyBQ-rusal2pUSP5nKTGn-X4lovcTTu7Mt6U85kTc6S5gNhFy2mO3-D75KisycWv-E1xerMWuGp-5UQhsQjrkr9N7fkrhmoXrSN0T9ET9Aplc/s989/Josiah-Tanner_Euleen-8th%20place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wI8rTKfpQM7yMKKjKM-dMwbmtvs7daLK7lfEr2BDmSqGoOjmxXLtastqHylUwznFEsjNVYFQ6HRpBJgKyBQ-rusal2pUSP5nKTGn-X4lovcTTu7Mt6U85kTc6S5gNhFy2mO3-D75KisycWv-E1xerMWuGp-5UQhsQjrkr9N7fkrhmoXrSN0T9ET9Aplc/w263-h400/Josiah-Tanner_Euleen-8th%20place.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> finishing 8th overall in the 12 K and 2nd in 45-49 last year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Gabrielle Panepinto</b> ran 52:52 two years ago and her 33:14 at the Ashenfelter 8K last November suggests she might be faster this year. If any of those three are off their best, <b>Karyn Baig</b> looks to move up. She ran a minute and change slower than Panepinto here last year. But her 1:35:15 at the UA NYC Half marathon suggests a time closer to 53 minutes might be within her reach. But I will go with a finishing order of Groner, Josiah-Tanner, and Panepinto.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Roberta Groner Euleen Josiah-Tanner Gabrielle Panepinto</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">50-54 </span><b>Abby Dean </b>took 1st in the division here last year in 46:42; <b>Perry Shoemaker</b> won the division the year before in 46:08. The performances are probably closer than they look; the weather was more punishing in 2022 than in 2021. Dean ran well at the Half Marathon and ten k Masters Championships, winning this division at both. Her 10K winning time equates to a 46:24. But Dean had a tough outing at Grandma's Marathon and was not at her best at the 1 Mile Championships. Dean competed grittily but was no match for Shoemaker, who beat her by almost half a minute. She also ran a slower time at the Beach to Beacon 10K at the end of July. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLetBE0oyTK_bC8NVa0iuuGPgO54UD2A0Gc4JBfC8p9kl4xHgc83n8Aeh1__FDqkzsscbNJ0O28pBHKVPphiuVojzP224_ewJKL0OQ62lAreSNhjoiTEYJNGh5DO-Gz21LLxcYOSjLa52L73OCd3fmV6F836nVkiv7JZMYZNwht8QIAoJrzzLBz_NvLGmm/s1666/Dean%20Kicks%20to%20Finish-2nd%20Place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1666" data-original-width="880" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLetBE0oyTK_bC8NVa0iuuGPgO54UD2A0Gc4JBfC8p9kl4xHgc83n8Aeh1__FDqkzsscbNJ0O28pBHKVPphiuVojzP224_ewJKL0OQ62lAreSNhjoiTEYJNGh5DO-Gz21LLxcYOSjLa52L73OCd3fmV6F836nVkiv7JZMYZNwht8QIAoJrzzLBz_NvLGmm/w211-h400/Dean%20Kicks%20to%20Finish-2nd%20Place.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Abby Dean</b> finishing 2nd Overall at the 12 K last year and 1st in 50-54</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, she may not have been pushing there. She took the age division win there anyway. They should go 1-2. I give the edge to Shoemaker and will let Dean prove me wrong if she can. <b>Hortencia Aliaga</b> also might come in under 50 minutes and be close to those two. She ran 50:34 to win the 45-49 division last year. Her 38:41 at the Masters 10 Km championships was only 26 seconds behind Dean's winning time. It is unlikely anyone else will be much under 50:00. <b>Samantha Forde</b> finished 2nd to Dean here last year in 50:19. Forde clocked a 1:06:40 10 Miler at the Masters Championships hosted by the Sactown 10. That equates to a 49:01. But that is still 3 minutes off where she likely needs to be to get on the podium. I will go with Aliaga after Shoemaker and Dean.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Hortencia Aliaga Abby Dean Perry Shoemaker</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">55-59 </span><b>Fiona Bayly</b> is at the top of this division. Her winning division time of 47:38 netted her 5th place overall here last year. She is, if anything, running better this year. Her 38:10 at Dedham gained her a third place overall. And it is age grad equivalent to a 46:15. Her 1:03:06 10 Miler, finishing 4th at the national championships is equally impressive. Something would have to go wrong for Bayly not to take the division crown. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1292" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8M0jj5wpmawu8gIpaboO5eF4EFT4VvaQvtXlLTKf6GBFcOCnukZy2wVMUdXgycblgOG-E4kzHJPbaSTHxUO1C3XJju--Xio7C7Q8ZIrs0LyUAKhS3jcOqXj2584pM5VAb67I-QG9v0h0qSvgZDEK-hvYHBxnsr_PqBg6Uxevv1nzJRNzHVtewQUUNH5Ex/w379-h400/Bayly%20Holds%20Dos%20Santos%20at%20Bay.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="379" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fiona Bayly </b>holds off <b>Karen dos Santos </b>to take 5th overall in the 12 K Championships last year</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8M0jj5wpmawu8gIpaboO5eF4EFT4VvaQvtXlLTKf6GBFcOCnukZy2wVMUdXgycblgOG-E4kzHJPbaSTHxUO1C3XJju--Xio7C7Q8ZIrs0LyUAKhS3jcOqXj2584pM5VAb67I-QG9v0h0qSvgZDEK-hvYHBxnsr_PqBg6Uxevv1nzJRNzHVtewQUUNH5Ex/s1365/Bayly%20Holds%20Dos%20Santos%20at%20Bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b></b></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Lori Kingsley</b> appears to be the only other runner in the division with a good shot at breaking 50:00. She finished 5th in the division last year in 52:03. But her 1:02:54 15K at the Stockade-a-thon equates to a 49:42. If the weather is truly cooler this year, a sub-50 for Kingsley is likely. <b>Jacalyn Lembo</b> is not far off; her 43:16 10K at Dedham last April equates, via Age Grading, to a 52:28. Her half marathon at Syracuse suggests a slower time but that course is hilly, and the day was unseasonably warm. <b>Noriko Charnley</b> who ran 55:17 here last year and <b>Alyssa Risko</b> who ran 1:09:02 Stockade-a-thon are close enough to make a run for the podium if any of the top three have an off day. It looks like Bayly-Kingsley-Lembo.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Fiona Bayly Lori Kingsley Jacalyn Lembo</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">60-64 </span><b>Mary Cass</b> ran 51:50 last year to finish 2nd in this division. <b>Suzanne La Burt </b>ran 50:10, finishing 2nd in 55-59. It was a similar story at Dedham. Cass won the 60-64 division with a 41:43; La Burt counters with a 2nd in 55-59 at 41:09. They should both come in around 50:00 this year, with La Burt favored. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBffBtYJyGHosH4rZUk9LXLvKE9KkCv1tbPhvJaNwO22hbTuF8Rabbn1mTCUPJFdyfoHaOyLQxQofAicGoFEbY1yolbimDxaMLPrurkcSlp5EYyMjO2ct8kCmjtfpG5qaqzSJlZ_pcCsEIlyo6PA3ktTdok_TueGdeMxSerthqzSZXqYLzYUXJUshv6m6/s952/La%20Burt_Suzanne-2nd%2055-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="718" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBffBtYJyGHosH4rZUk9LXLvKE9KkCv1tbPhvJaNwO22hbTuF8Rabbn1mTCUPJFdyfoHaOyLQxQofAicGoFEbY1yolbimDxaMLPrurkcSlp5EYyMjO2ct8kCmjtfpG5qaqzSJlZ_pcCsEIlyo6PA3ktTdok_TueGdeMxSerthqzSZXqYLzYUXJUshv6m6/w301-h400/La%20Burt_Suzanne-2nd%2055-59.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Suzanne La Burt </b> took 2nd last year in 55-59</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Kris Clark</b> is the wild card. At Atlanta she took 1st in the division, coming across the finish line a half minute ahead of Cass. But an injury cropped up as she was about to taper into the ten mile championships in Sacramento. She is coming out from Colorado to compete and is not coming as part of a team. That suggests she is ready to run! <b>Lauren Leslie</b>, <b>Beth Stalker, </b>and<b> Mary Swan</b> will push the pace as well. Leslie finished 3rd here last year in 52:34. Stalker's 1:07:19 15K at the Stockade-a-thon equates to a 53:08. Swan finished 4th last year in 53:41. It has been a while since <b>Suzanne Cordes</b> ran at a longer road championship. She is never far from the podium at our turf championships. She finished 4th in the division at Clubs in San Francisco, 3rd at Cross Nationals in Richmond and she won the division at Boulder, coming in a half minute ahead of Swan. Cordes ran at the 1 Mile Championships but was not at her best. Most likely she is coming primarily to help her Impala team garner some points in the 50+ competition. Clark beat Cass at Atlanta. I will guess that she can do it again. She has not gone up against La Burt yet and la Burt is on her home territory. I will go with an order of La Burt-Clark-Cass.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><b><i>Mary Cass Kris Clark Suzanne La Burt</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">65-69 </span>As noted in the age grading championships section, <b>Nora Cary</b> is certainly in the hunt for a top 5 finish there. Her most recent outing is a 21:55 5K, after recovering from an injury earlier this year. That equates to a 54:53 12K. One should not take that too seriously; any equivalence between a 5K and a 12K time is rough at best. But it does suggest she is not far off from where she was last year. She took the win in 54:05 after setting the American Record at 51:09 in 2021. She would love to have that kind of fitness now--and who wouldn't? </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0NoFIORR-G2jzqsJF7UA2V1I1VZ0Do2x5mZNcU-CayT16f1wBkPn6mkLmFDWlqSX9gBWjPh9vDC2fT9JnmOMzvloU2788iu37eg6FuZjGTc6Y6A0W32jw_IT1EWZtD2ud5JbgavROCd9ZYnHYboXfQFJFxi6RyDS8pJGu7qCa1HKPBPiOqVKUF0Xh9qx/s1104/Cary_Nora-1st%2065-69.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="930" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0NoFIORR-G2jzqsJF7UA2V1I1VZ0Do2x5mZNcU-CayT16f1wBkPn6mkLmFDWlqSX9gBWjPh9vDC2fT9JnmOMzvloU2788iu37eg6FuZjGTc6Y6A0W32jw_IT1EWZtD2ud5JbgavROCd9ZYnHYboXfQFJFxi6RyDS8pJGu7qCa1HKPBPiOqVKUF0Xh9qx/w338-h400/Cary_Nora-1st%2065-69.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nora Cary</b> taking 1st in 65-69 in the 12 Km Championships last year</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Diane Rothman </b>is the only other division runner with a shot at breaking an hour. She finished 11th in 60-64 in 1:00:55 last year. Her 1:47:29 at the Runapalooza Half Marathon equates to a 59:23. <b>Susan Stirrat</b> finished 5th last year in 1:12:53. But two spring races suggest she might run as fast as 1:07 or even faster. Her 1:25:36 over 15K at the Spring distance Classic equates to a 1:07:25 12K and her 52:18 10K at Dedham equates to a 1:03:29. That latter time may be too ambitious, but it appears a 1:05 might be within Stirrat's grasp. <b>Sally Bell, Judith Hudson</b>, and A<b>ntoinette Marmora</b> all have performances suggesting they might finish in the 1:07 to 1:09 range. Stirrat will have to keep the 'pedal to the metal' if she is to claim the bronze medal. I opt for Cary, Rothman, and Stirrat in that order.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Nora Cary Diane Rothman Susan Stirrat</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">70-74 </span><b>Sabra Harvey</b>, the 2017 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, is the only runner in the division likely to break an hour although her teammate, <b>Jeanette Groesz</b>, might just do it as well. As noted in the age grading section, Harvey has a good shot at running ahead of the 58:22 American Record. Her Half Marathon and 10 Mile runs this past January/last October equate to 57:37 and 56:12 respectively. Groesz finished 2nd in the division last year in 1:05:51 but was not at her best. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEl5ciAxnOG3hx3Lhh_gjZ7JnFqBpnQDYbLOsc1b4HtDuCyhdjP3VWT2aHv2MRW2d-11LTJIqqCx7nsVNh0GvHHL0U3TMzNi_LLlvDBvicEptgIvr3TivshCYywl0Hs4PVAaWVa5_z07S4_pzY0A27jPWzEE_GA5aX7dFodp6jv1xM5yZ_JqaCHIqsjdw/s1122/Groesz_W70PlusRecap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="595" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEl5ciAxnOG3hx3Lhh_gjZ7JnFqBpnQDYbLOsc1b4HtDuCyhdjP3VWT2aHv2MRW2d-11LTJIqqCx7nsVNh0GvHHL0U3TMzNi_LLlvDBvicEptgIvr3TivshCYywl0Hs4PVAaWVa5_z07S4_pzY0A27jPWzEE_GA5aX7dFodp6jv1xM5yZ_JqaCHIqsjdw/w213-h400/Groesz_W70PlusRecap2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeanette Groesz </b>finishing 2nd in 70-74 at the 12 Km Championships in 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Her 1:54:18 at the Half Marathon championships in Syracuse equates to a 1:03:05 and the times on that day were slow due to it being a hilly course and the weather being warm. <b>Joann Coffee</b> finished 3rd here last year in 1:10:03. Her 26:26 5K in April shows that she was still running well through the spring. No one else seems likely to crack 1:20 so those are my top three: Harvey-Groesz-Coffee in that order.</p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Joann Coffee Jeanette Groesz Sabra Harvey</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">75-79 This should be <b>Jeannie Rice's </b>in a cakewalk. As noted above, she is going after the American record and should take it down with minutes to spare. She, too, is using the race as a tune-up for Chicago. She should coe home under an hour. Her teammate, <b>Sharon Gerl</b> offers the only close competition, but Gerl's target is probably coming close to an hour on the high side. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Her 1:26:03 in the 10 Mile Championships at Sacramento translate into a 1:02 and change 12 Km. That leaves the 3rd place race to </span><b style="font-size: large;">Cheryl Kohut</b><span style="font-size: large;"> and </span><b style="font-size: large;">Barbara Donelik</b><span style="font-size: large;">. They finished 1-2 last year in 1:07:21 and 1:08:12. The finishing order should be: Rice, Gerl, and Kohut but anything can happen.</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Sharon Gerl Cheryl Kohut Jeannie Rice</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">80-84 <b>Sandra Folzer</b> just needs to finish her race to claim the title. She is the only entrant. She won last year at 1:24:15.</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Sandra Folzer</b></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">85-89 <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> will claim this title unopposed. If she does so, she will be the oldest winner on the day at 86. She won last year in 2:03:08.</span></p><p><i>Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order</i></p><p><i><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b></i></p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><i><b>That concludes the preview. Let the Championships begin and may the races be swift and competitive!</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-7297195344024221222023-09-12T23:17:00.000-04:002023-09-12T23:17:42.761-04:002023 TD Beach to Beacon 10K Run-- 25th Anniversary <p><b>August 24, 2023 </b>The TD Beach to Beacon 10K celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday, August 5th. Two years were lost to the Covid pandemic. According to the Beach to Beacon's Year By Year recap, 1998 was the inaugural year for the race, founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson. The race had a field size of 3,000; 2,408 runners finished. By 2019 the number of finishers had climbed to 6.417 from 9 countries, 42 states and nearly 260 Maine cities and towns. Although the race brings in professional elite athletes from many states and other countries, the Beach to Beacon has always prided itself on its Maine roots and its commitment to the health and well-being of Maine residents, with a special emphasis on young people. It has become an iconic race with avid runners from across the country seeking to enter. Weather conditions for the 25th anniversary race were good, with temperatures in the mid-60's, dewpoint at 63F, moderate headwinds at 5-6 mph under cloudy to partly cloudy skies. Local residents turn out in droves to cheer the runners on, especially as they make their way through the town center around three miles into the race.</p><p>I have run in the race regularly since my first entry in August 2014 when I won my 65-69 age division in 40:39. After missing 2015 and 2016 to injury, I came back in 2017 to finish 2nd in 70-74 with a 44:30, 5th in 2018 in 50:12 (racing despite rehabbing an injury) and winning again in 2019 with a 47:22. Competitions in 2020 and 2021 were lost to the Covid pandemic. Last year I finished 3rd in 75-79 in 53:41 on a very warm day. </p><p>My coverage of the Professional and Masters races is based on the Beach to Beacon news report <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[<a href="https://www.beach2beacon.org/news/yihune-and-obiri-lead-the-pack-in-the-25th-running-of-the-td-beach-to-beacon-10k/">YIHUNE AND OBIRI LEAD THE PACK IN THE 25TH RUNNING OF THE TD BEACH TO BEACON 10K - TD Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race (beach2beacon.org)</a>]</span></span>, a Strava post by <b>Connor Mantz</b>, and posted results. I cover my own 2023 race as part of the Masters coverage which begins right after coverage of the professional athletes. If you are especially interested in how my race went, scroll down to the bold <b style="font-size: large;">75-79</b> in the MASTERS AGE DIVISION section.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">PROFESSIONAL </span></b>The professional racers at the front provided plenty of excitement. The Women start first but, unlike some other top races, there is no equalizer bonus. The advance start is 12 minutes; the top finishers in the women's race finish before the top professional men come across the line. <span style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN</span>: <b>Helen Obiri</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kenya</span> set the pace over the first 5K for a group that included <b>Vicoty Chepngeno </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kenya</span>, <b>Keira D'Amato</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Midlothian VA</span>, and <b>Fotyen Tesfay </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ethiopia</span>, all at 16:14. Tucked in behind at 16:15 were <b>Sara Hall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Redding CA</span> and <b>Edna Kiplagat </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kenya</span>, with <b>Fiona O'Keefe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cary NC</span> at 16:16. News reports indicated that Tesfay moved past D'Amato into 2nd place after the 4 mile mark and battled for the lead with Obiri the rest of the way. Obiri was able to outsprint Tesfay to take the win in 31:37, one second ahead of Tesfay. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">D'Amato won her own battle, taking 3rd in 31:58, one second ahead of Chepngeno. Kiplagat edged O'Keefe for 5th, 32:23 to 32:24. Hall finished 7th in 32:32. <span style="font-size: medium;">MEN:</span> A large pack of men broke up between miles 2 and 3. According to news reports, <b>Connor Mantz </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Provo UT </span>dictated the pace in the early stages. By the time they crossed the 5 Km Mat, there was a 6-runner lead pack with a 3-runner chase pack 5 seconds back. <b>Walelegn Amedework </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ethiopia</span>, <b>Edwin Kurgat</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kenya</span>, and <b>Addisu Yihune</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ethiopia</span> were pushing the pace in front at 14:15. <b>Muktar Edris </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ethiopia</span>, Mantz, and <b>Biya Simbassa </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Flagstaff AZ</span> were tucked in, one second behind. The chase pack consisted of <b>Yemene Hailesellaissie</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ethiopia</span>, <b>Reid Buchanan </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">San Diego CA</span>, and <b>Hideto Kosode</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Japan</span>. With about a mile to go, it appears that Mantz made a move to separate from the rest of the lead pack and Yihune went with him. With a half mile to go, Yihune took the lead. According to Mantz's Strava post, "<span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;">With less than 200m to go, I made a big surge to pass him again. There was a lot of room on the left, but he saw me passing him, he ran me into the fence. My momentum was gone....</span><span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;">I’ll look forward to my next chance to race Addisu Yihune.</span><span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;">"</span><span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;"> </span> With no officials in a position to view the claimed foul and no official race video to review, the complaint could not become a formal protest. Mantz's final edit to the post focused on the positive: "<span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;">Today’s race was a big win in the mental game, and that’s what I’m most excited for/focused on." Yihune won in 27:56, with Mantz two seconds back in 2nd place. Eight seconds later, Edris claimed third, a good 9 seconds ahead of Kurgat. Simbassa was 5th in 28:19. A half minute later, Amedework finished 6th in 28:55, 6 seconds ahead of Hailesellaisssie, with Buchanan a second back in 8th.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">MASTERS</span> </b>The race offers cash prizes for the top 3 masters athletes, both Men and Women, ($1000, $500, $250) and the top three Seniors, both Women and Men, 50+ ($500, $250, and $125). Places 1 through 5 win an LL Bean Gift Certificate. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">MASTERS MEN</span>: </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ed Baker </span></b><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Cambridge MA 44</span><span face="MaisonNeue, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">carved out an 18 second lead in the first half of the race, leading <b>Chris Ritchie</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stratham NH 40</span> 16:24 to 16:42. Almost half a minute back, <b>Matt Daly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eliot ME 40 </span>had 8 seconds on <b>Joe Satterfield</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bowdoinham ME 46</span>, 17:09 to 17:17. Baker was not pressed in the latter stages of the race, taking the Masters win in 33:37. Ritchie cut Baker's lead to 11 seconds but could not get any closer, taking 2nd with over a half minute on Daly. Daly's 34:25 gave him the final prize money spot, with Satterfield 13 seconds back. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ed Baker</i> 33:37 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Chris Ritchie</i> 33:48 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Daly</i> 34:25</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #010716; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb079_YRzdzrU9t8cJZcqJ-scuWEGwaKZ3EUeNWsn6CatCvCwp6F2srDhEAkrh4yO5hqe17ujUpfekmKPrxMfWVcyEk4yoj4cNhQc9BPjZo4o_a_sT3-RW_qxe8_dMqWPoB7G3c14JuGw-dP5PVtILb9IPTu2IvVQlksc7fJrnx_aAOeYqmGbFRCrP-RQ/s4128/Baker-Cape%20Eliz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="2752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb079_YRzdzrU9t8cJZcqJ-scuWEGwaKZ3EUeNWsn6CatCvCwp6F2srDhEAkrh4yO5hqe17ujUpfekmKPrxMfWVcyEk4yoj4cNhQc9BPjZo4o_a_sT3-RW_qxe8_dMqWPoB7G3c14JuGw-dP5PVtILb9IPTu2IvVQlksc7fJrnx_aAOeYqmGbFRCrP-RQ/w213-h320/Baker-Cape%20Eliz.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ed Baker </b>on his way through downtown Cape Elizabeth on the way to the Win in the Masters men category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivivq0sPd6KKucgbtOw4x2G7rjEVUjswFhvdQ9Y2dgSopucRIcG_7DlKjHyxW80s2XVSlbwx6_ZqFKV4ya6z9yPPXp9FukCCiso4ZTQUJFz7mBI0KZVdgkxDVLvz_TmPyOCcidr1zGRJhYT9lFyFJOS3G__Fls86u9NP4i6dpbgc115-IF8_3jG9L8ZPIE/s2768/Ritchie-DowntownCapeE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2768" data-original-width="1848" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivivq0sPd6KKucgbtOw4x2G7rjEVUjswFhvdQ9Y2dgSopucRIcG_7DlKjHyxW80s2XVSlbwx6_ZqFKV4ya6z9yPPXp9FukCCiso4ZTQUJFz7mBI0KZVdgkxDVLvz_TmPyOCcidr1zGRJhYT9lFyFJOS3G__Fls86u9NP4i6dpbgc115-IF8_3jG9L8ZPIE/w268-h400/Ritchie-DowntownCapeE.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Chris Ritchie</b> halfway to his 2nd place finish in the Masters men category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">MASTERS WOMEN</span> </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Gretchen Speed</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Portland ME 42 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">lived up to her name, hitting the 5K mat in 19:02 with an 18 second lead on </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Alixe van Sickle</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Denver CO 47</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">. </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Adrienne Glasheen </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Aldie VA 44</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> was in 3rd at 19:25. She had a 19 second lead on the 4th place runner, </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Monica Diez </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Boston MA 49. </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Christine Twining </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Brunswick ME 48</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> crossed the mat 11 seconds after Diez, one second ahead of </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bridget Gagne</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Reston VA 40</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">. Speed stretched her lead over the 2nd half of the race, winning the Masters race by 54 seconds in 38:30. Glasheen, despite her best efforts, could only trim a single second off of the 5 second lead that van Sickle enjoyed at the 5 Km mark. Second place went to van Sickle in 39:24, with Glasheen closing out the podium at 39:28. Diez was a </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">half-minute</span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> back in 4th at 39:59. Gagne overtook Twining in the final 3 miles, finishing 5th in 40:13, six seconds ahead of Twining.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gretchen Speed</i> 38:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alixe van Sickle</i> 39:24 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Adrienne Glasheen</i> 39:28</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuy7FcIiNCoOr8gTAtY5LBZy6raHekMAeDNAxlCegq2kZjZNSd2AIMbS-J-GmUjZ9kpLkRaTTlq9kD1jnAT86iN_BZAKpH-tF6xhcmDf_a86NdQFZHHleGb3Yrxzv9wAcgCDzLC_Ax7V7OL4GIZ4z5HaB0MxgJoUkFGKEMEYZ7LOICnvxqGyegBRQEQE36/s2736/Speed_Shore%20Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuy7FcIiNCoOr8gTAtY5LBZy6raHekMAeDNAxlCegq2kZjZNSd2AIMbS-J-GmUjZ9kpLkRaTTlq9kD1jnAT86iN_BZAKpH-tF6xhcmDf_a86NdQFZHHleGb3Yrxzv9wAcgCDzLC_Ax7V7OL4GIZ4z5HaB0MxgJoUkFGKEMEYZ7LOICnvxqGyegBRQEQE36/w266-h400/Speed_Shore%20Rd.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gretchen Speed</b> running along Shore Road on her way to the win in the Masters Women category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot<br /><br /><br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"></span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJpSaOTdFUZG8WXd7bFjWoyWsJvwSlDXvmv-L9gZIJw0JrySJvWVLzlogv5KtEcTiaYFQ4q7SJxpS_qcK1g4fYzUCb9Juu-zeDp_TPc0d85_xi7-AYw93O4GpbBv_gKejSmVjdpPD4OSDbCi4vTD-3gmJFSLDH9C3roEf9DuT9vPVI3LKaL3fxcTsBqot/s2688/van%20Sickle_Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2688" data-original-width="1792" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJpSaOTdFUZG8WXd7bFjWoyWsJvwSlDXvmv-L9gZIJw0JrySJvWVLzlogv5KtEcTiaYFQ4q7SJxpS_qcK1g4fYzUCb9Juu-zeDp_TPc0d85_xi7-AYw93O4GpbBv_gKejSmVjdpPD4OSDbCi4vTD-3gmJFSLDH9C3roEf9DuT9vPVI3LKaL3fxcTsBqot/w266-h400/van%20Sickle_Finish.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alixe van Sickle </b>finishes off her run that carried her to 2nd place in the Masters Women category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">SENIOR WOMEN</span> </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Abby Dean</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Wilmington DE 50 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">ran almost fast enough to get on the Masters (40+) podium. And this was not her best effort; she ran much faster at the 10 Km Masters Championships in Dedham in April. Dean crossed the halfway mat in 19:54, good enough to be a half minute faster than the athlete in 2nd place, </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Katsue Heginbotham</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Lexington MA 52</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">. </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Mimi Fallon </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Walpole MA 58</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> who finished 3rd at Dedham in 55-59 was having another good day, hitting the halfway mark 24 seconds slower than Heginbotham in 20:48. </span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Renee Durgin</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Scarborough ME 50</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> was a </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">half-minute</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> slower than Fallon but still had a shot at the Senior podium. Dean slowed slightly over the second half of the race but was never seriously threatened. She took the win and the top Senior prize in 40:19. Heginbotham closed to within 16 </span></span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">seconds but</span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> could get no closer. Her 40:35 merited 2nd place. Fallon finished 3rd in 41:55. Durgin had cut her lead almost in half but was still 17 seconds slower in 4th place.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i> 40:19 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Katsue Heginbotham</i> 40:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mimi Fallon</i> 41:55</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photos below in order of finish in Senior Women category: Dean, Heginbotham and Fallon</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YraqJHM7qBLrF-FnnOAASNmfCgddCxmJQyZqy76SElJjHJl982xmG-jkvJZX8AICFINJTo4AQ4zVi3JC6MQKN0u6nrSkhFZ8-EXnIb0mKFDrzqHgYukLCbOChBJIbVr_sIvFHHtbUBt2Ryr6F_flUfckLtbHZVcn5g6spiYSnQmXf5FR-XDyPS__Qeno/s2784/Abby%20Dean-finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2784" data-original-width="1856" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YraqJHM7qBLrF-FnnOAASNmfCgddCxmJQyZqy76SElJjHJl982xmG-jkvJZX8AICFINJTo4AQ4zVi3JC6MQKN0u6nrSkhFZ8-EXnIb0mKFDrzqHgYukLCbOChBJIbVr_sIvFHHtbUBt2Ryr6F_flUfckLtbHZVcn5g6spiYSnQmXf5FR-XDyPS__Qeno/s320/Abby%20Dean-finish.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></span></div><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_H45UN4eheNRIzNf_UyohekjsNCXF5ZXu4pzdnCmKsVoGAKMwR8TB0pNbXyIuPGZdldEkR-QmYCPS_urZvaWxJ9kHqdM9zNzfF9aNF68DeexxYdWpUYUHxSsGlW_VDJK_8FVD32U-qwAXcw5oXnEOrxBeiI7edTPRL1SLtQfbM2EpKmzhiIawv33zMy8N/s2736/Heginbotham-ShoreRd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_H45UN4eheNRIzNf_UyohekjsNCXF5ZXu4pzdnCmKsVoGAKMwR8TB0pNbXyIuPGZdldEkR-QmYCPS_urZvaWxJ9kHqdM9zNzfF9aNF68DeexxYdWpUYUHxSsGlW_VDJK_8FVD32U-qwAXcw5oXnEOrxBeiI7edTPRL1SLtQfbM2EpKmzhiIawv33zMy8N/s320/Heginbotham-ShoreRd.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfjAdWiThFHRTjE_elY_wR5v_Khrmka9yeWsPohW4AoUuBmMl1DUQ05aCmMkoj2r_vq-hD1Z8KUbgsrdMJoTtevByMKJyycL1jcp4eC5knGa-4IAv6sXkmHbHk542g6tgW_OcWK3f874XCn2kharRHcEFA8HIvJdzAPy-HY0pGw5jLRqgGyhic0OS1rOn/s2784/Fallon-Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2784" data-original-width="1856" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfjAdWiThFHRTjE_elY_wR5v_Khrmka9yeWsPohW4AoUuBmMl1DUQ05aCmMkoj2r_vq-hD1Z8KUbgsrdMJoTtevByMKJyycL1jcp4eC5knGa-4IAv6sXkmHbHk542g6tgW_OcWK3f874XCn2kharRHcEFA8HIvJdzAPy-HY0pGw5jLRqgGyhic0OS1rOn/s320/Fallon-Finish.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Photos courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span></span></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">SENIOR MEN</span> There was greater strength in the 55-59 division than 50-54 this year. <b>Peter Burke</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Westbrook ME 55</span>, <b>Byrne Decker</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Yarmouth ME 56</span>, and <b>Wayne Levy</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Waban ME 58</span>, all from 55-59, started toward the front, crossing the start line just 7 seconds after the gun sounded, except for Levy who was a second behind the other two. The only runner from the 50-54 group who would challenge them for the podium was <b>Jeremy Ashfield</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bangor ME 51</span>, who crossed the start line over a minute and a half after Burke, Decker and Levy. They would never have seen him! Burke got out the fastest, crossing the halfway mat in 18:14, very nearly a full minute ahead of Decker. Decker, in turn, had 25 seconds on Levy. But unknown to Decker and Levy, Ashfield, who didn't cross the halfway mat until over a minute after Levy, was 28 seconds ahead of Levy and three seconds ahead of Decker, on net time. Burke had no trouble claiming the win with a 36:53. Decker, despite not knowing about Ashfield, had the right plan. He ran a very evenly paced 10K, bringing him home in 38:27, which was 14 seconds faster than Ashfield. Levy had no such luck; his 39:47 left him a good 1:09 seconds slower than Ashfield, who claimed third. Levy was 4th; <b>Christopher Mertz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Easton PA 51</span> was 5th in 39:59.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Burke</i> 36:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Byrne Decker </i>38:27 <b><i>Jeremy Ashfield</i></b> 38:38</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photos below in order of finish in Senior Men category: Burke, Decker and Ashfield </span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWKF-uS2FA9LniwFBAWOvtRvP3kHcw-mC8tDQUIM8DGJjU4yVwXqZ5kSu-8re97usxqiDX28byejySFJW6kQgfIoTotUH_0mzh07NGvn4luTIzWWyQi9FKq88BzCH7vhdJmmsJvjpN8vB1kYzDCm16AcK_iT09KYx83V-NipAGnjbPChOmFhuvlxcO7Wu/s2768/Burke-Cape%20Liz-downtown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2768" data-original-width="1848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWKF-uS2FA9LniwFBAWOvtRvP3kHcw-mC8tDQUIM8DGJjU4yVwXqZ5kSu-8re97usxqiDX28byejySFJW6kQgfIoTotUH_0mzh07NGvn4luTIzWWyQi9FKq88BzCH7vhdJmmsJvjpN8vB1kYzDCm16AcK_iT09KYx83V-NipAGnjbPChOmFhuvlxcO7Wu/s320/Burke-Cape%20Liz-downtown.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtWvrRg6n0cipjmTguxDkqOEvPvzMS69_mDsVTITFXdFkz0jDbKduuOrvCS6Lfyphhbqza3MHYA_l9rQ5SHQTN2B7IFTkR6JzrZWYPzi58DVl0QS8Ha8Z1uSdiAUyUtP6UvmcHMG_HG93hPw4GNntbXLX_1H3Fl7L45QRXpvP7CnGJkpWBTyMXd9_kZ50/s2736/Decker-Shore%20Road.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtWvrRg6n0cipjmTguxDkqOEvPvzMS69_mDsVTITFXdFkz0jDbKduuOrvCS6Lfyphhbqza3MHYA_l9rQ5SHQTN2B7IFTkR6JzrZWYPzi58DVl0QS8Ha8Z1uSdiAUyUtP6UvmcHMG_HG93hPw4GNntbXLX_1H3Fl7L45QRXpvP7CnGJkpWBTyMXd9_kZ50/s320/Decker-Shore%20Road.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span></span></p><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkv8xAvyVbh7rJ8cI5dM1OqSxrwJbbgDCAYiS5SZCOOTpwwg94iuuGpo8qbRlRdy_9-LoLXj9FgXZ6AjO56pdHppM675heFt11lchOLGtVsnIIXu7ApKwyhVDPISZY1vsysUfmr5RU0Zk5thwARJEqw2rAtAm0YsKyceKn_qaVJ4TRlVDg_C4SWmOb94ij/s2736/Ashfield-Shore%20Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkv8xAvyVbh7rJ8cI5dM1OqSxrwJbbgDCAYiS5SZCOOTpwwg94iuuGpo8qbRlRdy_9-LoLXj9FgXZ6AjO56pdHppM675heFt11lchOLGtVsnIIXu7ApKwyhVDPISZY1vsysUfmr5RU0Zk5thwARJEqw2rAtAm0YsKyceKn_qaVJ4TRlVDg_C4SWmOb94ij/s320/Ashfield-Shore%20Rd.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">Photos courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span></div><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">AGE DIVISIONS</span> </span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Age division prizes go five deep and are gift certificates to LL Bean. In this section I note some of the interesting races and exceptional performances by age grading standards. The USATF Masters LDR Committee designates scores from 80.00% to 89.99% as 'National Class' performances with the term 'World Class' reserved for 90.00% and above. At their National Championship road races, Masters LDR awards bronze performance medals to those achieving 80.00 to 84.99%; Silver Medals to those at 85.00 to 89.99% and Gold Medals to those at or above 90.00%. I cover my M75-79 division in more detail as the final section.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>WOMEN </b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">The strongest division on the Women’s side was <span style="font-size: medium;">65-69</span>. </span><b style="background-color: transparent;">Sharon
Vos </b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">Denver CO 68 </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">ran
51:36 for a national class PLP of 83.06 but finished 5</span><sup style="background-color: transparent;">th</sup><span style="background-color: transparent;"> in the division on net time, and 5</span><sup style="background-color: transparent;">th</sup><span style="background-color: transparent;"> in age grading in the division. </span><b style="background-color: transparent;">Lucy McCausland</b><span style="background-color: transparent;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rehoboth Beach DE</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">69</span> sped to a 46:27 in her last year in the division to take the 65-69 win! McCausland had the only Masters World Class performance at B2B, with a PLP of 92.26! She had to come from behind as she started 19 seconds after <b>Emie Barnes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Naples FL 68</span>. Barnes also ran 21 seconds faster over the 1st 5K; she crossed the mat 40 seconds before McCausland did. But McCausland had plenty in the tank, running a negative split--23:26/23:01. She passed Barnes on the course and took the win with over a minute to spare on net time! </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Qzfr-TRnpn1fpkV1xjko3A0CM0J6f_F5RNoj-iIOWU-uNLeL9y377t3Ftj24qR8S5XWPzSz5qmUeGQ4OqUHEp7cIssYZxwfNpc4QOZ2nSdnAr-9XgYqW4Pr_vHCyIt5m_yM-S12L4-m12H8-xXcuLBoGZKrKaWa_q5qGYhEUp3Z8bBa2K4tjZeS-264b/s3696/McCausland-Shore%20Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3696" data-original-width="2456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Qzfr-TRnpn1fpkV1xjko3A0CM0J6f_F5RNoj-iIOWU-uNLeL9y377t3Ftj24qR8S5XWPzSz5qmUeGQ4OqUHEp7cIssYZxwfNpc4QOZ2nSdnAr-9XgYqW4Pr_vHCyIt5m_yM-S12L4-m12H8-xXcuLBoGZKrKaWa_q5qGYhEUp3Z8bBa2K4tjZeS-264b/w266-h400/McCausland-Shore%20Rd.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lucy McCausland </b>cruising along the Shore Road on her way to the 65-69 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>Dawn Ebbets </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Exeter NH 69 </span>was only a minute and change back at 48:50. And <b>Ann Kilgore </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Millcreek UT 68 </span>was less than a minute behind in 4th at 49:44! The PLP's for Barnes, Ebbet and Kilgore were 88.49, 87.76, and 84.96. Amazing! </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">The <span style="font-size: medium;">60-64</span> division was almost as strong, and the hometown favorites went 1-2, just! <b>Erin Chalat </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cape Elizabeth ME </span>raced to a high national class time of 44:06, scoring an 88.33%.<span> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkSW2jJEQ6g4fNMsm0mQARMd9EG9EXiUzKCYAFz6bmWH-Yh--FxUZdrOnp-vGZBwtVY3vZzRnZP_SLv9IZDEk8SVx8XRF-ku3fkInJWCsjpQ6KI4Bz0gwH146Q9vZ_PZE1yDawxrocjGHKkyw-k3QMpFPUDGeOmwiqkDFsi3Faee5URZW2eKWDLmRx72N/s2736/Chalat_ShoreRd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkSW2jJEQ6g4fNMsm0mQARMd9EG9EXiUzKCYAFz6bmWH-Yh--FxUZdrOnp-vGZBwtVY3vZzRnZP_SLv9IZDEk8SVx8XRF-ku3fkInJWCsjpQ6KI4Bz0gwH146Q9vZ_PZE1yDawxrocjGHKkyw-k3QMpFPUDGeOmwiqkDFsi3Faee5URZW2eKWDLmRx72N/w266-h400/Chalat_ShoreRd.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Erin Chalat</b>, happy with her run along Shore Road on her way to the 60-64 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Elizabeth </b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><b>Bostwick</b> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cape
Elizabeth ME 60</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">
was a half-minute ahead
of <b>Sue George </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Harvard
MA 61</span> at the halfway mark</span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. George had started 4 seconds
ahead of Bostwick. By the halfway point, Bostwick had caught and passed George.
George had a stronger second </span>half and<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">must have passed Bostwick in real time, just before the finish line. George
finished 2 seconds ahead on gun time but two seconds behind Bostwick on net
time! That gave the hometown a 1-2 finish to celebrate! But I imagine George was pretty proud of her effort as well!</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And 55-59 was just as strong as 60-64. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In <span style="font-size: medium;">55-59</span>, </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Mimi Fallon</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Walpole MA 58</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, who took the division bronze medal at the Masters National 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA in April, shaved a few seconds off of that time to take the win. Her 41:55 </span>earned<span style="font-family: inherit;"> an 88.32 PLP. <b>Pilar Whitworth</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellsworth ME 58 </span>finished 2nd on net time, 43:50, and had the 2nd best age grade score, 84.46. <b>Kelly Brown</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ashburn VA 59</span> was not far back; her 45:00 net earned a PLP of 83.30. And that is where the national class times ended, although <b>Mary Darling </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">NY, NY 57</span>, who tied her fellow New Yorker, <b>Pamela Hunt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">55</span>, on net time got as close as you can get. Her time merited a 79.99%!</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The oldest division winner, at 80, was <b>Joan Johnson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Warwick RI </span>who finished first in 80-84 at 1:39:28.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf_7EmUT_EzAJ9fVhuk1TN3_EBbuJF4JSR31EQtVnoqL3U6YpnmtPgrRzXEStiYEJ8Ln92d56pAfYFUX_QyhDLKh6nzpOrrl9fKDRbMoxUxeLUCg9_XyYYMLk-LeZwF0lLx57zjIq67JdxHm64TK4EFlBgLQqm6ws4tIcrpVeFXLeN4h_Q38DJ8gA1x0B/s2688/Johnson-Finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2688" data-original-width="1792" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf_7EmUT_EzAJ9fVhuk1TN3_EBbuJF4JSR31EQtVnoqL3U6YpnmtPgrRzXEStiYEJ8Ln92d56pAfYFUX_QyhDLKh6nzpOrrl9fKDRbMoxUxeLUCg9_XyYYMLk-LeZwF0lLx57zjIq67JdxHm64TK4EFlBgLQqm6ws4tIcrpVeFXLeN4h_Q38DJ8gA1x0B/w266-h400/Johnson-Finish.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joan Johnson</b> finishes off her winning effort in the 80-84 division at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Divisions 40-44, 45-49, and 50-54 are covered above in Masters and Senior division summaries.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>MEN</b> </span></span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Baker, who was first Masters athlete and 1st in his 40-44 division, had the top Performance Level Percentage <span style="font-size: xx-small;">PLP</span> at 84.12. </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Burke, who took first in the Senior Men competition and in the 55-59 division, had the next highest </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">PLP </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">at 84.12. Satterfield, who finished 4th in the Masters race and won the 45-49 division, earned an 82.98 PLP.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">In</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">45-49</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">,</span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> Andrew Johnson </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Middlebury </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">VT 45 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">and </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Ryan McCalmon </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Cape Elizabeth ME 47 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">battled for third. As it turned out, McCalmon crossed the starting line 5 seconds before Johnson did. So, when McCalmon crossed the halfway mat in 17:48, 7 seconds before Johnson did, 5 seconds of that difference were due to the early start. Johnson made up that 7 seconds and more to take 3rd place in the division 35:35 to 35:51 for McCalmon. McCalmon, however, edged Johnson in age grading, 80.83 to 80.11.</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">In </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">60-64<b> Nick Persampieri</b> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Burlington VT 63</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> started 11 seconds after the professional men, with </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">John Whitfield</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">New York NY 62 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">a second behind him. </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Phillip Stern</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Newton Centre MA 60</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">, in contrast, started 32 seconds after the professional men. By the halfway mark, Stern was still 18 seconds behind Persamperi on gun time but three seconds ahead on net time, with his 20:08. Stern had passed Whitfield and crossed the mat 12 seconds before Whitfield did. Stern never did catch up to Persampieri on gun time. He held to this pace well enough to edge Persampieri by 2 seconds on net time. Persampieri never saw Stern in the race but had to accept the 2nd place prize while Stern's 40:39 gave him the division first place! </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFlGj6-gnQYT8DUtNS5dLTk_whCiRIIOv7YVeIiKeSNkVjgRSe0PmcEMzp-dIUJk5pBRDWgmGspsApRk_agZEIuZjk_PEuRGWi5TpGsgTlfIfKtMLFf_PPS2Ej660XxuHd5B2KcEKARYPrfvcASmNzf_YyFzCd02Otn_ME9MV_lOjnvXqiENA-CQKKZgI/s2784/Phillip%20Stern.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2784" data-original-width="1856" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFlGj6-gnQYT8DUtNS5dLTk_whCiRIIOv7YVeIiKeSNkVjgRSe0PmcEMzp-dIUJk5pBRDWgmGspsApRk_agZEIuZjk_PEuRGWi5TpGsgTlfIfKtMLFf_PPS2Ej660XxuHd5B2KcEKARYPrfvcASmNzf_YyFzCd02Otn_ME9MV_lOjnvXqiENA-CQKKZgI/w266-h400/Phillip%20Stern.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Phillip Stern's </b>sprint to the finish line helped him to the 60-64 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Persampieri, at 63, had the distinction of being the only athlete in the division with a national class time, scored at 82.03. Stern and Whitfield were not far off though at 79.82 and 79.47 respectively.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">In<span style="font-size: medium;"> 65-69, </span></span></span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Floyd Lavery </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Sebago ME 66 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">and </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Edward Hughes</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bangor ME 69 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">dueled for 2nd. Lavery started 4 seconds before Hughes. </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">By the halfway point, Hughes had made up the 4 seconds and crossed the mat 1 second ahead of Lavery. Lavery had kept more in the tank though, running a negative split, wiping out not only the gun time advantage of Hughes but beating him by a half minute on net time, 44:37 to 45:07.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The <b>oldest division winner</b>, at 81, was </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">David Barnard </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Yarmouth ME </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">who took the 80-84 division crown</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> in 1:04:47.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQu7IKGYP3kP01iWDs4553bb6gF-9h8tNiS4xzB0v59ZKE_WLgwkcYAD_LtQMvenuY9DOyV7JoX8iAfHJon5kFkqYn9749uK7ZyWCvGeCIJxbvswpo78A7SrjkAeTBV1reMmM4JJ6ZaUTiT46_Vmbr5DbPOW6M89RHhQrtF6DOMrfMeyKuCzsxXSeGAur/s2768/Barnard-Cape%20Eliz-downtown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2768" data-original-width="1848" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQu7IKGYP3kP01iWDs4553bb6gF-9h8tNiS4xzB0v59ZKE_WLgwkcYAD_LtQMvenuY9DOyV7JoX8iAfHJon5kFkqYn9749uK7ZyWCvGeCIJxbvswpo78A7SrjkAeTBV1reMmM4JJ6ZaUTiT46_Vmbr5DbPOW6M89RHhQrtF6DOMrfMeyKuCzsxXSeGAur/w268-h400/Barnard-Cape%20Eliz-downtown.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>David Barnard</b> chugging through downtown Cape Elizabeth on his way to becoming the oldest winner on the day at 81--at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Other Age Division winners not mentioned above included: <b>Scott Brown</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Lewiston ME 43:03 65 79.02; </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUPGXk5Aak0JlowyV_sY_vRXm60Veq9dt7TOGS52LfLfGoQowavEe7G47KltCHnfCN03HcHrGhf4bfey0yAL7LxWeOacLVokNTS1HlIzSbkKQB5uwzzfzt48z8BTOTMDz5OCKv6XCN4RXH7gnLedyJlC5_Cwm-Da43sQ7W_SAmcEk9sWuC_VEQbSWrahy/s2736/Brown-Shore%20Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUPGXk5Aak0JlowyV_sY_vRXm60Veq9dt7TOGS52LfLfGoQowavEe7G47KltCHnfCN03HcHrGhf4bfey0yAL7LxWeOacLVokNTS1HlIzSbkKQB5uwzzfzt48z8BTOTMDz5OCKv6XCN4RXH7gnLedyJlC5_Cwm-Da43sQ7W_SAmcEk9sWuC_VEQbSWrahy/w266-h400/Brown-Shore%20Rd.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scott Brown </b>speeding along Shore Rd on his way to the 65-69 win at <span style="letter-spacing: normal;">the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME</span><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>Richard Boyle</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Frankford DE 45:46 71 78.93.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9X1hYUI_o06aSY2rN-V2Oe9C3-Sa9B_itznrNQzDsRnaZtgTnF6IEef6wmmqv2HqqlHyS9JGLrPq3cPYpyTJs0pBVx4M2QLPGM_917rBIzrvGxCe-yZ-2QBqw0qwtc9s5efb5Fa3LgU7OAc72xJXIArIigIwkRmg5o_PQduTL-RzT0VhDTXPQ6OEnkun/s3696/Boyle-Shore%20Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3696" data-original-width="2456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9X1hYUI_o06aSY2rN-V2Oe9C3-Sa9B_itznrNQzDsRnaZtgTnF6IEef6wmmqv2HqqlHyS9JGLrPq3cPYpyTJs0pBVx4M2QLPGM_917rBIzrvGxCe-yZ-2QBqw0qwtc9s5efb5Fa3LgU7OAc72xJXIArIigIwkRmg5o_PQduTL-RzT0VhDTXPQ6OEnkun/w266-h400/Boyle-Shore%20Rd.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Richard Boyle</b> negotiates the lowest point in the race along Shore Road, just before the finishing hills at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME<span style="letter-spacing: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Other national class performances were turned in by </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Chris Ritchie </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">81.06</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">; </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Robert Worful</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Melrose MA 47 81.55</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">; </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Byrne Decker</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">81.39</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">; </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Wayne Levy</b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">80.09</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>75-79</b><b style="font-size: large;"> </b>This is my division, <b>Paul Carlin</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Three Oaks MI 77</span>. <i>Background </i>The first year I ran was 2014. At the top of my game, two weeks before my first major hamstring injury, I took the win </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">in the 65-69 division, </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">with almost two minutes to spare in 40:39. Under the 2010 standards active at the time, the performance age graded at over 88%. </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bill Reilly </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Brownfield ME 76 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">finished 2nd, </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bob Sholl </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Scarborough ME 76</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> finished 4th, with </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Jose Faria </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Cape Elizabeth ME 75 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">in fifth. </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">I mention them because I have run against those three almost every year I have raced the B2B since then. My next race was 2017 when I finished 2nd in the 70-74 division, coming in well ahead of Reilly and Sholl. I encountered </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Rudy Kelley </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bernard ME 76 </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">who finished a minute ahead of Sholl, for the first time. </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bob Poulson, who came in ahead of me that year, has not been a regular. The next year, 2018, was Reilly's to win, with Sholl 3rd and me 5th, rehabbing after injury. Faria was 6th. Largely injury free in 2019, I dropped my 2018 time, despite warm conditions, by almost 3 minutes, to 47:22 to take the win. Kelley also improved from 2017 and was just 29 seconds back in 2nd. We missed 2020 and 2021 to Covid. Last year, in 2022, I was partially recovered from an Achilles tendon issue that had kept me from training for 7 months in late 2021. Conditions were unusually warm and humid, so times were all slower. Kelley took the 75-79 win in 51:07, with Sholl 1:46 back in 2nd. I finished 3rd, 48 seconds behind Sholl. Reilly was, unfortunately, four minutes further back. No doubt he was hampered by an injury or other barrier to successful distance running. Although in the 70-74 division last year, </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bob Mildrum </b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">St Albans VT 75</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> ran a minute faster than Kelley and Faria, also in 70-74, ran 9 seconds faster than Sholl. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i><b>The 2023 Race</b> </i>Thirty-three competitors aged 75-79 finished the race. With Faria, Kelley, Mildrum, Sholl and Reilly all lining up against me, as well as possibly unknown new challengers, how would 2023 go? The good news was that conditions were much more pleasant to run in. Would I be able to break 50 minutes again in a 10K? I had come close at the Masters 10 Km National Championships in 2022, with a 50:02 and again this year, with a 50:04. And what about the 80% age grading barrier? I have not cracked that at this race since 2017 when I graded at 82.19% under the 2015 standards in force at the time. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The only information I have on the race my rivals ran is the halfway split that the race provides. None of them post on Strava, as far as I can tell. I post on Strava and, of course, can review my GPS watch history in any case. </span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The first part of the race is downhill, followed by an uphill which wipes out a large part of the 40' drop in the first quarter mile. Still, at the end of the first Mile, Strava says there has been a 29' drop overall. I knew I needed to run that first mile well under 8 minutes to have a good day. My watch is set to report 1-mile splits. The first one was 7:32. It could certainly be a good day! But I knew I needed to keep it going. The terrain is misleading. The 2nd mile doesn't really have a steep part but there apparently is a stretch from the 1 mile to the 1.8 mile where we gain 50' even though the grade is usually below 1% and never gets above 2.2%. The goal through there is to keep the 2nd mile split from climbing much above 8 minutes. The second split was 8:01. That seemed okay but I was worried the next split might be higher and I needed some seconds in the bank for mile 6 where we climb up toward Fort William Park and the Portland Light. The elevation chart on Mile 3 is deceptive. It simply says -8'. That should be a fast stretch then, right? Not necessarily. You drop 80' in the first half mile but then you climb up all but 8' of that 80' drop to get your -8'. So you have to be careful not to hold back too much on the downhill stretch because you will surely give back time on the uphill. Others use the approach of holding back a bit more on the downhill and attacking the hills. That used to work better for me. Now I find it does not. Strava shows that my pace on the downhill dropped as low as 7:01/mile for a very short stretch. On the steepest stretch my pace slowed to 9:30 per mile, again for a short stretch, and did not return to 8:00 per mile until we crossed the 5 km mat before turning back up onto Ocean House Road in downtown Cape Elizabeth near the high school. But that was okay. My split for the third mile was 7:58. I had almost a half-minute in the bank toward the goal of averaging under 8 per mile. My official halfway split was 24:29. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Where were my rivals? I did not know. Only by checking later can I see that Kelley had started three seconds in front of me and had run the first half of the race in 24:19. So he crossed the mat 13 seconds ahead of me. The fastest halfway split for our crew was by 'young' Mildrum, in his first year in the division, at 24:04. But since he started 46 seconds after me, and was 25 seconds faster, he was still 21 seconds behind me, on gun time, when he crossed the mat at 5K. Faria was over a minute slower than me at 25:48 and Reilly and Sholl were at 27:17 and 27:39 respectively.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Mile 4 was more of the same. We climbed 33' in the first two-thirds of a mile and lost that and 7' more as we turned down onto Shore Road. My 7:55 split buoyed my spirits! </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdzC3qk8I3-HzmG4-WCf8u_3wF5yeKuHHGGbf9NhXup4KnzYbHVODIEZva4JgIC1hiFv-CJokA9HJj7MQWyoQPsG8vZA5orIlunoZcWTl8vUkIYMl2N4cZ-Gr5z4whkPFU6vIPeD3Vhs92anEF47tA8lHmU0EXKiCFkD6c_ftulykItF0mDig5H-LRI2t/s2736/CL6A9948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdzC3qk8I3-HzmG4-WCf8u_3wF5yeKuHHGGbf9NhXup4KnzYbHVODIEZva4JgIC1hiFv-CJokA9HJj7MQWyoQPsG8vZA5orIlunoZcWTl8vUkIYMl2N4cZ-Gr5z4whkPFU6vIPeD3Vhs92anEF47tA8lHmU0EXKiCFkD6c_ftulykItF0mDig5H-LRI2t/w266-h400/CL6A9948.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running Along the Shore Road at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo courtesy of B2B<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><br /></p><div><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Mile 5 is sweet. The course drops 40' in a series of rolling downhills through the first three-quarters of a mile. During that stretch, my top speed was 6:58 per mile. The last quarter mile carries you into the start of the closing hills, but </span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">overall,</span></span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> it should be the fastest mile split. I delivered, at 7:50. Mile 6 has been the end of many high hopes. In the first 0.4 mile you climb 40' in a series of three rolling climbs. But then you have two more valleys where there is a dip followed by a climb. By the time you are at 5.9 miles, you are 52' higher than you started the day. My split for that mile was 8:27; that is why I needed seconds in the bank. At that point, Garmin tells me that we had 235.5 feet of ascent in the run. The final 200 meters or so drops you 33 feet downhill to the finish. My average pace for that last bit was 7:13 per mile, topping out at 6:20! My final time was 49:33.</span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Later after climbing over the hill and down to the post-race snacks area, I discovered the individual time board. If you walked up close to it, your bib # could be read by the device and your official time and division place would appear. Dave McGillivray and DMSE at the top their game, </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Tech wise</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">! My reading showed 49:33 and 75-79 3rd place. Same place as last year but at least this year I broke 50! I averaged 7:56 per mile over the 6.25 miles my gps had recorded, presumably reflecting that I had not always run the tangents well. If I figure it over 6.2137 miles, the true distance in miles following all tangent lines, I get 7:58.46 per mile, still under 8:00. The national class performance still eludes me, at 79.56%. I took some consolation from knowing that if the 2015 standards had not been updated in 2020, it would have been an 81.13%. </span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Mildrum took the win by almost a minute in 48:27. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9WSX-fg19oQi4bTKjdX6MVq7zUXmq4SwOeLCnxoBOoZD4vHxRfBRdjPijs-8chBzXXyBa9sbKIy96vdHP_GZgND4xYkEPPmMzUz9LlqjDXyoyf2JRF-Y8cf2sugQfWYImnZt4UUDeqmejI4gvDZZZh_9_TecIDxBpH98M8GoprmWjmhT2MWFbEwRrLd3/s2736/Mildrum-Shore%20Rd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9WSX-fg19oQi4bTKjdX6MVq7zUXmq4SwOeLCnxoBOoZD4vHxRfBRdjPijs-8chBzXXyBa9sbKIy96vdHP_GZgND4xYkEPPmMzUz9LlqjDXyoyf2JRF-Y8cf2sugQfWYImnZt4UUDeqmejI4gvDZZZh_9_TecIDxBpH98M8GoprmWjmhT2MWFbEwRrLd3/w266-h400/Mildrum-Shore%20Rd.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bob Mildrum</b> looking strong 5 miles in on his way to the 75-79 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Interestingly, Kelley had been ten seconds faster than me on net time at the halfway mark and was still ten seconds ahead at the finish. We had negotiated the second half of the race in exactly the same time, 25:04. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzwKBhHjkoAIRAjGOPreshjQ3P29FNrIPc20dgcjTSfvSzAeBzbtxLDYYFAxBqiX8DuMpv-YGwDZWeT0XMlsg7P8UHQPiFXAA90cUvQcHq3wbePYvlE4DhyWApppNM9wS_JI7c4L2LDbD_y1kcDGMk8K1cWHehwT0PJXUDeZf5KcNejJxS9BmuI-TFdHW/s4752/Kelley-Downtown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4752" data-original-width="3168" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzwKBhHjkoAIRAjGOPreshjQ3P29FNrIPc20dgcjTSfvSzAeBzbtxLDYYFAxBqiX8DuMpv-YGwDZWeT0XMlsg7P8UHQPiFXAA90cUvQcHq3wbePYvlE4DhyWApppNM9wS_JI7c4L2LDbD_y1kcDGMk8K1cWHehwT0PJXUDeZf5KcNejJxS9BmuI-TFdHW/w266-h400/Kelley-Downtown.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rudy Kelley, </b>striding along on his way to a 2nd place finish in 75-79 at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Kelley was at 49:23 in 2nd; I took 3rd (and enjoyed an LL Bean Gift Card). Faria was 4th in 51:59, Sholl 6th in 54:04, with Reilly 7th in 55:29. </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSvyYp9HYWRxkXiqzXt62zKMosjWX0S0KVTx38NqWbCx7JF0L-FHsPwF0qEdvwrha4n0LuAwtsf7AtmX6_LJBl-SDKjB8iOc_IZq1GIIN4QvbTyd7EhElrJkwopTLyqXcwDEnMNwSRjVbfyjDVbiN-CPKnWQSJfHM4KxToFYoluwc8729iSCPVKgDQ5uG/s3008/_DSC1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3008" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSvyYp9HYWRxkXiqzXt62zKMosjWX0S0KVTx38NqWbCx7JF0L-FHsPwF0qEdvwrha4n0LuAwtsf7AtmX6_LJBl-SDKjB8iOc_IZq1GIIN4QvbTyd7EhElrJkwopTLyqXcwDEnMNwSRjVbfyjDVbiN-CPKnWQSJfHM4KxToFYoluwc8729iSCPVKgDQ5uG/w266-h400/_DSC1626.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprinting to the Finish Behind Two of My Younger Rivals-At the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of B2B</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">I turn 78 in October; this was a good outing. The goals for next year include: being healthy enough to run next August, breaking 50 again, 8:00 per mile and the age grade of 80% or better. If I can achieve all of those, a podium goal should be included. A goal of winning will probably have to wait until 2026 when I will be 80 and 10 months. And, of course, I am always happy to be able to race, regardless of the outcome. It is a gift and a privilege at 77; it gets bigger each year.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-25604626205509343052023-08-09T16:48:00.001-04:002023-09-05T09:44:26.192-04:00Middle Distance Events at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships--800M & 1500 M<p><b>August 1, 2023 </b>The 800 Meter event was held in the afternoon on Saturday, July 22nd on the NC A&T State track in Greensboro NC. The 1500 Meter run was held the following morning. The 800-1500 is, of course, a popular double for Masters athletes.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks to Rick Lee, ace long-distance runner, sailor, mushroom hunter, and photographer, for sharing his 800M and 1500M photos with me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">800 METERS</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Women</i></span></p><p><b>90-94 </b><b>Dot Sowerby </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">High Point AC</span>, 90, claimed the Gold medal without opposition in 5:52.93.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_x8VjxIvp9tdYSfrP-8EkRMhZdGeVshs2ukAxMIc5K_I38yVXa4K91asJcRSZSeA-jDPb1E1oBHSigPBuPndTW0UmW3URR9XNGBh2YkyV53UXFK0pUMNucRyq4MFYA5jOszRW9n-qeKzCYRijJtW-KoJ67n6hIYo1_oZ_mK-9Z6n1wuPmY_oi0B9GV_p/s1353/Women%2075-94--Rice-Rollins-Aderhold.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_x8VjxIvp9tdYSfrP-8EkRMhZdGeVshs2ukAxMIc5K_I38yVXa4K91asJcRSZSeA-jDPb1E1oBHSigPBuPndTW0UmW3URR9XNGBh2YkyV53UXFK0pUMNucRyq4MFYA5jOszRW9n-qeKzCYRijJtW-KoJ67n6hIYo1_oZ_mK-9Z6n1wuPmY_oi0B9GV_p/w640-h426/Women%2075-94--Rice-Rollins-Aderhold.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of Women 75+ 800M-<b>Jeannie Rice </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#10</span>-Takes early lead with <b>Nancy Rollins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#7 light blue singlet </span>a half stride back, with <b>Susan Aderhold</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> #8 </span>on her shoulder-at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC (ATC) finished</span> 2nd in this division last year in a close race with <b>Tami Graf. </b>She was no match for <b>Martha Klopfer</b> this year but enjoyed the Silver Medal to add to her collection. Klopfer had a 2-minute margin of victory.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Martha Klopfer</i> 5:49.60 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 7:51.47</p><p><b>80-84 </b>Teammates <b>Cora Hill </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">TNT International</span> and <b>Angela Staab</b> took this division 1-2. Hill finished 4th in the 75-79 800M last year and 6th at the World Indoors this past March. Staab accompanied her at both events, finishing 6th in 75-79 last year and 5th at Worlds this winter in 80-84.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Cora Hill</i> 5:10.19 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Angela Staab</i> 6:02.23</p><p><b>75-79 </b>This event was significant in that it was <b>Jeannie Rice</b>'s first race on the track where she did <b>not</b> set a World Record. She needed to hit the 1st lap in 1:33.5 and she was at 1:35. Rice had no problem getting the win. She finished ahead of <b>Nancy Rollins</b> by 27 seconds. Rice is one of the few, and maybe the only, American woman who can beat Rollins in a 75-79 age division national championship. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnGayQ8uONYy9dZpjGfZtRnBCuUNgfXmTpcRGsfxDsPwWNBq12pwE7QbPH5Us3THmUcUTsQCy53Tee3vEKDaM0Va4jIEoQz66ligT412LqtILoi42Ye3ar25nIOe8Zbjsk0_njCwe5AmL6KfCWi9eySFwQUTJMd4dlvU7y2QF8evRolRd-9_X8P_EL5aI/s1353/Women75-79-Rice%20Takes%20the%20Bell.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnGayQ8uONYy9dZpjGfZtRnBCuUNgfXmTpcRGsfxDsPwWNBq12pwE7QbPH5Us3THmUcUTsQCy53Tee3vEKDaM0Va4jIEoQz66ligT412LqtILoi42Ye3ar25nIOe8Zbjsk0_njCwe5AmL6KfCWi9eySFwQUTJMd4dlvU7y2QF8evRolRd-9_X8P_EL5aI/w640-h426/Women75-79-Rice%20Takes%20the%20Bell.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice </b>takes the Bell on Her Way to a World Record in the Women's 75-79 Age Division at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Susan Aderhold </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>had a good outing as well, cracking 4:00 and finishing in third with a margin of over a minute.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 3:15.22 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nancy Rollins</i> 3:42.02 <i><b>Susan Aderhold </b>3:56.30</i></p><p><b>70-74 </b>In 2021, <b>Coreen Steinbach</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC (GPTC) </span>won the 70-74 800M championship at the Masters Outdoor Championships at 3:05.85. Last year she took 2nd at the World Championships in Finland with a 3:05.64. She missed the win by just a bit over a second! She had no trouble winning the 2023 edition of the 70-74 800 meters. By comparison, Steinbach could almost relax and still win over a strong field by over half a minute. <b>Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>added a Siver medal to her collection; her teammate, <b>Francoise Levinson</b>, finished 3rd 19 seconds later.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Coreen Steinbach</i> 3:12.23 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Norma Hudnall</i> 3:49.29 <b style="font-style: italic;">Francoise Levinson </b>4:08.52</p><p><b>65-69 Patrice Combs</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>made a name for herself on the roads. She won the 2019 Masters National Grand Prix for women 60-64, garnering championships along the way from the 5K to the 15K. But Combs is no stranger to the track; she took 2nd last year in 65-69 at these championships with a 3:03.74. She needed to worry about a challenge from <b>Susan Loyd </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mass Velocity Track Club</span>. Loyd finished 5th at the World Indoor championships in 3:04.2. Combs was in the outside lane and had to run through some traffic on the first turn. Combs moved to the front at the head of the straightaway and was never threatened after that. <b>Debbie Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC (SCTC)</span> was in 2nd for most of the first lap. Loyd passed Lee at the start of the second lap but never seriously threatened Combs, who took the win with three seconds to spare. Lee finished 3rd with a closing kick that brought her within 2 seconds of Loyd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs</i> 3:06.28 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Susan Loyd</i> 3:09.29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Debbie Lee</i> 3:11.71</p><p><b>60-64</b> Just as <b>Jeannie Rice</b> was taking down World Records at the longer distances, <b>Sue McDonald</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pursuit of Excellence TC</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(POETC) </span>was taking them down at shorter distances. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AeAy5pSX6U4ifQfV1Qvuaae_qJSYC2CEhDsUovbt_ZQugLX5k2E0KJXHOuKRwLGpsUt-1LaQqJY3FvHf-RRaKrfT31CgG-oXGfD-P26ErLE6UHYK-ueBB8mapwmB8YtvyDSqe7Tn6APPS-xWKTWegkqSYpPeWL1bf4f7_U8q-BJdXQFtoCHMuMSaFYB_/s1353/Women_60-64-800M-LineUp.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AeAy5pSX6U4ifQfV1Qvuaae_qJSYC2CEhDsUovbt_ZQugLX5k2E0KJXHOuKRwLGpsUt-1LaQqJY3FvHf-RRaKrfT31CgG-oXGfD-P26ErLE6UHYK-ueBB8mapwmB8YtvyDSqe7Tn6APPS-xWKTWegkqSYpPeWL1bf4f7_U8q-BJdXQFtoCHMuMSaFYB_/w640-h426/Women_60-64-800M-LineUp.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining Up for the Start of the Women's 60-64 800M-<b>Sue McDonald </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#4</span>, <b>Lorraine Jasper</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#3</span>, and <b>Doreen McCoubrie </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#5</span> were the favorites at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table>If McDonald was to take down the 800M world record of 2:31.51, she would need to run alone and cover the first 400 meters in 1:15 and change. McDonald was not worried about anyone else, just hitting her pace. She covered the first 400 meters in 1:14.9, right where she needed to be! She raced smoothy around the 2nd circuit of the track and crossed the finish line in 2:29.97, a second and a half under the record. <p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNRdZQLpk6UJU1TPqVMUL3NZSyEAP98Kr_P0lg0SmNJT4YRWNstNkwtcelg_39g1xPOSAF4VuxUZlb9WdUxugbM_QkQUA0gU6QLrOTtMc0aXVWeyl6ge5aUvd3Zl226lHe1Z6g20Jch3ZC1yorI58i2xA4sCWy2lygJpNAxtZBUygb4SMVDU5NvuqOmBp/s1353/Women60-64-Sue%20McDonald-Win-WR.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNRdZQLpk6UJU1TPqVMUL3NZSyEAP98Kr_P0lg0SmNJT4YRWNstNkwtcelg_39g1xPOSAF4VuxUZlb9WdUxugbM_QkQUA0gU6QLrOTtMc0aXVWeyl6ge5aUvd3Zl226lHe1Z6g20Jch3ZC1yorI58i2xA4sCWy2lygJpNAxtZBUygb4SMVDU5NvuqOmBp/w640-h426/Women60-64-Sue%20McDonald-Win-WR.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sue McDonald </b>makes it look easy to break a World Record, but this photo shows how hard she had to work! At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Lorraine Jasper</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>could not keep pace with McDonald but enjoyed a six second gap back to her teammate, <b>Doreen McCoubrie</b>, in 3rd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sue McDonald</i> 2:29.97 <b>WR </b><b style="font-style: italic;">Lorraine Jasper</b> 2:40.42 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Doreen McCoubrie</i> 2:46.04</p><p><b>55-59</b> <b>Jennifer Harvey </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Central Park TC (CPTC) </span>was<b> </b>fresh from breaking the American Road Mile record at the USATF Master1s Championships in Indianapolis at the end of June with a 5:25.0. The 1500M would, no doubt, be her main focus but the 800-1500 is a natural double. Harvey's teammate, <b>Dominique Saint-Louis</b> led for the first lap. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mxOekMkeV_5dYItmxWRiOvzre84bo4EtQ9QkSuEllgzLRIr8SkRVfjPH1g7zzShEMZ0jXHq2rZUGt2OAMbNtJ35vTxvAEItm9_UG642e-2OH4aWr16UQG2xbBsqpgXiAvPvrsY0R9o-_Rx9YVmSFc9K9l79r5wiSp_XII4mBDBjCeObrIQdjuNc75yP5/s1353/W55-59-800M-L2R-Kelly-Harvey-DSL-Sprngr-Prsal-Andrsn.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mxOekMkeV_5dYItmxWRiOvzre84bo4EtQ9QkSuEllgzLRIr8SkRVfjPH1g7zzShEMZ0jXHq2rZUGt2OAMbNtJ35vTxvAEItm9_UG642e-2OH4aWr16UQG2xbBsqpgXiAvPvrsY0R9o-_Rx9YVmSFc9K9l79r5wiSp_XII4mBDBjCeObrIQdjuNc75yP5/w640-h426/W55-59-800M-L2R-Kelly-Harvey-DSL-Sprngr-Prsal-Andrsn.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of Women's 55-59 800M Run-<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left </span><b>Louise Kelley, Jennifer Harvey, Dominique Saint-Louis, Roxanne Springer, Susan Piersall, Kimberly Anderson</b> at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But then Harvey moved to the lead, opened up a lead of 10-15 meters, and held that for the rest of the final lap; </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnx6ms43Y71AW7gH36EYPJekMU-xy4YOGUbWOGvjfS_ZkxDb9LTdiJ7EL7fCjUQf3uVJ83_2ThxNha_Ck-By6zbOpaeZLGb6vxIcwdFhuS4A3fjDHjI8rBEfXdvxU1-8e8QrijZ4Hc8jde3STR_nlHnsyQx5-frJwD8QSdHAtjKGVmXlKUH70Bn0p6dkD/s1353/HarveySprintsForWin.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnx6ms43Y71AW7gH36EYPJekMU-xy4YOGUbWOGvjfS_ZkxDb9LTdiJ7EL7fCjUQf3uVJ83_2ThxNha_Ck-By6zbOpaeZLGb6vxIcwdFhuS4A3fjDHjI8rBEfXdvxU1-8e8QrijZ4Hc8jde3STR_nlHnsyQx5-frJwD8QSdHAtjKGVmXlKUH70Bn0p6dkD/w640-h426/HarveySprintsForWin.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Harvey</b> in her final sprint for the Gold Medal in the Women's 55-59 800 Meter Run-at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Saint-Louis stayed within a few strides. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdHgepGKHNrd1dL96kwzbjhnRzX9YHCuQj6S10g3hyqwNaxeWsOHixmqz4xuKXbOcCOdg4NWLevU6IPEV5WqwOIgeiuXaHhXTTbA-Hwjs9yPIXm-jVToUcaO6svFmtdDcVF2ecFTaEMIDq3VdyOyxjzE2k_r2IGIn8kJ6xDTk6vy0u-jVVk-clQblkidM/s1353/W55-59-DSL%20to%20FinishLn2nd.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdHgepGKHNrd1dL96kwzbjhnRzX9YHCuQj6S10g3hyqwNaxeWsOHixmqz4xuKXbOcCOdg4NWLevU6IPEV5WqwOIgeiuXaHhXTTbA-Hwjs9yPIXm-jVToUcaO6svFmtdDcVF2ecFTaEMIDq3VdyOyxjzE2k_r2IGIn8kJ6xDTk6vy0u-jVVk-clQblkidM/w640-h426/W55-59-DSL%20to%20FinishLn2nd.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dominique Saint-Louis</b> closes out her Silver medal effort at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Roxanne Springer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">POETC </span>claimed third with a gap of five seconds back to the 4th place finisher.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Harvey</i> 2:29.20 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dominique Saint-Louis</i> 2:32.49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Roxanne Springer</i> 2:43.13</p><p><b>50-54 Sonja Friend-Uhl </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Florida TC-SE </span>had no trouble adding another Gold to her collection. She moved swiftly to the front when the gun sounded, followed by <b>Dianne DeOliveira</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bella N Motion</span>, <b>Kimberly Aspholm </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State TC</span>, and Aspholm's teammate, <b>Hortencia Aliaga. </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvEJqg8m1eEYLS6eg7UUihSU5VAez6wdGLrVKA0kF9CzARSltEognE-UDcEg0QLvQEZmMY7xsqzGrzV4phqtZ5tq7ncBBgmt4Naujz9w0Qb9oOXjzvQ8TJ7wvKIqFd35rTwdZ-PWKd0zUT_jOxcO0HNitbZG3cpbld5w7pmN4MQJ4gwmW010lMqudBqW6/s1353/W50-800m-1stTrn-SF-U,_D%20DO_Blmhgn_Welch-Aliaga_Aspholm.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvEJqg8m1eEYLS6eg7UUihSU5VAez6wdGLrVKA0kF9CzARSltEognE-UDcEg0QLvQEZmMY7xsqzGrzV4phqtZ5tq7ncBBgmt4Naujz9w0Qb9oOXjzvQ8TJ7wvKIqFd35rTwdZ-PWKd0zUT_jOxcO0HNitbZG3cpbld5w7pmN4MQJ4gwmW010lMqudBqW6/w640-h426/W50-800m-1stTrn-SF-U,_D%20DO_Blmhgn_Welch-Aliaga_Aspholm.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading into the First Turn of the Women's 50-54 800 Meter Run-<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right-</span><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> leads, <b>Michelle Blumhagen</b> on the rail, <b>Deanna DeOliveira</b> moving into 2nd, <b>Wendy Welch </b>sunglasses, <b>Kimberly Aspholm</b>, and <b>Hortencia Aliaga</b> moving up in lane 2--At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Friend-Uhl built a 3-second gap on that first lap, with the chasers in single file. Coming out of the 2nd turn, Aspholm and Aliaga closed on DeOliveira and Aspholm swung out as if she would pass. Aliaga continued straight ahead and wound up ahead of Aspholm on the inside lane, when Aspholm gave up on the attempt to pass. Friend-Uhl finished the 400 meters in about 1:15, with the other three at 1:18. As they rounded the 3rd turn, DeOliveira and Aliaga put a few meters on Aspholm. Friend-Uhl cruised to the win with a 7-second margin of victory. Despite Aliaga's best efforts, DeOliveira held her off to claim 2nd place by a single second! Aspholm was 3 seconds back in 4th.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sonja Friend-Uhl</i> 2:29.02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dianne DeOliveira</i> 2:36.82 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hortencia Aliaga</i> 2:37.99</p><p><b>45-49 </b>This was the most competitive 800M so far. <b>Alison Schwalm</b> went right to the front, followed by CPTC teammates, <b>Nathalie Jones</b> and <b>Jennifer St. Jean. </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCZsQtqdXhYusbmSmxN8AD2JxzEnK9crVe1lhP19mR-1wnEDWCRtPe306yrAmZzO-KT4DAbR5bXzd3XF5t0XuteAWiTlivLMW0YT1cf6DECQyztogbl1yNS6n83yCi1orwaKUDIsdotjVtcqUx3rsTBZhZEtgxgFBPAd1OmfOjhcFLmxN7QQGZshoaicy/s1353/W45-1stTrn_Schwalm_St-J_Jones.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCZsQtqdXhYusbmSmxN8AD2JxzEnK9crVe1lhP19mR-1wnEDWCRtPe306yrAmZzO-KT4DAbR5bXzd3XF5t0XuteAWiTlivLMW0YT1cf6DECQyztogbl1yNS6n83yCi1orwaKUDIsdotjVtcqUx3rsTBZhZEtgxgFBPAd1OmfOjhcFLmxN7QQGZshoaicy/w640-h426/W45-1stTrn_Schwalm_St-J_Jones.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading into the 1st Turn at the Women's 45-49 800 Meter Run-<b>Alison Schwalm </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#3 </span>moves into the lead, with J<b>ennifer St. Jean </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#4</span> moving into 2nd and, on her outside, <b>Nathalie Jones</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#5 </span>looking to move up--at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>They ran single file that way around the entire first lap, covering the 400 meters in about 1:11. Halfway through the final turn, St. Jean started to run down Jones. Coming onto the final straight, St. Jean was going at full speed to try to catch Schwalm. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxkIVtN90MFwi8gBVftwzRZUXoTwJPQdJSWMBHRuYv4DbxvHwFwyPa-MPbISeYymToDM7dB1Ce-JN07zmfOYlJ1wp-HeToUT2AViPIfudAFe4Ak2dymZf0aCHuUFYzb3TTU_oEDxxR1inNz8BIxwCeGxfCcDhWJqv8ZvfeZYdOfkHVC01uSCy7hcYQoVf/s1353/W45-800M-Schwalm_JStJ_Jones.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxkIVtN90MFwi8gBVftwzRZUXoTwJPQdJSWMBHRuYv4DbxvHwFwyPa-MPbISeYymToDM7dB1Ce-JN07zmfOYlJ1wp-HeToUT2AViPIfudAFe4Ak2dymZf0aCHuUFYzb3TTU_oEDxxR1inNz8BIxwCeGxfCcDhWJqv8ZvfeZYdOfkHVC01uSCy7hcYQoVf/w640-h426/W45-800M-Schwalm_JStJ_Jones.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alison Schwalm</b> closing out the win, with <b>Jennifer St. Jean</b> and <b>Nathalie Jones</b>, in 2nd and 3rd--at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But Schwalm gave St. Jean no opening, sprinting into the finish with just under a full second of daylight between them. Jones claimed the Bronze medal, another 0.9 seconds back!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Alison Schwalm</i> 2:21.36 <b><i>Jennifer St. Jean</i></b><i> </i>2:22.23<i> </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nathalie Jones</i> 2:23.16</p><p><b>40-44 Christine Licata </b>bided her time, running in the front 5 for the first 200 Meters. As they headed into the 2nd turn, Liccata accelerated and took the lead by herself. Down the backstraight she started to stretch her lead; no one was comfortable matching her pace. Liccata covered the first 400 meters in 1:14 with a 3-4 second lead. She stretched the lead going down the backstretch and took the win with six seconds to spare. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IYfnnrXQ6G24M6k8ryYoskUo6uh6DrK8tyabAshDR-8cqxaDRs0OJywd-1xc6MUy11sH9zNygtX7y4bhWKxF5t5P0zQuhD4PRT0XkqS-rDNkLxtz8dIjr7l9ifNcDlgi3RvKbajpaURhSPx4TeCrBQQJvBzeipvGiQqaQ-GCTewOnjI9UkeE-cjzdIFZ/s1353/W40-800M-C%20Licata%20wins.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IYfnnrXQ6G24M6k8ryYoskUo6uh6DrK8tyabAshDR-8cqxaDRs0OJywd-1xc6MUy11sH9zNygtX7y4bhWKxF5t5P0zQuhD4PRT0XkqS-rDNkLxtz8dIjr7l9ifNcDlgi3RvKbajpaURhSPx4TeCrBQQJvBzeipvGiQqaQ-GCTewOnjI9UkeE-cjzdIFZ/w640-h426/W40-800M-C%20Licata%20wins.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Christine Licata</b> heads for the Finish Line and the Gold Medal in the Women's 40-44 Division at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Evelyn Ortiz</b> moved to the front of the chase pack on the backstretch and held it for a 2 second margin over the Bronze medalist, <b>Kate Powell</b>, who had a fraction of a second on <b>Diana Crumrine</b>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Christine Liccata</i> 2:25.22 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Evelyn Ortiz</i> 2:31.60 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kate Powell</i> 2:33.48</p><p><b>35-39 Christina Elder </b>2:20.52 <b>30-34 Erika Charles </b>2:14.11 </p><p><b>25-29 Katherine Vande Pol</b> 2:18.08</p><p><br /></p><p><i style="font-size: large;">Men</i></p><p><b>90-94 Vance Genzlinger </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">94 Philadelphia Masters PM</span> finished 2nd to <b>Gunnar Linde</b> in 2021 with a 7:03.99, and 2nd to <b>Robert Culling</b> in 7:02.92 in 2022. Last March he took the Gold medal unopposed at the Masters Indoor Champiionsh5ips in Louisville in 7:32.23. He had the same luck here, taking the Gold medal unopposed in 7:22.59. It was his last chance to win the Gold medal in the 90-94 division and he made it count!</p><p><b>85-89 Inocencio Cantu </b>won this event in 2021 and finished 2nd to <b>Elmo Shropshire </b>in 4:01.32 last year. This year he won the 800M at the Indoor Championships in 4:18.84, and was the favorite here. Cantu had no problems, moving smoothly to the front when the gun sounded. <b>Ram Satyaprasad</b> stayed with him as long as he could but very soon a large gap developed. Cantu crusied to the win with a victory margin of over a half minute. Satyaprasad finished 23 seconds ahead of <b>Colben Sime,</b> who was followed by <b>Adrian Craven</b> 25 seconds later.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Inocencio Cantu </i>4:03.21 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ram Satyaprasad</i> 4:35.50 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Colben Sime</i> 4:58.88</p><p><b>80-84</b> <b>Tom Bowden</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tennessee TC</span> is a newcomer to these championships, at least in the last few years. Bowden<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>was taking no prisoners. The gun sounded and he left the field far behind. He covered the first 400M in 1:30. He slowed a bit on the 2nd lap but finished first with 13 seconds to spare. <b>Jim Assal</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC</span> was 2nd across the finish line 13 seconds later. <b>Hal Lieberman </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">CPTC </span>closed off the podium 16 seconds behind Assal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Tom Bowden </i>3:23.82 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jim Assal</i> 3:36.53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hal Lieberman</i> 3:52.61</p><p><b>75-79 </b>Now that they were into the middle-distance events, it was time for Hall of Famer, <b>Gary Patton</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">SCTC </span>to shine. But he had to be mindful of not going all out in the 800 meters. He had the 1500M to run tomorrow. Patton bided his time on the first lap, running in 5th behind his teammate, <b>Tim Wigger</b>, who also figured to be his main competition. Heading down the straightaway into the bell lap, Patton accelerated, with Wigger following. They tracked down the early leader, <b>Paul Murphy. </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Patton was a stride behind Murphy as they crossed the 1 lap to go line in 1:28. Patton took the lead on the backstretch and, soon after, Wigger passed Murphy as well. Patton cruised ot the win, with Wigger just 3 seconds back. Five seconds later, <b>Dixon Cook</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">High Point AC</span> claimed the Bronze medal 5 seconds ahead of Murphy.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gary Patton</i> 2:53.41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Wigger </i>2:56.83 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dixon Cook</i> 3:01.45</p><p><b>70-74 Robert Qualls </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">River City Rebels</span>, who took the Gold medal in the 10,000 meters 10 hours earlier, was back to see if he could get the double gold on the same day. <b>Anthony Fleming</b>, who finished 2nd in 65-69 last year in 2:33.49, had other ideas. he set off smartly and Qualls had to follow, gradually increasing his turnover so he could stay within a few strides of Fleming. Qualls closed the gap to a single second by the time Fleming took the bell at 1:20. Around the turn, Floeming pulled away slightly and then on the backstretch pulled away by another stride or two. In the end, Fleming claimed the Gold medal with almost six seconds to spare. Qualls had made a valiant effort; he must have felt those 10,000 meters in his legs on the 2nd lap. Eight seconds later, <b>Bert Banks</b> took the Bronze medal, followed by Qualls's teammate, <b>Perry Linn</b>, six seconds later.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Anthony Fleming </i>2:38.97 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls </i>2:44.27 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bert Banks</i> 2:52.20</p><p><b>65-69 </b>This was a dandy of a race, with<b> Michael Lebold</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jamul Toads </span>hoping for the same result he had at the Indoor Championships in March when he came from behind to win this event in 2:29.55. <b>Jesse Mayes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder TC. </span>and <b>Evan Wykes</b> were just as determined to forge a different outcome. Unfortunately, Mayes was in heat 1 and did not get a chance to compete directly with Lebold and Wykes. Mayes had no trouble winning his heat by 11 seconds in 2:30.1. Despite that time, Wykes and Lebold were content to follow the early leader, <b>Robert Riss</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>until they came out of the second turn. Coming down the front straightaway, Lebold pulled out and started to accelerate towards the leader, pulling Wykes with him. Lebold took the lead and ended the first lap of the race at 1:19. Lebold must have realized at that point that he needed a 70 second 2nd lap to finish faster than Mayes. Wykes was the only one who could match the pace that Lebold set on that 2nd lap but match it he did. Wykes started to pull up by Lebold as they came off the final turn; </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2PbCIigT7aThti6UugXaO20h_1pUWtp8_h--h-RXKJP0YjlnHOuzVR1vBEbYGskX6vJJqWaaFY7DuvxdbslKWDTS5qAp9wyp7Nkc8TwTVMfk00fVguhXTpArLlTNQU2A6NG6A_4I2ldNUqFMQ9yHBAe9ciFzF27qJrcVPPelfFDywfEppsiqSzaNCvF5/s1353/M65%20800M-FnlTrn-Lebold-Winner.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2PbCIigT7aThti6UugXaO20h_1pUWtp8_h--h-RXKJP0YjlnHOuzVR1vBEbYGskX6vJJqWaaFY7DuvxdbslKWDTS5qAp9wyp7Nkc8TwTVMfk00fVguhXTpArLlTNQU2A6NG6A_4I2ldNUqFMQ9yHBAe9ciFzF27qJrcVPPelfFDywfEppsiqSzaNCvF5/w640-h426/M65%20800M-FnlTrn-Lebold-Winner.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Evan Wykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">USA singlet</span> chasing down <b>Michael Lebold </b>off the final turn in the Men's 65-69 800 M Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>with 50 meters to go, Wykes had the lead! He did not relinquish it, taking the Gold medal just 0.11 seconds faster than Mayes. Lebold, despite a valiant effort, could not hold off Wykes. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGz3gnNv9dqVj8nSJNRMYNmLvcvffvjqhTw7jOiaKsaoPYpM4eUj5-v62z3ToxpggDf5YlKdrIQQqlChbhHGtS809BMuVUa7u_ZKan1mjmR9M4qHB23o4u5Q9EUkZxq-vrR0aVweSPDLc_bZpoPQV8K1QI04XeCOq6L04LCLspgFNi0m0gQqbXVR1o9gB/s1353/M65-800M-Lebold%20passed%20in%20Final%20Meters.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGz3gnNv9dqVj8nSJNRMYNmLvcvffvjqhTw7jOiaKsaoPYpM4eUj5-v62z3ToxpggDf5YlKdrIQQqlChbhHGtS809BMuVUa7u_ZKan1mjmR9M4qHB23o4u5Q9EUkZxq-vrR0aVweSPDLc_bZpoPQV8K1QI04XeCOq6L04LCLspgFNi0m0gQqbXVR1o9gB/w640-h426/M65-800M-Lebold%20passed%20in%20Final%20Meters.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Evan Wykes </b> enjoys a half-stride lead over <b>Michael Lebold</b>, with 30 Meters to Go in the Men's 65-69 800 M Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Losing to Wykes by less than half a second, Lebold's time was 0.36 seconds slower than Mayes, who was awarded the Silver medal. </p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Evan Wykes</i> 2:29.99 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Mayes</i> 2:30.10 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Lebold</i> 2:30.46</p><p><b>60-64 </b>There was no reason on paper to think that <b>David Pinkham</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">PVTC</span> was a threat for the podium. His 2022 road efforts included a 22:44 5K, a 25:32 5K and a 53:01 10K. The last time he ran an 800m event on the track was at the May 2022 National Senior Games, when he clocked a 2:34.59. Pinkham was seeded into the slower 1st heat. But Pinkham must have known that his training had gone well, and he was ready to blast a fast 800M. He took off with the gun, gathered speed and stretched his lead throughout, crossing the finish line in 2:20.81. That gave the athletes in the 2nd heat something to think about. Only two of them, <b>Roger Chapman</b> and <b>Joe Mora </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH</span>, had seed times as fast or faster than that. <b>Rick Lee</b> was also competing, but it was his 3rd event of the day. He won the 10,000 Meters at 9:15 and the 2000 Meter Steeplechase at 10:50 am. Here he was 7 hours later lining up for the 800 Meter run.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro51lWQ3wx-lko-wsG0-pW4d-a14XxF4W7qloO7qTF-P4zu6_t8gIuPtbiBPJeVP9Et332Sjw-PZod_6SwJWAQyDNVOTmVpcOQdw0Fvg1YYZ9YxZe5piE3_IzLbOmjf9m94lAmNIeKieJMcY3Q5EdGStI3rRAr_TnrSO-a_1pIpS5jEVfKjCWAGLG7P4_/s1353/M60-800M-Lee-Mora-Chapman-prerace.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro51lWQ3wx-lko-wsG0-pW4d-a14XxF4W7qloO7qTF-P4zu6_t8gIuPtbiBPJeVP9Et332Sjw-PZod_6SwJWAQyDNVOTmVpcOQdw0Fvg1YYZ9YxZe5piE3_IzLbOmjf9m94lAmNIeKieJMcY3Q5EdGStI3rRAr_TnrSO-a_1pIpS5jEVfKjCWAGLG7P4_/w640-h426/M60-800M-Lee-Mora-Chapman-prerace.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Race Stroll to the Starting Line for the Men's 60-64 800M Run -<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left- </span><b>Rick Lee, Joe Mora, Roger Chapman </b>at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Mora knew what he had to do. He did not try any tricky strategy. He just went out and ran an honest pace at the front, daring everyone to stay with him. If it had been Lee's first event of the day, maybe he would have stayed with Mora. But not on this day. Only Chapman was able to slot in behind Mora as he took the bell at 2:09. Mora pulled Chapman up the backstretch and around the final turn. Hitting the front straightaway, Chapman challenged Mora for the lead, inched ahead for a few strides and then fell back as Mora fought him off. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vgwHI0X7LotaJQN-fdhKQL4eRkw3JxOTE82KD-IVOleJZhtfpLXOmuhkokobAhuUSriM_hKJ4HAaLwBPcQdRgK80iS9UaqR2KtSa8_eSOjIm-7gzB_pUtc4xdNEC0U1ANwA4UY5NxDNMeEomR0g36uipHStLA-rLiJ0eL5g54DcTemFjBf-gmzfVJw5E/s1353/M60-800M-Chapman-Mora-30M2Go.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vgwHI0X7LotaJQN-fdhKQL4eRkw3JxOTE82KD-IVOleJZhtfpLXOmuhkokobAhuUSriM_hKJ4HAaLwBPcQdRgK80iS9UaqR2KtSa8_eSOjIm-7gzB_pUtc4xdNEC0U1ANwA4UY5NxDNMeEomR0g36uipHStLA-rLiJ0eL5g54DcTemFjBf-gmzfVJw5E/w640-h426/M60-800M-Chapman-Mora-30M2Go.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joe Mora </b>fights off <b>Roger Chapman</b> as they both drive to the finish line with all their might! In the men's 60-64 800 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Mora took the win and the Gold medal with 0.24 seconds to spare. Chapman, too, finished with a faster time than Pinkham. But Pinkham's time was faster than all the others in Heat 2, a rare podium performance out of the unseeded heat! Pinkham had nearly 4 seconds on the 4th place finisher!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Mora</i> 2:18.32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Roger Chapman</i> 2:18.56 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Pinkham</i> 2:20.81</p><p><b>55-59</b> <b>Landen Summay</b> finished 7th in the 800M at the Indoor Masters Championships this spring in Louisville in 2:17.54. In 2019 he competed in the Masters Road Mile Championships, finishing 5th in M50 at 5:02, behind <b>Alejandro Heuck </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Springfield Harriers </span>but ahead of <b>Mike Nier </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH </span>, both of whom were also running in the seeded heat. <b>Matthew Guild </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Green Mountain AA </span>finished 10th last year in this race in 2:22.48, with Heuck 2nd in 2:13.70, and Nier 4th in 2:14.79. Summay led around the first turn and onto the backstretch. At that point, Guild surged into the lead. Summay dropped into 2nd behind him, with Nier and Heuck just off the pace in the top 5. Nier moved into the lead at the bell, with Heuck in 3rd. Around the turn, Heuck passed Guld and moved into 2nd, followed by Guild, with Summay in 5th on the rail. On the backstretch it stayed that way with Nier leading, Heuck following then Guild then <b>Michael Scholtz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Asheville Running Collective </span>4th in lane 2, Summay in 5th in lane 1, potentially blocked as <b>John Borthwick</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners</span>, in 6th was moving up outside of Summay. Coming out of the turn with a hundred meters to go, Heuck took the lead. Summay looked like he had pep left but might not be able to get outside the logjam in front of him. But Scholtz must have slowed just enough that Summay got a stride on him and was able to jump outside. Once he got there his speed carried him to victory with just 0.36 seconds to spare. Guild just barely got past Heuck, at the line; Heuck's finishing dip almost saved the bronze medal, but not quite. Nier, Borthwick and Scholtz<b> </b>followed in 4th through 6th.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Landen Summay </i>2:17.04 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Matthew Guild</i> 2:17.40 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alejandro Heuck </i>2:17.45</p><p><b>50-54</b> Last year, in his final year in 45-49, <b>Mark Williams</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Freedom-Garmin Runners</span>, took the Gold in the 800M at 2:03.60. This past March, Williams won the 50-54 Bronze medal at Worlds in 2:05.47. <b>Calvin Graham</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>had a 2:13.48 800M at the Tennessee Senior Olympics. <b>John Prineas</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners </span>had no recent 800M runs but had won his division at the Grand Blue Mile this past April. <b>Keith Schumann</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colonial Road Runners </span>has tended to run longer races. His most recent effort on the track was a 4:37.73 1500M at the Masters Indoor Championships; he finished 2nd behind Williams. his race was all Wiliams's. He took off from the gun, opened up a gap and took the bell with a sub-60 400 meters. Graham led the chase pack through the first 400M with Schumann and Prineas following. Williams slowed slightly on the final straightaway but still won by more than 8 seconds! Graham did a nice job of controlling the rest of the field from the front, staying well ahead when Prineas passed Schumann on the final straightaway.</p><p><i><b>Mark Williams</b></i><b> </b>2:04.14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Calvin Graham</i> 2:12.26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Prineas</i> 2:13.09</p><p><b>45-49</b> <b>Michael Donawa</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bermuda </span>finished 4th in the 800M at these championships last year in 2:03.24. <b>Jose Saldeno</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Venezuela </span>decided to extend his range this year. At this event in 2022, he won the 45-49 400M Hurdles and finished 2nd in the 40lachinsky0M. A newcomer to these championships, <b>Jason Abbott </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shadow Project TC</span> led the field out from the gun and stayed there through the first 600 meters, with Donawa in 2nd and Saldeno in 3rd. Midway through the final turn, Donawa started to close on Abbott but, at the same time, Saldeno was starting to close on Donawa. At the head of the final straightaway, they were even, but Saldeno had the momentum. Abbott fought Donawa for a few strides as Saldeno powered away from both. Donawa was able to get past Abbott for 2nd, but Saldeno had the win with two seconds to spare!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jose Saldeno</i> 2:04.32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Donawa</i> 2:06.15 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Abbott</i> 2:07.15</p><p><b>40-44</b> <b>Scott Wallace</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shadow Project TC </span>finished 2nd in this division last year in 2:02.79. His two Shadow Project teammates, <b>James Coates </b>and <b>Mark Walchinsky</b><b> </b>took 3rd in 2:03.22 and 6th in 2:04.04, respectively. <b>Jaret Herter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH </span>did not compete at the Outdoor championships last year but finished 4th at the Indoor Championships this past March in 2:03.77, 2 places and 0.07 behind Wallace. It would likely come down to the final sprint to the tape again. Herter took the lead and held it for the first 600 meters. Heading into the final turn it was Herter, with Coates coming up onto his shoulder, Wallace right there, inside, and Walchinsky on Wallace's shoulder. At the end of the final turn, Coates moved past Herter, with Wallace two strides back and Walchinsky another behind him. Coming down the final stretch, Wallace moved past Coates and Walchinsky passed Herter to take 3rd. Wallace had the win by 0.61, with Coates 0.22 ahead of Walchinsky, followed by Herter 0.3 seconds later. Some race!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Wallace </i>2:03.72 <i style="font-weight: bold;">James Coates</i> 2:04.33 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Walchinsky </i>2:04.55</p><p><b>35-39 Sam Sharp </b>1:59.40 <b>30-34 Dylan Lowry </b>1:56.12 <b>25-29</b> <b>Trayon Williams</b> 2:07.16</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1500 METERS</span></p><p><span>The 1500 Meters or, as it is sometimes called, the 'Metric Mile' is, for many, the glamor event of the middle distances. Long distance runners, in particular, who compete on the track may run the 800-meter event, but their main focus is often the Mile or the 1500 meters. For other athletes, it is just one of many distances they compete over.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Men</i></span></p><p><b>90-94 Vance Genzlinger </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">94 Philadelphia Masters</span> finished 2nd to <b>Gunnar Linde</b> in this division in 2021 with a 13:33.06, and 2nd to <b>Robert Culling </b>in 2022 at 13:46.62. In March of this year at the USATF Masters Indoor Championsh8ips, Genzlinger competed unopposed and took the Indoor 1500M title in 13:53.19. He repeated his Indoor trick at these championships, winning the Gold with no opposition in 14:43.81.</p><p><b>85-89 </b>With four competitors toeing the starting line, everyone knew they would have to bring their best metric mile to get on the podium! The favorite was <b>Inocencio Cantu</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC (PVTC)</span> who won this event in 2021 with a 7:49.17 effort; last year his 8:23.85 was second to <b>Elmo Shropshire</b>. Shropshire was entered this year but did not start. When the gun sounded, Cantu went into the division lead, with <b>Ram Satyaprasad</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">New England 65 Plus RC </span>slotting himself into 2nd place. Cantu covered the first 300 meters in 1:41.56 with Satyaprasad just 3 seconds back. It was another 27 seconds back to <b>Colben Sime </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">SCTC</span>, who won this division in the 10,000 Meter Run, and 2 more back to <b>Adrian Craven </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span>. That first 300 meters set the order. After that it was just a question of each one pulling further ahead over the next three laps. In the end, Cantu had the Gold medal with a victory margin of 1:22. Satyaprasad took the Silver medal with 42 seconds to spare. Sime claimed the Bronze medal with over a half minute on Craven.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Inocencio Cantu</i> 8:37.35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ram Satyaprasad</i> 9:59.42 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Colben Sime</i> 10:41.49</p><p><b>80-84</b> <b>Jim Assal</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>and <b>Hal Lieberman</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">CPTC </span>contested this division. There was not much drama. Assal led from wire to wire, taking the win with over 40 seconds to spare.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jim Assal</i> 7:42.97 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hal Lieberman</i> 8:25.27</p><p><b>75-79 </b>The American Record holder and Masters Hall of Famer, <b>Gary Patton</b>, and <b>Tim Wigger</b> were joined by their So Cal TC teammate, <b>Donald Loewe. Dixon Cook</b>, as he did in the 800 meters, tried to break them up! No such luck! Cook led for the first 300 meters before Patton moved past him. It was another 200 meters before Wigger, with Loewe trailing him by a few meters, moved past Cook. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh8sTQj8yq-Q6zAVSW-zeXh2Si5lZeDdxTU8FB650cfWAdsD7Fe5V2NZRbKm8gBEU8FmRjf-f3LyhD_V7jzP2HPWWXtHQRxwmq53s1N8wVxJ-cNih4AufGaGfRrxnR1KUNVNQEXHR4zimjFUwdHxavYDPkxIJFUmPgaHGb0XPPWwLysG8RqYmjNdnEU8v/s2048/M75-1500M-Patton-Wigger-Loewe-Cook.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1870" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh8sTQj8yq-Q6zAVSW-zeXh2Si5lZeDdxTU8FB650cfWAdsD7Fe5V2NZRbKm8gBEU8FmRjf-f3LyhD_V7jzP2HPWWXtHQRxwmq53s1N8wVxJ-cNih4AufGaGfRrxnR1KUNVNQEXHR4zimjFUwdHxavYDPkxIJFUmPgaHGb0XPPWwLysG8RqYmjNdnEU8v/w584-h640/M75-1500M-Patton-Wigger-Loewe-Cook.jpg" width="584" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gary Patton </b>leads his So Cal teammates, <b>Tim Wigger</b> and <b>Donald Lowe </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">both in blue singlets</span> and <b>Dixon Cook </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">orange singlet</span> at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Blake Wood</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Patton was stretching his lead by a second per lap, setting a pace that no one could match. Patton enjoyed a winning margin of almost ten seconds! Wigger finished six seconds ahead of Loewe, with Cook following Loewe in 4th.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gary Patton</i> 6:03.03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Wigger</i> 6:12.91 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Donald Loewe </i>6:18.46</p><p><b>70-74 Robert Qualls</b> has won every national championship race for Men 70-74 that he has entered since last summer. At the World Indoor Championships this past March he won a bronze medal on the track at 3000 meters and claimed Gold and Silver in the two non-stadia events, the road 10K and the 6 Km XC. At the end of June, he broke the American Record for the Road Mile with a 5:32.02, rounding to 5:33. <b>Robert Burch, Perry Linn, </b>and <b>Eugene Myers</b> aimed for a different result. Burch finished 5th in the 800 Meter Run on Saturday, and was looking to move up. Linn is the defending champion. He won 1500 Meter Gold last year at these championships in 5:50.04. Myers took the 70-74 win indoors this past March at 3000 Meters in 12:37.63.; he also earned a Bronze medal in the 1500M indoors with a 6:02.0.</p><p>Qualls moved right to the lead, looking to dominate this race as he has dominated almost every race since aging up into the division a year and change ago. <b>Eugene Myers</b> went after him, slotting in right behind Qualls through the first 200 meters. As they went down the straightaway toward the end of the first lap, a very small gap started to appear. The order crossing that line was Qualls-Myers-Burch-Linn, with Burch and Linn as close to Myers as Myers was to Qualls. Around the turn and onto the backstretch went Qualls. The gap back to Myers was up to a few seconds. The other two stayed close behind Myers. With 800 meters to go, Qualls had a six second lead on the chase pack; there was just 1.2 seconds between 2nd and 4th. The chase pack order was now Myers-Linn-Burch; Linn passed Burch right before the end of the 2nd lap. That order did not change until the last lap when Burch passed Myers and held on to finish 3rd, just 4 seconds ahead of Myers. Qualls finished 1st with a 15 second gap back to Linn, who took the Silver medal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> 5:36.18 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Linn</i> 5:51.59 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Burch</i> 6:04.79</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>65-69 Timothy Conheady </b><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">GPTC</span> and his teammate, <b>Robert Reynolds,</b> took on <b>Dale
Edwards</b> and <b>Michael Lebold</b> <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">Jamul Toads.</span> Lebold set the pace for the first 300 meters. Conheady
led the 3-man chase pack three seconds back.
Lebold added a single second to his lead on the 2<sup>nd</sup> lap, with
Edwards now taking over the task of leading the pack. The 3<sup>rd</sup> lap
saw Lebold continue to press the pace alone at the front. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq41YQPQU-dAshazFFvePrn0v523b7Jduj058nUV2wLngwwYNffNdEmvM8FqyAwmViJ2XGO6Y7qGqkmCrmBoea7ae8OnPI_hwwSE4amNNtqqWuSLZQFNnyDH9oIGp_0_AU3PMLq_oiVLVQkypbzxUP8NKTZfb6t9W4DspcD9v23qwq0An7HqINkpTHcToY/s720/M65-1500M-Lebold.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="720" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq41YQPQU-dAshazFFvePrn0v523b7Jduj058nUV2wLngwwYNffNdEmvM8FqyAwmViJ2XGO6Y7qGqkmCrmBoea7ae8OnPI_hwwSE4amNNtqqWuSLZQFNnyDH9oIGp_0_AU3PMLq_oiVLVQkypbzxUP8NKTZfb6t9W4DspcD9v23qwq0An7HqINkpTHcToY/w640-h328/M65-1500M-Lebold.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Michael Lebold</b> with a sizable mid-race lead in the Men's 65-69 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by M Lebold on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The main effect was
to cause Edwards to fall back and Conheady to resume the role as chase leader. With
a lap to go, Lebold’s lead was up to 5 seconds. Would Lebold continue to extend
his lead or would the pack chase him down? Heading up the backstretch, Reynolds was starting to reduce the gap, pulling Conheady with him. The pair took a couple of secnds off of Lebold's lead by the time they exited the final turn. Conheady started lifting his legs and moving into sprint mode. Lebold would not go down without a fight! But Lebold was spent! Conheady had his sprint timed perfectly; he had the win in a photo finish.
A single tenth of a second separated the two. Reynolds finished third a full second
back, with Edwards ten seconds back in in 4<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Timothy Conheady</i> </b>5:14.9<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Michael Lebold</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5:15.0<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Robert Reynolds</b></i>
5:16.3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>60-64</b> With a 15-hour rest from his 3-event Saturday, <b>Rick
Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC</span> was ready to go again. <b>Todd Biatti, Chuck Bridgman, Mark
Neff</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shadow Project TC</span><b>, David Pinkham</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC</span><b>, </b>and <b>David Shotts</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">New York Harriers</span> stood in his way. Lee led them
out at a smart pace. There was a small gap at the end of the first lap with Lee
leading by a bit over a second, followed by a tight pack of Shotts, Neff, Pinkham
and Biatti in that order. Bridgman was biding his time 6 seconds further back in 8<sup>th</sup>.
Lee opened the gap a bit further on the 2<sup>nd</sup> lap but the chase pack,
still in the same order, was well within striking distance at just 3
seconds. Bridgman was 7 seconds further back in 7<sup>th</sup>. Lee continued to
press the pace and was rewarded with an added second of lead at the 1100-meter
mark. Bridgman was still in 7<sup>th</sup> although now only 4 seconds behind
the main pack of chasers. With just a lap to go, Lee knew the pressure was on. The announcer got confused and said lee had two laps to go, but everyone in the race knew it was the final lap! Lee accelerated into the turn and down the backstretch; the chasers tried their
best to close the gap. By the time they headed into the last turn, it was clear
that Lee had enough in the tank to keep them at bay. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vt9yjU2EfBToRV8vpABWJMRTWymZgPPoS4zGy7wg4jkyDSZGtF8NBU8c5wxrtpen6Gtsv8O5CAY2p8ar_nzoWKJ3JvMVFlJfceh3FrJ28yKSXM3aBgXJAql9VUusf1x2sK4Hi0lCEuE4peXby1tMj3CrS8QJ74qhvMB4YrPzi1zo8ZjOgMVRs2zz6xn1/s1292/M60-1500M-RLee-stridesForVictory.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1292" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vt9yjU2EfBToRV8vpABWJMRTWymZgPPoS4zGy7wg4jkyDSZGtF8NBU8c5wxrtpen6Gtsv8O5CAY2p8ar_nzoWKJ3JvMVFlJfceh3FrJ28yKSXM3aBgXJAql9VUusf1x2sK4Hi0lCEuE4peXby1tMj3CrS8QJ74qhvMB4YrPzi1zo8ZjOgMVRs2zz6xn1/w640-h446/M60-1500M-RLee-stridesForVictory.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">red cap </span>pulls away from <b>Mark Neff</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">visor </span>and <b>Todd Biatti </b>to take the Gold Medal in the Men's 60-64 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Neff found his way to the
front of the chase pack but could not reduce the gap. Lee had the win with five
seconds to spare! Neff nabbed the Silver medal, with Biatti a second back, nipping
Pinkham for third by a fraction of a second. Bridgman moved up past Shotts to
take 5<sup>th</sup>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Rick Lee</i></b> 4:52.4<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Mark Neff</i></b> 4:57.2<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Todd Biatti</i></b> 4:58.3<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>55-59 Matthew Guild</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Green Mountain AA</span><b>, Alejandro Heuck</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> GSH</span><b>, Mike Nier </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH</span><b>, </b>and <b>John Borthwick </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">BRR</span><b> </b>finished 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th in the 800 meters on Saturday. They were 3rd, 6th and 10th last year in the 1500M at these same championships. <b>Tim Harte</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>has not competed in any recent Masters TF Championships. He did finish 3rd in one of his last competitions in the 50-54 division at Cross Country Nationals in Richmond in January. But he has not neglected the distance. Last summer, he ran a 4:42 at the Memorial Main Street Mile and a 4:48 at the West Chester Mile. <b>Sean Messiter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Club Northwest</span> competed in this event in the 2021 and 2022 Masters Outdoor Championships, finishing 10th in 2021 and 13th in 2022, at 5:03 and 5:08 respectively. Harte led them through the first 300 meters with Heuck, Nier, and Borthwick trailing in single file behind. Guild was another second back and Messiter another second behind Guild. Harte pushed the 2nd lap, developing a gap of over two seconds back to the Heuck, Nier, Borthwick group. Another 72 second 400 meters on the third lap caused the gap from Harte t the chase group to balloon to 9 seconds. Nier was now leading the chase group with Heuck, Borthwick, Guild and Messiter all within 1.6 seconds of each other. Harte nailed the win with a sub-72 last 400 meters. He never gave any hope to the chase group; he won by ten seconds! Heuck moved past Nier on the backstretch. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWHfzIbqPZdpm_lyUl6KcVyhf5TBbEdYfYYu3HsExU1xvT27Hcc4J9wnVPhsVDiJ7vlifk8n_mFOI-FJoNuNUXt8irqH56iISsnMtCPTufo388pNgvjJRv0dtPE0u5Ho_9s0-UIL3YmL077zwxvaQh4A26xPTCxPI9S1NQqoVO-5vcg_MS40RQXmboGX7/s1600/Men's%201500M-55-59-Heuck-Nier-Borthwick.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWHfzIbqPZdpm_lyUl6KcVyhf5TBbEdYfYYu3HsExU1xvT27Hcc4J9wnVPhsVDiJ7vlifk8n_mFOI-FJoNuNUXt8irqH56iISsnMtCPTufo388pNgvjJRv0dtPE0u5Ho_9s0-UIL3YmL077zwxvaQh4A26xPTCxPI9S1NQqoVO-5vcg_MS40RQXmboGX7/w640-h360/Men's%201500M-55-59-Heuck-Nier-Borthwick.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alejandro Heuck</b> leading <b>Mike Nier</b> and <b>John Borthwick</b> in the Men's 55-59 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by A Heuck on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Messiter moved past both of them after they came onto the homestretch. He held his form all the way to the line, claiming 2nd with a full second to spare. Borthwick took 3rd after passing both Nier and Heuck in the closing hundred meters. Heuck, <b>Dan Murray</b>, Guild and Nier finished 4th through 7th. It was a tour de force for Harte. Messiter also deserves kudos for the redemption that came this year--running 20 seconds faster than in either of the llast two years and finishing 9-12 places higher!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Harte</i> 4:31.3 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sean Messiter</i> 4:41.3 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Borthwick</i> 4:42.4</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>50-54 Mark Williams</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Freedom-Garmin </span>won the 800M in this division by 8 seconds ahead of <b>Calvin Graham</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span><b>, John Prineas</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">BRR</span>, and <b>Jewel Abbott</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">13-805</span>. When the gun sounded and Williams took to the lead, running easily, it seemed likely this would have the same outcome up front. But the rest of the places would be in play. In the 800M, Graham had controlled the rest of the field from the front to take 2nd. Williams gradually pulled away, establishing a gap of over 3 seconds in the first 300 meters. The rest of the field fell in behind Graham. They were a tight bunch of 6, all within a second of Graham: Abbott, Prineas<b>, Eric Petersen </b>and<b> Matthew Cutrona.</b> The second lap was more of the same as Williams stretched his lead to 11 seconds while the pack of six stayed tight. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzbDgIje0_C2ec6sOxl7eiOb_DrzaNyqaDvEaXHkgE7l-CzVwS3n1DYODtEm9e9wUmZLQfvoYKe7Y04JtE22yj-hf8mnVdU3kMi6K1_4uy8uc4KWUHlNV06g3DLZdjor5Vf4qGAYbi6PdTJ-uQFqdCsqsmjjB9wQ_iqvrAKBmgC-UQiTFRvtLAKrMjhqy/s1600/Williams%20leading%20field%20in%201500M-Strava%20post%20by%20Prineas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzbDgIje0_C2ec6sOxl7eiOb_DrzaNyqaDvEaXHkgE7l-CzVwS3n1DYODtEm9e9wUmZLQfvoYKe7Y04JtE22yj-hf8mnVdU3kMi6K1_4uy8uc4KWUHlNV06g3DLZdjor5Vf4qGAYbi6PdTJ-uQFqdCsqsmjjB9wQ_iqvrAKBmgC-UQiTFRvtLAKrMjhqy/w640-h360/Williams%20leading%20field%20in%201500M-Strava%20post%20by%20Prineas.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Williams</b> starting to pull away from the Chase Pack led by <b>John Prineas </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">white singlet on the rail </span>and <b>Calvin Graham</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">red singlet outside Prineas</span> in the Men's 50-54 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by J prineas on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">On the third lap, Cutrona and Petersen fell back as Prineas led Abbott and Graham with 400 meters to go. Williams took the win with 12 seconds to spare. Prineas pulled away from Graham on the backstretch and held 2nd all the way to the line. It was Graham in 3rd, four seconds later, followed by Abbott, Cutrona and Petersen. It was a nice finish to an easy double for Williams, a testimony to his diligent work in training for the middle distance events. Three days before the Championships started, he completed his 4,444th consecutive daily workout. Not all workouts are hard because Williams knows the importance of recovery. Most advice for masters long distance runners includes the idea of cross training or taking an occasional day of rest. So far Williams has excelled with his regimen of consecutive daily workouts. It could be that the advice shoulld be different for middle distance specialist or it could be that Williams has just entered the 50's and will modify his approach at some time in the next ten-20 years. It will be interesting to see.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Williams</i> 4:29.1 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Prineas</i> 4:41.4 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Calvin Graham</i> 4:45.2</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>45-49 David Angell </b>won the 5000 Meter run on Thursday and was back to see how the 1500M would go. His most recent event before these championships was the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis. He won the 45-49 division title in 4:41. That time converts to a 4:21 1500 meter run. <b>Chuck Schneekloth</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State TC </span>won the overall 2018 Masters Road Mile Championship, on a more technical course in Flint MI in 4:49. <b>Christopher Hernandez</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GVH </span>finished 2nd to Angell in Indianapolis at 4:46; <b>Jonathan Bishard</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kansas City Smoke </span>finished 7 seconds behind Angell in Indianapolis where he took 4th. Angell went to the lead, covering the first 300 meters in 53.27, equivalent to a 71 second pace for 400 meters. Schneekloth was content to trail him n second, with <b>Jason Abbot</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Shadow Project TC</span>, Hernandez and Bishard right behind. Angell pushed the pace on the 2nd lap to see who he could drop. Schneekloth was the only runner who matched the surge in pace. Angell's 69.9 lap left the field, apart from Schneekloth, 3 seconds back. Schneekloth was glued to Angell as if he loved the pace being set. Three seconds back from the lead pair, Bishard led a tight 4-runner chase pack with Abbot, Hernandez and Wolf. It was more of the same on the 3rd lap. Angell again ran 69.9 for the 400 meters and Schneekloth was still right on stride with him. Abbot and Bishard were still just 3 seconds back, but Hernandez and Wolf had started to fall back. After the bell sounded, Angell pushed, but could not drop Schneekloth. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVz05lTGU86zl5OcQfAQYjdgzJfZ0jZd71OLdos125r80EFZ41EYrz4h4sHCB8FGb7hm-0ySPGVu6Etq-5z2BV7sU8HgEOMDmjf3fY6lpt4vp5VfAheJM6yjk5MvDKG_JWL6FPDCE4ynz9pifEBw0Ov6CQhm08h9jcnOB9bwwkoxrgvFdB09rN6FoG-uZ/s1147/M45-1500M-C%20SchneeklothTrailing%20D%20Angell-Strava.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1059" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVz05lTGU86zl5OcQfAQYjdgzJfZ0jZd71OLdos125r80EFZ41EYrz4h4sHCB8FGb7hm-0ySPGVu6Etq-5z2BV7sU8HgEOMDmjf3fY6lpt4vp5VfAheJM6yjk5MvDKG_JWL6FPDCE4ynz9pifEBw0Ov6CQhm08h9jcnOB9bwwkoxrgvFdB09rN6FoG-uZ/w590-h640/M45-1500M-C%20SchneeklothTrailing%20D%20Angell-Strava.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Chuck Schneekloth </b>tracking <b>David Angell</b> in the Men's 45-49 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by D Angell on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">On the backstretch, Bishard pushed past Abbot and started to cut into the gap up to the leaders. Halfway through the final turn, Schneekloth pulled around Angell and into the lead, just as Bishard had closed the gap. Bishard passed Angell coming out of the turn and set his sights on Schneekloth. With 90 meters to go, Schneekloth unleashed his final kick which took him away from Bishard for the win. He had 2 seconds on Bishard who claimed the silver medal a second and change ahead of Angell. It was another second and a half back to Abbot, followed by Wolfe in 5th and Hernandez 6th. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Chuck Schneekloth</i> 4:19.8 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jonathan Bishard</i> 4:21.7 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 4:23.0</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>40-44 Scott Wallace, Mark Walchinsky</b> and <b>Jaret Herter</b> had finished 1-3-4 in a very close 800 meter event on Saturday. How would they fare in a longer event? Herter had finished 2nd overall (and in 40-44), with a 4:30, at the Masters Road Mile championships in Indy. But Herter finished 2nd to Walllace in the 1500M at the Indoor Masters TF Championships. Wallace had also taken the Gold at last year's competition. <b>Clay Burnett</b> was a newcomer to these masters TF Championships, but had a couple of good road mile outings. He clocked 4:27 at a Mile in his home state of Ohio and then competed at altitude, running a 4:44 Mile in Boulder CO, equivalent to a 4:37 at sea level, according to the calculator used by the NCAA. In the 800M run, Wallace let Herter set the pace, and came from off the pace to take the win over the final 200 meters. This time it was Wallace setting the pace for the first 300M, followed by Burnett, Herter, and Walchinsky. At the 700 mdeter mark, Wallace was still leading with Burnett up on his shoulder, Herter a half second back on the rail and Walchiinsky right behind him. As they went up the backstretch and around the turn on the 3rd lap, Wallace and Burnett, with Herter had opened up a small gap on Walchinsky. Burnett tried to accelerate past Wallace on the turn. Wallace kept him in the 2nd lane for much of that turn, but Burnett had the lead at the top of the backstretch, followed closely by Wallace and Herter. Burnett and Wallace started to drop Herter on the backstretch. Burnett was able to pull away from Wallace who was starting to struggle just a bit. Herter launched his kick midway around the turn and closed rapidly on Wallace. But Herter had no chance of catching Burnett who was in full sprint. Burnett took the Gold medal with 3 seconds to spare, followed by Herter and Wallace, with Walchinsky in 5th. It was an auspicious debut for Burnett!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Clay Burnett</i> 4:12.5 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jaret Herter</i> 4:15.9 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Wallace</i> 4:18.1</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>35-39 Sam Sharp</b> 4:10.4 <b>30-34</b> <b>Reginald Sanders</b> 4:12.1 <b>25-29 Trayon Williams</b> 4:19.3</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-size: large;">Women</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>90-94 </b>Like <b>Betty Lindberg, </b>her Atlanta counterpart on the roads, <b>Dot Sowerby</b> High Point AC, is setting new standards for women 90 and over on the track. Running unopposed, Sowerby knew, no doubt, that she needed to cover the first 300 meters in 2:30 or less to be on track for the World Record. She hit that with room to spare, coming across the 'finish line' for the first time in 2:08.5. If she could hit the final 3 laps all under 3:21, that would give her the record. In fact, since she had more than 20 seconds in the bank, she could be a little slower than that. Sowerby slowed on the second lap but 11 seconds under her target. Her third lap was a half second slower, but now Sowerby was now over 40 seconds ahead of Record pace. Sowerby had a lot left! She ran her final lap 11 seconds faster than her third lap. She had the Gold medal and a new World Record! She smashed it by a minute and 4 seconds! Wow!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Dot Sowerby</i> 11:30.62</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>85-89</b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>Martha Klopfer</b> and J<b>oyce Hodges-Hite</b> were at it again. They locked horns in the 800 Meter Run on Saturday. The outcome was the same this time. Klopfer moved right to the front and stretched her lead from 50 seconds after the first lap to nearly 4 minutes by the end of the race.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Martha Klopfer</i> 11:06.6 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 15:02.8</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>80-84 Angela Staab </b>had hoped to have some competition in this event but, in the end, she was the only one from this division toeing the line. She added the Gold medal from this event to the Silver medal she earned in the 800M run.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Angela Staab</i> 12:38.6</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>75-79 </b>This was the <b>Jeannie Rice </b>show again as she added another WR to her collection. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6eiLDbrfHL5JYqJVfQIimu1G8d8bC9zsab1XyHbJ_tb0uIk2metd602OKBJryWb712yQoI4xOACLVZEgRonvJbv0rtX--VGBjo19etB-_WgxKp0gXaGuOxCZrc8uRGEiqe5BonnK5NHL-AeCLhPJI8qsU5165uqmS1pPg4VH1DehoGeRrkBe259RaSEB/s1353/W75-1500M-JRice2Frnt-NHollinsChases.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6eiLDbrfHL5JYqJVfQIimu1G8d8bC9zsab1XyHbJ_tb0uIk2metd602OKBJryWb712yQoI4xOACLVZEgRonvJbv0rtX--VGBjo19etB-_WgxKp0gXaGuOxCZrc8uRGEiqe5BonnK5NHL-AeCLhPJI8qsU5165uqmS1pPg4VH1DehoGeRrkBe259RaSEB/w640-h426/W75-1500M-JRice2Frnt-NHollinsChases.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#11 </span>strides to the front at the start of the Women's 75-79 1500 Meter Run, with <b>Nancy Rollins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">#12 </span>moving into 2nd place at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Rice needed to cover the first 300 meters in less than 1:16. She clocked 1:10.7, which allowed for some slowing over the next 1200 meters. She wanted to cover each 400m lap in 1:41 or better. The 2nd lap came in almost three seconds under 1:41. Rice was 8 seconds ahead of record pace! But then Rice slowed over the next lap; perhaps the toll of running so many record-breaking races was finally catching up with her? She gave back almost three seconds to the record on the next lap. If she slowed again, the record attempt might fall apart. But Rice speeded up on the last lap </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WVcYk2PTxOR6y0-dKr0KMTGkQVBl3RExdFayAR_QGekNFU1aex8fu679eO_k5tzGEL_Nj8pdnPGYUgvjTQevOs_3XyP9mEXHtXRbltorAY8oAHqDc_6f64_qHbLb0ryKiWf7jrcWy1o1gBxnbop1Jbc9wEZC5Ul6EO5mJeHNAnI-ETiG7H4GlPlZnsua/s1127/W75-1500M-JR%20Pushes%20For%20WR.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1127" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WVcYk2PTxOR6y0-dKr0KMTGkQVBl3RExdFayAR_QGekNFU1aex8fu679eO_k5tzGEL_Nj8pdnPGYUgvjTQevOs_3XyP9mEXHtXRbltorAY8oAHqDc_6f64_qHbLb0ryKiWf7jrcWy1o1gBxnbop1Jbc9wEZC5Ul6EO5mJeHNAnI-ETiG7H4GlPlZnsua/w640-h512/W75-1500M-JR%20Pushes%20For%20WR.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice</b> pushes, mid-race, to maintain a World Record pace in the Women's 75-79 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">and came across the finish line with a 6:14.9, six seconds under the WR! <b>Nancy Rollins</b> ran a strong race, finishing in 2nd place, just 25 seconds over the American Record. <b>Susan Aderhold</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>won the Bronze medal, with <b>Nancy Berger </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">TNT International </span>4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>70-74 Coreen Steinbach </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC</span><b>, Norma Hudnall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span>, and <b>Francoise Levinson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>met in the 800 Meters on Saturday and finished in that order. Levinson, Hudnall and <b>Terry Ozell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>had competed in the 5000M on Friday and finished in that order. But this was over a different distance so that might shake things up! <b>Coreen Steinbach</b> was determined not to let anything shake her up! Steinbach went out with determination and covered the first 300 meters 12 seconds faster than anyone else. Ozell led Hudnallby a second at 300 meters, with Levinson 5 seconds back. If Levinson was to move up it would be by strength not speed. Steinbach extended her lead every lap until she led by 46 seconds when she finished in first. On the 2nd lap Ozell stretched her lead over her teammate, Hudnall, from one second to five seconds, and it continued up from there. Ozell claimed the Silver medal 25 seconds ahead of Hudnall. Levinson was 9 seconds back in 4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Coreen Steinbach</i> 6:35.5 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Terry Ozell</i> 7:21.6 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall</i> 7:46.1</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>65-69 Patrice Combs</b> won the 800M on Saturday and was going for the classic middle-distance double. In the 2018 Outdoor Championships, <b>Tracey Bernett</b> finished 4th in the 60-64 division with a 6:05.58. This past march, she claimed the Silver medal at the WMA Championships in Poland with a 6:19.27. <b>Ruby Ghadially</b> has not competed recently at any National Masters TF Championships. But she is no stranger to the road mile. In 2019, she finished 3rd at the Masters National Road Mile championships in the 60-64 division, just two seconds behind Combs. This past May she took the division win at the Devil Mountain 1 Mile run in 6:37. That translates to a 6:08 1500-meter effort. <b>Monica Joyce</b>, like Ghadially, has not run any recent races oon the track. When she runs on the roads, it is more likely to be at the half marathon or longer distance. It would be interesting t see what she could do on the track. As with the 800M, Combs set the pace she wanted and dared others to match it. None did. Combs covered the first 300 meters almost 4 seconds faster than her closest rival, Ghadially. Combs had her double win!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Joyce was 4 seconds behind Ghadially, with Bernette another two seconds back in 4th. Combs added to her lead with each successive lap, winning in the end by 9 seconds. Ghadially was never threatened seriously from behind and claimed Silver with a 4 second margin. Bernett, who had trailed Joyce by 4 seconds with 2 laps to go, increased her pace on the third lap, closing and then passing Joyce right before the bell sounded. Despite Joyce's best efforts, she could not recover and Bernett had the Bronze medal with over two seconds to spare. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs </i>6:00.2 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ruby Ghadially</i> 6:09.4 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tracey Bernett </i>6:13.6</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>60-64 </b>GPTC teammates, <b>Lorraine Jasper</b> and <b>Doreen McCoubrie</b> contested the 800M with Jasper gaining the Silver medal six seconds ahead of McCoubrie. <b>Charlotte Rizzo</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Westchester TC </span>finished 4th and <b>Mireille 'Mimi' Silva </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>5th in the same event. McCoubrie has always performed well in the Mile (and the 'metric mile'); it is one of her favorite events. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaTw-LieiMmH3JPbUmsv70R3HdDq6sE3_2wuFC5EcKDmaRuzrQSGtqsKoBlKj6Kq6XZBPopPs9GCUlsRDViOfcnta6ON0wGAwLfKBFbg3_rE-QTBz7IzPwakXefXPlMH4wguTsR-xqMHjahsUbIbJeLjYD_b0dQI4IVwBE46k_nTJ3_vcn1yzLtrHdHqa/s2048/W60-Start-1500M%20maybe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="2048" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaTw-LieiMmH3JPbUmsv70R3HdDq6sE3_2wuFC5EcKDmaRuzrQSGtqsKoBlKj6Kq6XZBPopPs9GCUlsRDViOfcnta6ON0wGAwLfKBFbg3_rE-QTBz7IzPwakXefXPlMH4wguTsR-xqMHjahsUbIbJeLjYD_b0dQI4IVwBE46k_nTJ3_vcn1yzLtrHdHqa/w640-h404/W60-Start-1500M%20maybe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of Women's 60-64 1500 Meter Run-<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Right-inside lane </span><b>Doreen McCoubrie, Lorraine Jasper, Charlotte Rizzo, Cheryl Belaire, Betsy Stewart, Lauren Siegel, Janet Muse Dorsey, Mireille 'Mimi' Silva</b> - at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of L Siegel sent to M. Silva and posted on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">McCoubrie set the pace over the first 300 meters, with Rizzo in 2nd place, up tight on McCoubrie. Jasper was comfortably in third a second back, with Silva in 4th another two seconds back. McCoubrie kept that same pace going over the 2nd lap and was rewarded with a small gap emerging back to Rizzo. Jasper was right on Rizzo's heels, but Silva found the pace a bit too fast and had dropped back. More of the same on lap 3 left McCoubrie with a 5 second lead when the bell sounded. Rizzo now had a 2-second edge on Jasper. Rizzo accelerated int the turn and looked to close the gap. McCoubrie had no intention of giving in, and also sped up. It was enough! Rizzo took two seconds out of the gap on the final lap but McCoubrie took the Gold medal with three seconds to spare. Jasper was in 3rd with Silva 4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Doreen McCoubrie </i>5:29.6 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Charlotte Rizzo</i> 5:32.8 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lorraine Jasper</i> 5:41.8</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>55-59 Jennifer Harvey </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">CPTC</span>, the new American Record holder for the 55-59 division in the Road Mile, won the 800 meters on Saturday and would be going for the classic middle-distance double. <b>Roxanne Springer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pursuit of Excellence TC </span>finished 3rd in that race. In the race where Harvey set the American Record, <b>Lisa Veneziano, </b>Springer's teammate, finished 3rd, ten seconds back, with Springer<b> </b>4th, a half minute behind Harvey. Veneziano and Springer, along with <b>Judy Stobbe</b>, who finished 2nd in the 2000-meter steeplechase on Saturday, would try to derail Harvey's bid for the double win. That foursome went through 300 meters as a tight bunch (behind Friend-Uhl from the 50-54 division run at the same time). Harvey was leading but there were no gaps. Harvey kept the pressure on over the 2nd lap. Veneziano and Stobbe were up to that pace but Springer was not. She finished the lap 5 seconds behind the leading trio. Harvey tightened the screws on the third lap, dropping the lap time by two seconds. Harvey passed Friend-Uhl at the head of the backstretch. But Veneziano and Stobbe did not flinch. They were right there following Frioend-Uhl who was right behind Harvey. Harvey accelerated into the turn, with Friend-Uhl giving chase. A small gap between Friend-Uhl and Veneziano started to appear. Down the backstretch Harvey pushed the pace to try to drop Friend-Uhl, as Veneziano and Stobbe fell back. Friend-Uhl came back to edge Harvey. But, as noted, Friend-Uhl was not in the division race. Their race was for the pleasure of competition. Harvey had the 55-59 win with a margin of just over 5 seconds. Harvey had her double! Stobbe finished 3rd another six seconds back, with Springer in 4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Harvey</i> 5:05.0 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lisa Veneziano</i> 5:10.5 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Judy Stobbe</i> 5:16.7</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>50-54</b> <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> also had her eye on the 800/1500 double. But she was actually looking for a 400-800-1500 Triple as she had already won the 400M and 800M. <b>Hortencia Aliaga </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GSTC </span>and her teammate, <b>Kimberly Aspholm</b>, battled Friend-Uhl in the 800M but could not match Friend-Uhl over the full 800 meters. Aliaga's strength could pay off in this longer race. Friend-Uhl is no stranger to punishing races, though, as she has won many a Cross Country national championship. Friend-Uhl went right to the front, covering the first 300 meters two seconds faster than Aliaga. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51XviHAJGkbb1-joFGHgPgKnHO8Qn9p2RXg74yy4LGsm8qNnlNKoZLddBcG6Zs3FhK0ZoEep2COgCYeIhut5yUP4Lz6RjXlYDxcl7-zZ9wI4G8hVoTPtycCUEldDbPX5FJXzCbNhecMOD2Lfs-0zMOebs7b-rgOiZKUgNyUp1Js1VyL8pIUbHjqMP2lff/s1353/W50-1500M-SF-uErlyLead-Oberlies_Harvey_Aliaga_Venziano_Stobbe.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1353" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51XviHAJGkbb1-joFGHgPgKnHO8Qn9p2RXg74yy4LGsm8qNnlNKoZLddBcG6Zs3FhK0ZoEep2COgCYeIhut5yUP4Lz6RjXlYDxcl7-zZ9wI4G8hVoTPtycCUEldDbPX5FJXzCbNhecMOD2Lfs-0zMOebs7b-rgOiZKUgNyUp1Js1VyL8pIUbHjqMP2lff/w640-h426/W50-1500M-SF-uErlyLead-Oberlies_Harvey_Aliaga_Venziano_Stobbe.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> takes the early lead in the Women's 50-54 1500 Meter Run, with <b>Hollis Oberlies</b>, and the W55-59 leaders, <b>Jennifer Harvey, Hortencia Aliaga, Lisa Veneziano</b>, and <b>Judy Stobbe</b> forming the chase pack, in that order--at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Aspholm was right behind Aliaga. Friend-Uhl's pace slowed slightly on the 2nd lap. But the gap to Aliaga grew by a second. The last two laps saw more of the same. Friend-Uhl (battling Harvey from 55-59) pulled away for a six-second lead on Aliaga, who had a similar gap back to Aspholm. In the end Friend-Uhl had achiever her triple. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90qnuX7vZBVjcZabVIo9OaWvYOZ8sG6FQy9g5gYsD_gk37vKhwUsJpVxz1iH7CtN-9XVZChsMOuW7ATcVPnPLWj3DseWsZbHnstDEW4oSNWSLnV9ODbfySKCyAy2N45Y1cGS-hp_JDugvkWs6m8LiHkoj7KiwbAciJNvsUxTWrSV7otfN2_x_bKEw6-Lb/s1248/W50+1500M-SF-U-HeatWinOverJHarvey.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1248" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90qnuX7vZBVjcZabVIo9OaWvYOZ8sG6FQy9g5gYsD_gk37vKhwUsJpVxz1iH7CtN-9XVZChsMOuW7ATcVPnPLWj3DseWsZbHnstDEW4oSNWSLnV9ODbfySKCyAy2N45Y1cGS-hp_JDugvkWs6m8LiHkoj7KiwbAciJNvsUxTWrSV7otfN2_x_bKEw6-Lb/w640-h462/W50+1500M-SF-U-HeatWinOverJHarvey.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sonja Friend-Uhl </b>claims the Gold Medal in the Women's 50-54 1500 Meters, after a stirring battle with Women's 55-59 1500 Meter Gold Medalist for the W 50-59 Heat Win at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rick Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">She took Gold in the 1500M with a winning margin of 17 seconds! Aliaga claimed Silver by ten seconds over Aspholm. <b>Hollis Oberlies</b> was another half-minute back in 4th.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sonja Friend-Uhl</i> 5:04.7 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hortencia Aliaga</i> 5:21.7 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kimberly Aspholm</i> 5:31.4</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>45-49 </b>Despite her best efforts, <b>Jennifer St. Jean</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">CPTC </span>had<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>strided across the finish line less than a second behind the 800M winner, <b>Alison Schwalm </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC</span><b>. </b>Schwalm was entered in the 1500M along with St. Jean but it may have been primarily for team points. St. Jean led them through the first 300 meters, with Schwalm a stride back. <b>Ivanka Tolan </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Team utopia South </span>moved up beside Schwalm as they finished the 300 meters. <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">T.H.E. TC </span>and <b>Jennifer Sober</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Florida TC-Southeast </span>followed closely in 4th and 5th. By the time they hit the backstretch, Tolan was right behind St. Jean and Schwalm had fallen back. Josiah-Tanner had moved up beside Schwalm, with Sober just behind. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiGzSc7zjwgoQTbdbcKRjnrRLbf-6MlYMNG563zmRzl7muuC5et2dlv08JTYmHI1u9adowsKMf4apskmxSVRIFJnAwisdoPUa7oxAb9JGFXAjK_kBWqnGDY0YPpi3TTIRj-ZX5DFJQNCESQBDxeaNZKreacE3eCD5GvuFCYjYLx_-pEgtOIDAIc210022/s1364/W45-1500M-St%20Jean-Tolan-J-T_Sober-Schwalm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1364" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiGzSc7zjwgoQTbdbcKRjnrRLbf-6MlYMNG563zmRzl7muuC5et2dlv08JTYmHI1u9adowsKMf4apskmxSVRIFJnAwisdoPUa7oxAb9JGFXAjK_kBWqnGDY0YPpi3TTIRj-ZX5DFJQNCESQBDxeaNZKreacE3eCD5GvuFCYjYLx_-pEgtOIDAIc210022/w640-h426/W45-1500M-St%20Jean-Tolan-J-T_Sober-Schwalm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer St. Jean</b> leading <b>Ivanka Tolan</b>, followed by <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner, Jennifer Sober</b>, and <b>Alison Schwalm</b> in the Women's 45-49 1500 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Rob D'Avellar-posted by J St Jean on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">When they reached the top of the homestretch, Tolan moved ahead of St. Jean and it was a small gap back to Josiah-Tanner and Sober, with a gap back to Schwalm. That was still the order a hundred meters later, except that Sober was now in front of Josiah-Tanner, when there were two laps to go. With 600 meters to go, St. Jean accelerated past Tolan. There was now a sizable gap back to Sober and Josiah-Tanner. By the time St Jean and Tolan hit the top of the homestretch, St Jean was starting to pull away, and the chasing pair of Sober and Josiah-Tanner were starting to pull closer to Tolan. St. Jean had saved the best for last. She strode around the turn and powered down the backstretch, leaving Tolan far behind. In the meantime, Josiah-Tanner was pulling Sober along, closing in on Tolan. St. Jean sprinted home; no one was going to catch her! She had run her last 400 meters 5 seconds faster than her 3rd lap. Josiah-Tanner, with Sober in tow, reached and passed Tolan as they were coming out of the final turn. St. Jean had a winning margin of 7 seconds; Josiah-Tanner finished in 2nd, a second and a half ahead of Sober. Tolan was a minute back in 4th, followed by Schwalm in 5th. St. Jena had a top performance in her favorite event! Josiah-Tanner had a Silver medal to add to the one she earned in the 5000 meters, along with her Gold in the 2000 Meter steeple.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer St. Jean</i> 4:54.8 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 5:01.8 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Sober</i> 5:03.3</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>40-44 April Lund</b> enjoyed wins in the 5000M Thursday evening and the 10,000M Saturday morning. On the final day of competition, she would try to add the Metric Mile title to her collection. Neither <b>Jennifer Pesce</b> who finished 2nd in the 5000M, nor <b>Megan Hansen</b> who finished 2nd in the 10,000M were entered in the 1500M. <b>Emily Boles, Caroline Cobb,</b> and <b>Shawanna White</b> finished 3rd through 5th in the 5000M and would see if they could handle Lund at the shorter distance. <b>Christine Licata</b>, who won the 800M, would move up in distance to challenge Lund for the win. <b>Lisa Burnett</b>, a newly minted Masters athlete, jumped into her first National Masters competition largely unheralded. Last September, she had run a 17:09 5K at Pittsburgh's Great Race (which is known for fast times). Lund started easily, aiming at a negative split, and still led them through the first 300M. With 3 laps to go, Licata and Burnett were side by side, right behind Lund, with Boles and White right in behind them. As they went around the turn and headed up the backstretch, those 5 were creating a large gap back to the rest of the field. With 1000 meters to go, Lund had the lead, with Licata and Burnett still a stride back, and Boles two strides back from them. White had fallen back. As they came out of the turn onto the homestretch, Lund was leading Licata and Burnett, now in single file, with Boles trying to stay close. With 800 meters to go, Boles had fallen 3 seconds back from Burnett. Lund continued to lead through the 3rd lap, but Licata and Burnett had little trouble staying with her. Boles was falling further back, with White well behind her. When the bell sounded, Lund had a second on Licata, with Burnett another 2 seconds back, with Boles now trailing Burnett by 9 seconds. Lund put the pedal to the metal on the backstretch and Licata had no answer. Lund strode to victory with 7 seconds to spare. Licata claimed Silver with Burnett two seconds back in 3rd. Boles was 24 seconds back in 4th, followed by Cobb, who had overtaken White, in 5th. Lund was a triple Gold medalist!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-weight: bold;">April Lund</i> 4:51.5 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christine Licata</i> 4:58.2 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lisa Burnett</i> 5:00.4</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>35-39 <i>Julia Siegel Breton</i></b><i> </i>4:54.7 <b>30-34</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> Margaret Mavity</i> 5:38.3 <b>25-29 </b><b style="font-style: italic;">Katherine Vande Pol</b> 5:06.6</p><p class="MsoNormal">That concludes my reporting on the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships. Many of these athletes will now turn their attention to road and cross country national championships, the 12 Km in Highlands NJ and the Masters 5 Km XC+ in Boca Raton, FL. Next year their attention will be directed to the USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, along with the Non-Stadia events.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-24915454882498383412023-07-27T16:12:00.003-04:002023-08-05T20:37:34.897-04:002023 USATF Masters Track and Field Championships--10,000 Meters & Steeplechase!<p> <b>July 24, 2023 </b><i>Greensboro NC</i> Take your choice-25 laps on the track or fewer laps but with barriers! Some chose both! Compared to Friday, the 10,000-meter run offered better weather conditions on Saturday morning, July 22, 2023. Temperatures were in the low 70's with dewpoint low 60's. The winds were at 5-6 mph under cloudy skies. By the time the first Steeplechase events were scheduled to be run at 10:50, temps had risen to the upper 70's and the dewpoint, at 62F, indicated it was just as steamy as earlier.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmWQ3bDuo27EqG18g_aQutE9CZdExT8uhG2v_b_VXfnJv43VhiyJajkG87OM87Q9aCdmDeSR3OFMBBVP03Q6hMCvJHUVZ4IIfSAOWMa0D8V5DeXTbTqvKBaMfsBlsmmJowlpluYfqUpGZ5udpi-z_0wt_QWNQRC6jF9I0AlQS278h7pCWqn8b5q8FO7hy/s1799/Greensboro%20Mural.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1799" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmWQ3bDuo27EqG18g_aQutE9CZdExT8uhG2v_b_VXfnJv43VhiyJajkG87OM87Q9aCdmDeSR3OFMBBVP03Q6hMCvJHUVZ4IIfSAOWMa0D8V5DeXTbTqvKBaMfsBlsmmJowlpluYfqUpGZ5udpi-z_0wt_QWNQRC6jF9I0AlQS278h7pCWqn8b5q8FO7hy/w512-h640/Greensboro%20Mural.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greensboro Mural <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by A Otstot on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>TEN THOUSAND METER RUN</b></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Mixed Heat-Women 65 and up; Men 70 and up</span></i></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Women</span> </b></p><p><b>85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC</span> was unopposed, claiming the 85-89 Gold medal in 1:47:22.65.</p><p><b>80-84</b> No Competitors</p><p><b>75-79 Jeannie Rice</b> set her 2nd World Record of the Meet, adding it to her 5000 Meter mark set on Thursday. The World mark was just over 50:00; that made pacing easy. Average under 2 minutes a lap for 25 laps and you had the record. Except for the first lap, which Rice ran in 1:46, she was a model of consistency, running every lap between 1:51 and 1:55, with most in the 1:52-1:54 range. She broke the World Record by over three minutes! She collected the US record along the way. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vECpc9c0Zght-3kZ4-Mg6uF3CKrnJLtDcxkoZSgxScByzdGnSZLhboKeNhV9yPeLELZeFj2z-9crXcfiz3jDhZFNGSea9KJ4Dvzpeh_R_mE5-Gp01UFpCuUzz3iHJWfbcw7OKLf58tjBH8mG6nGbinO9MBR8Pd6pKbSbyks9kzkrRw6ySNceknaCBY3e/s1600/Jeannie%20Rice%2010000%20Meters%2070+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vECpc9c0Zght-3kZ4-Mg6uF3CKrnJLtDcxkoZSgxScByzdGnSZLhboKeNhV9yPeLELZeFj2z-9crXcfiz3jDhZFNGSea9KJ4Dvzpeh_R_mE5-Gp01UFpCuUzz3iHJWfbcw7OKLf58tjBH8mG6nGbinO9MBR8Pd6pKbSbyks9kzkrRw6ySNceknaCBY3e/w185-h400/Jeannie%20Rice%2010000%20Meters%2070+.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeannie Rice</b>, in World Record form, competing in the Women's 75-79 division of the 10,000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by J Rice on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Nancy Rollins</b> ran strong as well; her time was 2:42.95 seconds under the US mark, but Rice was more than 8 minutes under the US record. It is not easy competing against a legend! <b>Andrea McCarter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> took the Bronze medal.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 46:53.07 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nancy Rollins</i> 52:43.75 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 1:27:22.13</p><p><b>70-74 </b>ATC teammates, <b>Francoise Levinson</b> and <b>Terry Ozell</b> had this division to themselves. Levinson took it out strong and had a half minute lead by the first kilometer. In the next 1600 meters, she increased the lead to 52 seconds. Ozell matched Levinson's pace the rest of the way. Levinson took the win in 58:24.32 with Ozell claiming Silver.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Francoise Levinson</i> 58:24.32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Terry Ozell</i> 59:21.21</p><p><b>65-69 Patrice Combs </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>had a 6-second lead by the end of the first lap and kept adding to it. She had a 27 second lead by the end of the 4th lap and 58 seconds by the end of the 8th. There was no stopping Combs as she racked up the win in 45:46.85. Her teammate, <b>Cynthia Williams, </b>could not keep pace with Combs, but claimed the Silver medal, well ahead of third place finisher, <b>Denise Smith</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athens Road Runners (ARR)</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs</i> 45:46.85 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cynthia Williams</i> 49:31.77 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Denise Smith </i>55:23.95</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Men </span></b></p><p><b>85-89 Colben Sime, </b>in his last year in the division, at 89, owned this race, taking the Gold medal in 1:24:48.34.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k1Az4Bfn8REzBs85GpwckUzn2-dawu1pbyGsLQS6qcqC8TDzLdM-Fj22Oq5Qtp_wVq0ZDcltzMcnqd9hqG7OoKrUjJ1YBZSlkz-NmAKRdGRuv7b5ATkita2IpsvOf40J-y4OYF5MsuxBUyu4nbabjQiZ7qUHhv5-1tKpvEXn4DUGlpZMSLT5rnjsFjoc/s2048/Colben%20Sime--Credit%20Blake%20Wood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1406" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k1Az4Bfn8REzBs85GpwckUzn2-dawu1pbyGsLQS6qcqC8TDzLdM-Fj22Oq5Qtp_wVq0ZDcltzMcnqd9hqG7OoKrUjJ1YBZSlkz-NmAKRdGRuv7b5ATkita2IpsvOf40J-y4OYF5MsuxBUyu4nbabjQiZ7qUHhv5-1tKpvEXn4DUGlpZMSLT5rnjsFjoc/w275-h400/Colben%20Sime--Credit%20Blake%20Wood.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Colben Sime</b> on his way to the Gold 85-89 Medal in the 10,000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by Blake Wood on FB</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>80-84</b> No Competitors</p><p><b>75-79</b> <b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC</span>, the noted marathoner and ultra marathoner, was running in his first national championship since turning 75. Dykes entered knowing that he wanted to save something for his steeplechase effort later in the day. Dykes let <b>Leon Cook</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greenville TC </span>set the pace through the first 9 laps. Cook had an 18 second lead. Dykes matched Cook's pace over t1he next lap and then gradually pulled him back, a second or two per lap. Dykes took the lead at the 19th lap but did not pass with the intent of 'burying' his opponent, just getting in front and staying there. Dykes was less than 2 seconds ahead with a lap to go. Often, in these circumstances it is the athlete in 2nd place who has the big kick. This time it was Dykes! He lowered his last lap by over 6 seconds to take the win by 8 seconds. <b>Donald Loewe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC</span> played no role in the duel for the Gold medal but stayed comfortably ahead of his teammate, Masters Hall of Famer, <b>Gary Patton</b>. Presumably Patton was running the 10,000 meters for team points and had no reason to deny his teammate the Bronze medal. In a bright note for his many friends and rivals, <b>Lloyd Hansen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ann Arbor TC</span>, former Chair of Masters LDR, competed as well. Battling a mesothelioma diagnosis for the past two years, Hansen has, nevertheless, been able to keep his training going despite that health problem. A gold medalist many times over, Hansen inspired many with his 6th place finish in 52:35.54.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes</i> 48:11.05 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leon Cook</i> 48:19.63 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Donald Loewe</i> 50:23.14</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eDP9uzILIXFB1C6Pvy1slY2AiCs8y_0h9vDl-U-HAeNJ8VF0h7tab7TCXdeE4WE_1W-p6cJEd9pe7H1Ek-_BpV0AVoB17OhQo3CEpGmW3mYr7aipeDPj7bQfnjlvd6lnRhEIX4qwM0QTFXrCS47VhaePlFmBRJG2wBxsd9GRh32HAFXLu9LHpseCdWHs/s1600/Line%20Up%20for%20Start-Men%2070+%2010000%20Meters-L%20Hansen%20post%20Strava.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eDP9uzILIXFB1C6Pvy1slY2AiCs8y_0h9vDl-U-HAeNJ8VF0h7tab7TCXdeE4WE_1W-p6cJEd9pe7H1Ek-_BpV0AVoB17OhQo3CEpGmW3mYr7aipeDPj7bQfnjlvd6lnRhEIX4qwM0QTFXrCS47VhaePlFmBRJG2wBxsd9GRh32HAFXLu9LHpseCdWHs/w640-h360/Line%20Up%20for%20Start-Men%2070+%2010000%20Meters-L%20Hansen%20post%20Strava.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting the Field Lined up for the Men's 70-89 Division [along with the Women's 65-89 Division at the front waterfall start line] of the 10,000 Meter Run-- <b>Lloyd Hansen</b> facing camera--<b>Robert Qualls, Gene Dykes</b>, and <b>Eugene Myers</b> in Lanes 1-3--25 laps to go! At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by L Hansen on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>70-74 Robert Qualls</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">River City Rebels</span>, who had broken the 70-74 Road Mile record in Indianapolis at the end of June but did not have his eye on a record-breaking performance on Saturday. Like others, he had an additional event to run after this one. Qualls moved swiftly to the front when the gun went off. He had a ten second lead on <b>Eugene Myers</b> at the end of the first lap. No slouch, Myers took 2nd this year at the USATF Half Marathon Championships and currently sits in 2nd behind Qualls in the 2023 Individual Grand Prix standings. By the end of the third lap the lead was up to 17 seconds, and Qualls would widen the gap over the remaining 22 laps. Myers could not keep pace with Qualls but enjoyed a similar lead over <b>Jerry Learned's </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> Bronze medal effort.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> 42:54.65 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Eugene Myers</i> 47:30.39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry Learned</i> 51:51.75</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Mixed Heat-Women 30 and up; Men 60-69</span></i></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Women </span></b></p><p><b>60-64</b> <b>Doreen McCoubrie </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC</span>, who won the 60-64 5000-meter run Thursday evening, was back for an encore. She had two teammates to run with, and no one else. There was no pressure for a fast time. McCoubrie was running easily but still enjoyed a 15 second lead at the end of the first lap. McCoubrie extended that lead throughout the race, winning with a margin of over six minutes. <b>Mary Swan</b> was happy to let <b>Lauren Siegel</b> lead her through the first two kilometers. Swan passed at that point and created an 11-second gap over the next two laps. Swan added to the gap on most of the remaining laps but appeared to slow substantially every 4th lap, perhaps as a way of forcing herself to conserve energy for another future race. In the end it was McCoubrie-Swan-Siegel, all for GPTC.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Doreen McCoubrie</i> 44:07.40 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Swan</i> 50:29.61 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lauren Siegel</i> 51:19.61</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7GNyzadfNLmSI_SqjJmRToxlre7873ZnhaRRDlpIchwxKyiCObg_X_Alli0qq2nhSLUSiOwdT0SYAwcGL37s7iCzOc_SwPHGvkh-wleumRJyes5NrxlO0s_zE0HLZVs3bLoaz_XsRhZfN-UyfoLFyMzw9yEp11_wUUp7saaPlN1pWmYsueno1zisDW_a/s1600/Gun%20Is%20Up-50-59%20Women%2010000M.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7GNyzadfNLmSI_SqjJmRToxlre7873ZnhaRRDlpIchwxKyiCObg_X_Alli0qq2nhSLUSiOwdT0SYAwcGL37s7iCzOc_SwPHGvkh-wleumRJyes5NrxlO0s_zE0HLZVs3bLoaz_XsRhZfN-UyfoLFyMzw9yEp11_wUUp7saaPlN1pWmYsueno1zisDW_a/w480-h640/Gun%20Is%20Up-50-59%20Women%2010000M.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gun Is Up! Start of Women's 10,000 M Run 45-64 -Lanes 1-3 are: <b>Perry Shoemaker, Abby Dean </b> and <b>Lisa Veneziano</b> at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by A Dean on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>55-59 Lisa Veneziano</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pursuit of Excellence TC</span>, the 12 Km American Record holder, had no trouble with this 10 Km run on the track. By the 4th lap she was over a minute ahead of the field; she added to it steadily. By the time she crossed the finish line, Veneziano was almost six minutes ahead. For the first 2 kilometers, it was close between Veneziano's teammate, <b>Melissa Chiti</b>, and Atlanta's <b>Kris Huff</b>. Through 17 laps Huff was one or two seconds ahead of Chiti. But then in lap 18, Chiti faltered and lost an extra second in each of the next two laps and then two seconds in lap 20. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBb32GNMlxZ2dyc5KQALAnbGadvpcgZEdR0BkPZKRg0ufu0yTchPXnEqikp4eWz96Avlblkv4GquDReVMutdYalmYnjyJhHuKez5IntwMhlR57IVsK9AD9WsEyXHH9GGX5galdz3onN68mz0lH42QbqL-FzyjbsnvOjMD4aWMXFYy97jK4sUQ4rBZG7Izc/s1600/Chit%20&%20Veneziano%2010000M.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBb32GNMlxZ2dyc5KQALAnbGadvpcgZEdR0BkPZKRg0ufu0yTchPXnEqikp4eWz96Avlblkv4GquDReVMutdYalmYnjyJhHuKez5IntwMhlR57IVsK9AD9WsEyXHH9GGX5galdz3onN68mz0lH42QbqL-FzyjbsnvOjMD4aWMXFYy97jK4sUQ4rBZG7Izc/w185-h400/Chit%20&%20Veneziano%2010000M.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Melissa Chiti </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">L</span> and <b>Lisa Veneziano </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">R </span>, Bronze and Gold 55-59 Medalists in the 10,000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by L Veneziano on Strava</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p>By lap 21 the gap was up to ten seconds and the duel was over; Chiti did not recover. Huff took the Silver and Chiti the bronze. Chiti had almost two minutes on the 4th place finisher.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Lisa Veneziano</i> 39:50.94 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kris Huff</i> 45:48.76 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Melissa Chiti</i> 46:08.53</p><p><b>50-54 </b><b>Abby Dean</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>took the 10 Km national road title in 38:17 at Dedham at the end of April. <b>Perry Shoemaker</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">PVTC </span>, claimed the division crown at the early June New York Mini 10K in 37:41. She bested Dean at the Masters Road Mile Championships. Whether Dean was still not fully recovered from a tough race at Grandma's Marathon at the end of June or she was just making the best of an off day, is unclear. What is clear is that Shoemaker was able to run away from Dean. She had a 6-second advantage at the end of the 2nd lap and ten seconds by the end of three laps. It never got any closer. In the end Shoemaker had nearly a three-minute margin on Dean. While Shoemaker enjoyed the Gold medal, Dean had no trouble staying ahead of <b>Hilary Cairn</b>, to claim Silver<b>.</b><b> </b></p><p><i><b>Perry Shoemaker</b>i </i>37:14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i> 40:33.47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hilary Cairn</i> 41:50.69</p><p><b>45-49 </b>Central Park Track Club teammates, <b>Rebekah Kennedy</b> and <b>Paige Yellen</b> ran together, with Kennedy leading and Yellen following, for the first half of the race. Yellen took over at that point, leading the rest of the way. Yellen finished 19 seconds ahead of her teammate, in first. <b>Jacque Hartley</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> finished 3rd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Paige Yellen</i> 41:09.77 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rebekah Kennedy</i> 41:28.44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jacque Hartley</i> 41:51:18.90</p><p><b>40-44 April Lund</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GYS TC </span>moved right to the front on her mission to win her 2nd Gold medal. She was 9 seconds ahead of the field at 400 meters and added to her lead on every lap. She crossed the finish line over three minutes ahead of the Silver medalist, <b>Megan Hansen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shenandoah Valley TC</span>. Lund had hoped to challenge the American Record but it was not in the cards.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Men</span></b></p><p><b>65-69 </b>In the battle of the two Timothy's, <b>Timothy Conheady </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>set off at the gun and had 7 seconds on <b>Timothy Riccardi</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers </span>by the end of the first lap. Conheady added two seconds on the next lap and stretched his lead until he took the win with well over a minute and a half to spare. Riccardi had a similar gap over the Bronze medalist, <b>John Hadcock</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Lowell Road Runners</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Timothy Conheady</i> 41:23.56 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Timothy Riccardi</i> 43:07.77 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Hadcock</i> 45:49.97</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0RDVkm7CUiLo1GvNHETVMsWrPbsuPGHnVArkgAMEC32QQ98R-lMy0zMI5-FeYC-ktqzyCVCBc8kmh6--lidRgAHBtzf6sWWVlpVyna2wgYIOF9F1wkl1xzHWVyJmMGyMg2D4GUkbl_k2D0gBqKAsK1Ygw8qzkoW8Q8qlDm7mVM9B_fVCp8AkmCrk3pMi/s1600/Hadcock-Riccardi-65-69%2010000M.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0RDVkm7CUiLo1GvNHETVMsWrPbsuPGHnVArkgAMEC32QQ98R-lMy0zMI5-FeYC-ktqzyCVCBc8kmh6--lidRgAHBtzf6sWWVlpVyna2wgYIOF9F1wkl1xzHWVyJmMGyMg2D4GUkbl_k2D0gBqKAsK1Ygw8qzkoW8Q8qlDm7mVM9B_fVCp8AkmCrk3pMi/w400-h300/Hadcock-Riccardi-65-69%2010000M.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John Hadcock </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Left-Bronze </span>and <b>Timothy Riccardi </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right-Silver</span> commemorate their Podium Finish in the Men's 10,000 Meter run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by J Hadcock on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>60-64 Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>shot out away from the starting line, as he had with the 5000-meter run, enjoying an 11-second margin over the field by the end of the first lap. He piled it on the rest of the way, crossing the finish line with a winning margin of well over four minutes. Lee also managed to provide some pacing, over the first half of the race, for April Lund's attempt on the 40-44 American record. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSn7Cwp_ZEMYg_jK4ydU7aydPlW20YQ0RBucaCw8DbCXJxKFrPmFRVhhKDjhzg22KEkCpPgF8UWg9itqZTmVP4ajSzJ1h1kGgE3b3lhc3xg19jz2XgqKm2s2ohp4qRgxVkaAD_8xwH5yB3YpKoEOdLh9qe9jfR7KrLb0VnmrJSm5KXlnZpzUGwZG6T2nMK/s1600/April%20Lund-Rick%20Lee-10000M.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSn7Cwp_ZEMYg_jK4ydU7aydPlW20YQ0RBucaCw8DbCXJxKFrPmFRVhhKDjhzg22KEkCpPgF8UWg9itqZTmVP4ajSzJ1h1kGgE3b3lhc3xg19jz2XgqKm2s2ohp4qRgxVkaAD_8xwH5yB3YpKoEOdLh9qe9jfR7KrLb0VnmrJSm5KXlnZpzUGwZG6T2nMK/w480-h640/April%20Lund-Rick%20Lee-10000M.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>April Lund</b> & <b>Rick Lee </b>after their Gold Medal performances in the Women's 40-44 and Men's 60-64 divisions at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by R Lee on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>In contrast, three other runners had a heck of a tussle in sorting out 2nd through 4th. Among those three, <b>Robert Whitaker</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colonial Road Runners</span> had the early lead, followed closely by GPTC teammates, <b>Keith Davies</b> and <b>Chuck Shields</b>. Between laps 14 and 15, Davies moved into the lead with Whitaker dropping into 2nd a stride ahead of Shields. After holding the lead for two laps, Davies gave way to Whitaker, who picked up his pace to move to the front once again. Shields bided his time. Davie held the lead until there was a lap to go. In the meantime, Shields had passed Davies and was lurking in second, just off of Davies' shoulder. Shields kicked past with authority and claimed the Silver medal with 5 seconds to spare. Davies, too, was able to get past Whitaker to nail the Bronze medal with a margin of just 3 seconds. Whitaker had done his best to push the pace and try to drop the two Philadelphians, but to no avail. <b>Charles Justice</b> closed strongly over the last 4000 meters, coming from 29 seconds back to finish within two seconds of Whitaker in 5th. Lee had a magnificent victory, adding it to his 5000 Meter win; the division had the tightest 2nd through 5th contest in the event.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee </i>37:22.29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Charles 'Chuck' Shields</i> 41:56.10 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Keith Davies</i> 42:01.45</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Men's Heat 25-59</span></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>55-59 </b>Over the first 4 laps, <b>Scott Siriano</b> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> created a gap of half a minute back to <b>Miguel Sanchez Ruano</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">El Salvador. </span>Sanchez Ruano<b> </b>was able to match Siriano's pace and keep the gap under 20 seconds until the 8th lap. After that, he could no longer match the pace and Siriano pulled gradually away, adding a second or a two to the lead on each lap. Siriano enjoyed a victory margin of over 50 seconds when he crossed the finish line in first. Sanchez Ruano was not closely pressed for the Silver medal; <b>David Powers </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dayton TC</span> earned the Bronze.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Siriano</i> 39:24.74 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Miguel Sanchez Ruano</i> 40:17.97 <i style="font-weight: bold;">David Powers</i> 43:06.16</p><p><b>50-54 Allen Baddour</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bull City TC </span>stayed close to <b>Craig Woshner</b> for the first lap. By the end of the 2nd lap, Woshner was up by 5 seconds and there was no stopping him. Woshner won the Gold with well over a minute and a half to spare. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-1QdlE-HMHUaE0O3HOd07WzEARN731dz-taEmvnIT-AVXL21RvACn7OAawHeBbixpG1SklLKzUy1-JY5i041EQNmZjZaEGAyAyKkMdw1JQmfXQ-bRadqaEeysctuU5gcYDM-mpsz9w-qhtDopK0QI2uoBq_D8xus2SqNxs5uQJwVRmpBDq94PFEf1KoD/s978/Baddour-Woshner-Whitehead-OtstotCROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="787" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-1QdlE-HMHUaE0O3HOd07WzEARN731dz-taEmvnIT-AVXL21RvACn7OAawHeBbixpG1SklLKzUy1-JY5i041EQNmZjZaEGAyAyKkMdw1JQmfXQ-bRadqaEeysctuU5gcYDM-mpsz9w-qhtDopK0QI2uoBq_D8xus2SqNxs5uQJwVRmpBDq94PFEf1KoD/w516-h640/Baddour-Woshner-Whitehead-OtstotCROP.jpg" width="516" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Allen Baddour </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#11 M50</span> about to be lapped by <b>Craig Woshner </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#24 M50</span><b> , Joshua Whitehead </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#22 M40</span><b> </b>and<b> Adam Otstot </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#23 M40 </span>in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by A Baddour on FB-Credit to Clint 'Flash Santoro</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Baddour won the Silver medal with more than 3 minutes on <b>Ignacio Moore</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blacksburg Striders</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Craig Woshner</i> 34:10.26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Allen Baddour</i> 35:54.70 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ignacio Moore</i> 39:14.49</p><p><b>45-49 </b>Since joining GVH this spring, <b>Randall Howard</b> had a Silver medal at the Masters Half Marathon Championships and a 4th at the 10K Masters Championships. This would be his first shot at Masters TF hardware. <b>Reginald Cross</b> stayed close for the first two laps, but a 1.6 second margin ballooned to 8 seconds by the end of the third lap. After that, Howard pulled steadily away, taking the Gold medal with a margin of more than 3 minutes. Cross had almost two minutes on <b>Jordan Eison</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>who finished 3rd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Randall Howard</i> 35:53.14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Reginald Cross</i> 39:07.59 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jordan Eison </i>41:00.04</p><p><b>40-44 Adam Otstot </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colonial Road Runners</span>, who finished 4th in the Masters race at Cross Nationals in Richmond, was going up against <b>Josh Whitehead </b>who ran 1:12:38 at the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in early April and a 33:52 10K in June. Otstot moved to the front after the first lap and held the lead, with Whitehead right on his heels, until the 1600-meter mark. Otstot slowed his pace markedly at that point, presumably to encourage Whitehead to take the lead. Whitehead was reluctant. But after 2 laps of looking over at Otstot on occasion and glancing over his shoulder to see if the others in the field were gaining on them at this slow pace, Whitehead surged into the lead just after they finished the 6th lap. <b>Matthias Wilder</b>, who had been 22 seconds back in 3rd at the end of the 4th lap was, after the 5th lap, only 16 seconds back, and after the 6th, only 9 seconds back. Whitehead led through 4800 meters when <b>Craig Woshner</b>, from 50-54, joined them and started taking laps at the front. Despite what the Mile Split results say, Woshner stayed in the lead for the next 4800 meters. Whitehead was quite content now to run in front of Otstot as Woshner set a very nice pace for both. As they headed up the backstretch on the final lap, Whitehead made his move to the front; Ostot went with him and Woshner settled in right behind. Midway around the final turn it looked like Woshner might be able to move in front of Otstot but that possibility closed down fast. Whitehead was sprinting at the head of the final straightaway, in the lead, when Otstot found his other gear and zoomed past to take the win with less than 2 seconds to spare. Whitehead was 2nd. Woshner, as noted, despite losing out to these two, enjoyed a fine 50-54 victory! I assume that both Otstot and Whitehead thanked Woshner for his excellent pacing services. Had Woshner not inserted himself, the race would have been more tactical and, almost surely, slower. Wilder had no trouble staying in 3rd, well over a minute ahead of <b>Eric Heintz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span>, Director of High Performance for ATC. Heintz also serves as Race Director for the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships, held in Atlanta as part of the PUBLIX Marathon weekend. Heintz impacts the sport at all levels!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Otstot</i> 34:04.03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Josh Whitehead</i> 34:05.90 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Matthias Wilder</i> 35:07.35</p><p><b>35-39 </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Kevin Kuhn</i> 35:29.52 <b>30-34 </b><b style="font-style: italic;">Jesse Jones</b><i> 35:09.04 </i><b>25-29<i> Mike Vaz</i> </b>36:16.19</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>STEEPLECHASE</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Men under 60 run the steeplechase over 3000 meters, the same as in Open competition; all others run it over 2000 meters. Each circuit of the track includes 4 fixed barriers and 1 water jump. </span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Women 70 and up </span></i><i><span style="font-size: medium;">2000 Meters</span></i></p><p><i></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KFpoXs6tY2omlhiPFLmTTtS5oUYuGsTQy3UBPqVgwY8SVYGRvCaDrsiuUbqJHsc9jeuf9_n0uERSC-_llI9vwrZGS1Q5qCRI_zehS_R3fjGai6wfdzZngxk4Vo828L2r_JPfh2_o6L7lwd3cruMHwQBkjlmoMJWM_jLeGvb0I0h4aDjhX4HHEEtXUOC4/s575/70-89%20Women's%20Steeplechase%20competitorsCROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="575" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KFpoXs6tY2omlhiPFLmTTtS5oUYuGsTQy3UBPqVgwY8SVYGRvCaDrsiuUbqJHsc9jeuf9_n0uERSC-_llI9vwrZGS1Q5qCRI_zehS_R3fjGai6wfdzZngxk4Vo828L2r_JPfh2_o6L7lwd3cruMHwQBkjlmoMJWM_jLeGvb0I0h4aDjhX4HHEEtXUOC4/w640-h360/70-89%20Women's%20Steeplechase%20competitorsCROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's 70 - 89 Field for the 2000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by N Hudnall on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p><b>85-89 Florence Meiler</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sprinticity</span>, in her last year in the 85-89 division showed she still has what it takes. Meiler established an early gap of 25 seconds on the first lap and grew that lead the rest of the way to claim the 85-89 Gold medal. <b>Tami Graf</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC</span>, who has won more than her share of Gold had ot be satisfied with Silver this time.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Florence Meiler </i>20:35:18 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tami Graf</i> 22:02.26</p><p><b>80-84 </b>No Competitors</p><p><b>75-79 Nancy Berger</b> took it out strong and enjoyed a lead of 26 seconds at the end of the first circuit. The gap was up to 44 seconds by the end of the 2nd circuit and grew the rest of the way. Berger claimed the Gold medal with almost two minutes to spare. The duel between <b>Andrea McCarter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>and M<b>ary Trotto</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">TNT Internation TC </span>was much closer. McCarter steadily built up a gap over Trotto, from 3 seconds at the end of the first circuit to 23 seconds by the end of the 4th. But Trotto had a kick and took ten seconds out of McCarter's lead on the final circuit of the track, finishing just 13 seconds back in 3rd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nancy Berger</i> 15:17.16 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 17:09.29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Trotto</i> 17:22.65</p><p><b>70-74 Norma 'Nonie' Hudnall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC </span>and <b>Hannah Phillips</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC </span>battled over the barriers for the win. Phillips, the taller of the two, had an advantage over the barriers where she would sometimes jump onto the barrier and push off forward and sometimes, like Phillips, climb over the barrier. Over the first couple of laps the hurdling made enough difference to keep Philips in the lead by a few seconds, although Hudnall would typically close down the lead between barriers. After they cleared the first barrier on the 4th lap, Hudnall saw an opening to pass Phillips on the inside as Phillips swung out around a slower runner. Once Hudnall took the lead, she did not let go. Her greater leg speed between the barriers worked in her favor and Phillips, having tired, was now climbing over most of the barriers as well, so gained less advantage from them. Hudnall pushed the lead to 7 seconds on that lap and grew it a little more on the last lap. Hudnall took Gold with Phillips in the Silver medal position ten seconds back. <b>Freddie Braxton</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Trojan Masters TC </span>was not able to keep pace with Hudnall and Phillips but created a solid gap between herself and <b>Kathleeen Allen</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span>, claiming the Bronze medal with 14 seconds to spare.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Norma Hudnall</i> 12:03.93 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hannah Phillips</i> 12:13.33 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Freddie Braxton</i> 13:36.89</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Men 70 and up </span></i><i><span style="font-size: medium;">2000 Meters</span></i></p><p><b>85-89 </b>New England 65 Plus teammates, <b>Joe Cordero</b> and <b>Jerry Levasseur</b>, had this division to themselves. Cordero took it out hard and had over a half minute on Levasseur in the first lap. After that, Cordero was able to build his lead each lap until he took the Gold medal with a 2-minute victory margin. Levasseur could not match the Gold medal he won at the 10 Km road championships in Dedham MA at the end of April but was happy, no doubt, to take home a Silver steeplechase medal from a national championship! The steeple is a special event!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Cordero</i> 17:41.66 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry Levasseur</i> 19:41.15</p><p><b>80-84 </b>No Competitors</p><p><b>75-79</b> As noted above, <b>Gene Dykes</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>ran the 10,000 meters earlier this same morning and tried to save something for the steeplechase. And he would have a serious challenger. Five years ago in 2018 when these championships were held in Cheney WA, <b>Tim Wigger</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC </span>won the 70-74 2000-meter steeplechase in 9:24. Two years ago when the Championships were in Ames, IA, Dykes won the 70-74 2000-meter steeplechase in 9:22. Enough said! Both had good form over the barriers, but Dykes was just slightly smoother, at least in part because of a longer frame. I believe Dykes ran some hurdles in high school. Neither Dykes nor Wigger were hurdling the barriers though. But they were using the lead foot to the top of the barrier and push off, landing on the opposite leg. Dykes always seemed to clear the hurdle with just a little more momentum than Wigger. After each barrier, though, Wigger would close up on Dykes. The result was that Dykes led Wigger by 2-4 seconds on each of the first 4 laps. The same story played out on the final lap through the Water Jump. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9UXvLRFFsKskNZ1cJvRRiaGdUDEmtgoCrK_1iuTIuP_QIdRjpYjgMNbqH3h8ZyTVB3dmFVqEiZPRiOlAok8kVk96BFMSdH8w7ed-0TE25nkQkQRuW-0qwhulvXdj_I8b3mPlp-XlIIdtloKkHAbg-9x89Pq9Ir34-BX2An_Qaov5286fZL3I5jfYNg90/s2048/Dykes%20&%20Wigger%20over%20the%20Water%20Jump-2000M%20Steeple-75-79.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1710" data-original-width="2048" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9UXvLRFFsKskNZ1cJvRRiaGdUDEmtgoCrK_1iuTIuP_QIdRjpYjgMNbqH3h8ZyTVB3dmFVqEiZPRiOlAok8kVk96BFMSdH8w7ed-0TE25nkQkQRuW-0qwhulvXdj_I8b3mPlp-XlIIdtloKkHAbg-9x89Pq9Ir34-BX2An_Qaov5286fZL3I5jfYNg90/w640-h534/Dykes%20&%20Wigger%20over%20the%20Water%20Jump-2000M%20Steeple-75-79.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#1 </span>and <b>Tim Wigger</b> clear the Water Jump in the 75-79 2000 Meter Steeplechase on their way to a 1-2 Finish at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by T Wigger on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Dykes had 3 seconds on Wigger who started to close the gap before they reached the last barrier, about 120 meters from the finish. Once over the last barrier, Dykes picked up his pace, but Wigger got his arms pumping and knees lifting to kick for the finish line. Dykes had just enough to outlast him as Dykes took the Gold medal with just a fraction of a second between them. Kudos to Wigger for sticking to Dykes all the way and making a race of it. Kudos to Dykes for lasting all the way to the finish line, especially with a 10,000-meter run in his legs from a couple of hours earlier in the day. Wigger's teammate, <b>Donald Loew</b>, was well back from those two but a good 45 seconds ahead of <b>Harold Nolan</b> who took 4th.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes</i> 9:51.11 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Wigger</i> 9:51.26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Donald Loew</i> 10:34.92</p><p><b>70-74 Manuel Barnes</b> took it out hard and had a 7 second lead after the first lap. Barnes could not sustain that pace though, giving it all back and more on the second lap. <b>William Moore</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC </span>passed him and never looked back, eventually winning the Gold medal by over a minute. <b>Phillip Ozell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> finished third behind Barnes.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">William Moore</i> 10:14.60 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Manuel Barnes</i> 11:19.16 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Phillip Ozell</i> 11:44.37</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Women 55-69 </span></i><i><span style="font-size: medium;">2000 Meters</span></i></p><p><span><b>65-69 Debbie Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC </span>had no problem in this division. Thirteen seconds ahead after the first lap, Lee added to her margin each lap until she won, at the finish, by 45 seconds. Although she could not stay with Lee, <b>Mary Lowe Mayhugh</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC</span> grew an even bigger gap back to the third place finisher. Mayhugh claimed the Silver medal by a minute and a half over her teammate, <b>Liza Recto.</b></span></p><p><span><b style="font-style: italic;">Debbie Lee </b>10:32.44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Low Mayhugh</i> 11:17.89 <i><b>Liza Recto</b> 12:46.47</i></span></p><p><span><b>60-64 </b><b>Cheryl Bellaire</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC</span>, the defending champion from 2021 and 2022, got the job done, and then some, on her last year in the division. She was 26 seconds ahead of the field after the first lap and claimed the Gold medal with a winning margin of a minute and a half. </span></p><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-iGCoWAFAETNKVCDnJWhwtLJoPSiOUEaGqwbQ7WtvoNv9JR9FgkwTuKgCadVh2rX3caY0WUIggiFHnI7IoLmNy2yn4tjoX3kLIV1c32tUeHK40-HvK4jKJL_1QHa2f2q_hbRL68P3v4KdBPHdmi8DfCrtKuWSDKVN5firsq7cSvo4iNO_OJq7TczAwcl/s1249/Cheryl%20Bellaire-Water%20Jump.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-iGCoWAFAETNKVCDnJWhwtLJoPSiOUEaGqwbQ7WtvoNv9JR9FgkwTuKgCadVh2rX3caY0WUIggiFHnI7IoLmNy2yn4tjoX3kLIV1c32tUeHK40-HvK4jKJL_1QHa2f2q_hbRL68P3v4KdBPHdmi8DfCrtKuWSDKVN5firsq7cSvo4iNO_OJq7TczAwcl/w270-h400/Cheryl%20Bellaire-Water%20Jump.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cheryl Bellaire,</b> cooling off at the Water Jump on her way to the 60-64 2000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by C Bellaire on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span><b>Joanne Shabelski </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC </span>took 2nd; just over a minute later, her teammate, <b>Emilie Class</b> claimed Bronze. </span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Cheryl Bellaire</i> 9:56.13 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Joanne Shabelski</i> 11:27.80 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Emilie Class</i> 12:40.66</span></p><p><span><b>55-59 Rachel Hopkins</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sirius Athletics</span>, who finished 3rd at the highly competitive Club Cross championships last December in 50-54, set out on her first try at a 55-59 national steeplechase title, with <b>Judy Stobbe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">CPTC</span> in hot pursuit. Stobbe was within a second after the first circuit. Though she hung on gamely through the 2nd, Hopkins stretched the lead to 4 seconds. Stobbe never gave up but could not quite match Hopkins over the barriers and kept losing time. Stobbe claimed the Gold medal; a half minute later, Stobbe had Silver. <b>Gina Witcher</b> finished third, closing to within 21 seconds of Stobbe by the end.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rachel Hopkins</i> 8:35.29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Judy Stobbe</i> 9:04.05 <b>Gina Witcher</b> 9:25:36</span></p><p><span><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Men 60-69 2000 Meters</span></i></span></p><p><span><span><b>65-69 Jeffery Barros</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">El Paso Flames</span> finished 3rd in 2021 and 5th last year. This year he was in a new age division and made it count; Barros led from wire to wire. He was closely tracked for the first two laps by <b>Mike Selmer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC</span> in 2nd and <b>Elliott Drumright</b> in 3rd. Selmer dropped back on the third lap but Drumright was tight on Barros, trailing by less than a second. Barros decided to go for it on the 4th lap, increasing his pace and dropping Drumright 7 seconds back. Barros took the win with a margin of 12 seconds. <b>Leo Murillo</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">CPTC </span>passed Selmer on the last lap to claim the Bronze medal, a minute back from Drumright.</span></span></p><p><span><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeffery Barros</i> 9:10.30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Elliott Drumright</i> 9:22.98 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leo Murillo</i> 10:25.97</span></span></p><p><span><span><b>60-64 </b>As usual at these championships, <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC </span>went right to the front of the pack, leading them over the barriers. </span></span></p><p><span><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><span><span><br /><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh4yjm_UKZkmQ1OeLppkMszWQP7vLmNCBaqB94UdCq3UGQ8UN73EFodLOkojY6C1xyXQd5cxYiNqRG_8DJlxR5pITSOZJHR9DbRfQoKiyjyp3yx4MdA30-9jZYdxysJlAF6L8k8RwukeM-7rg1O3dEr7DvrfnrLw_rgPgHMJdstND4JEpIuwK0q9mTAw4/s973/Rick%20Lee-Barrier-2000M%2060-64%20SteepleCROP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="973" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh4yjm_UKZkmQ1OeLppkMszWQP7vLmNCBaqB94UdCq3UGQ8UN73EFodLOkojY6C1xyXQd5cxYiNqRG_8DJlxR5pITSOZJHR9DbRfQoKiyjyp3yx4MdA30-9jZYdxysJlAF6L8k8RwukeM-7rg1O3dEr7DvrfnrLw_rgPgHMJdstND4JEpIuwK0q9mTAw4/w400-h341/Rick%20Lee-Barrier-2000M%2060-64%20SteepleCROP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee</b> clearing a barrier in the 2000M Men's 60-64 Steeple on his way to Gold at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by R Lee on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p></p><p><span><span><b>Phil Roberts</b>, who finished 4th last year in 55-59, </span></span>was trailing Lee by a second and change at the end of the first lap. <b>Jeff Soares</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santa Cruz TC</span>, who finished two places ahead of Roberts last year, was another couple of seconds back. By the end of the second lap, Roberts was still tight on Lee but Soares had fallen back. He had a minor stumble coming out of the water jump and did not close the gap that emerged. Over the next lap, Roberts continued tracking Lee but Soares fell 8 seconds back. On the 4th lap, Roberts stayed tight on Lee but after they both cleanly cleared the Water Jump, Roberts decided it was now or never. He surged past Lee and had the lead at the bell. Lee patiently tracked Roberts over two barriers. As they approached the Water Jump, Lee accelerated and closed most of the gap. But Roberts was still ahead and cleared the final barrier just ahead of Lee. It was down to the final kick to the finish; Lee's leg speed was too much for Roberts! Lee had the win by less than a second and a half, his toughest Gold medal of the meet. It was hardly surprising considering that Lee had the 10,000 meter run in his legs. Soares finished in 3rd, 25 seconds later.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee</i> 7:33.36 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Phil Roberts</i> 7:34.58 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Soares</i> 7:59.29</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Women 25-59 </span></i><i><span style="font-size: medium;">2000 Meters</span></i></p><p><b>50-54 Idalma Melendez Barrera</b> had the division to herself. </p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Idalma Melendez Barrera</i> 17:13.85</p><p><b>45-49 Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">T.H.E. TC</span>, who won the Bronze medal at the World Championships last year and followed that up with a win at the National Championships, was back to defend her title. Despite this being her final year in the division, Josiah-Tanner had no equal in the division. leading wire to wire, her lead increased from 8 seconds on the first alp to almost 45 seconds by the finish. <b>Shannon Florea</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">BLUEgrass Runners</span> could not match Josiah-Tanner but stayed well ahead of the third-place runner, <b>Sara Schwendinger</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC.</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 7:58.96 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Shannon Florea</i> 8:42.06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sara Schwendinger</i> 9:28.97</p><p><b>40-44</b> <b>Alex Dietrich</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC</span> entered the race as the defending champion but her teammate, <b>Caroline Cobb</b> went right to the front of the division and enjoyed a 14 second lead over Dietrich after the first lap. Cobb never looked back, enjoying a winning margin of over a minute. Dietrich ran 18 seconds faster than last year but had to settle for 2nd this time. <b>Elizabeth Hymer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GYS TC </span>was almost another minute back in 3rd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Caroline Cobb</i> 9:08.64 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Alex Dietrich</i> 10:12.29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Elizabeth Hymer</i> 11:06.56</p><p><b>35-39 Carrie Murthy </b>8:39.04 <b>30-34 </b>No Competitors <b>25-29 Rebecca Entrekin</b> 8:15.63</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Men 50-59 3000 Meters</span></i></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">55-59</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Siriano</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> finished 2nd in 50-54 in 2021 and 2nd last year in 55-59. Why not complete the trifecta with a first place this year? Like Dykes, Siriano had competed in the 10,000 meter run earlier that morning. Siriano was content to let <b>Christopher Yorges </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Venezuela </span>move to the front and set the pace. Yorges bult up a 14 second lead over the first 2000 meters. But the 6th lap was his downfall. I am not sure if Yorges had trouble at the Water Jump or a barrier or fatigue set in. But Siriano, by keeping to his 1:43 per lap pace, was able to turn a 14 second disadvantage into a ten second advantage over that lap. Siriano stretched his lead on the final two laps, taking the Gold medal with a gap of over a minute back to Yorges. What a nice double gold! <b>Greg Hales</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santa Cruz TC </span>was 45 seconds behind Yorges at the 2000-meter mark but 6 seconds back at the finish!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Siriano </i>12:39.97 <b><i>Christopher Yorges</i></b> 13:42.46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Greg Hales</i> 13:48.23</p><p><b>50-54 Robert Dinterman</b> led for the first 2400 meters, with <b>Jose Gregorio Yanes Quijada </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Venezuela </span> 4-8 seconds behind at the end of each lap. On the next to last lap, Quijada accelerated into the Water Jump; his momentum carried him past Dinterman into the lead. Quijada powered away from Dinterman, hurdling the next barrier as Dinterman used the jump-land-push technique. There was no stopping him; Quijada had stretched his lead to 18 seconds by the time he crossed the finish line! Dinterman took 2nd, 25 seconds ahead of <b>Charlie Coe.</b></p><p><b style="font-style: italic;">Jose Gregorio Yanes Quijada</b> 11:58.83 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Dinterman</i> 12:16.05 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Charlie Coe </i>12:41.56</p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Men 25-49 3000 Meters</span></i></p><p><span><b>45-49 Trent Bryson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cal Coast TC</span>, who finished 5th at the Masters Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis at the end of June, continued his return to serious competition after an absence of 25 years. Bryson moved quickly to the front and no one from his division followed. The only competition he found came from the 40-44 division. Leading wire to wire he finished well over a minute ahead of the field. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTtunSzwGKhYLm7UooG8CCx_UkgLvAIn0tBs1B1GiCBlt32g6h-R4Z2wcRtDrEQkvA1dlvrw18dG0wm0S2cgqtpefo3ZX3_w1NKl3jaRBHi59BwW0HjY1x9J5HMsQKqr4uZytEkMSoolShqd-s4-NJNZN1_ABRKB6J8ZpPIrYyqe3qFdmvDQl99UP-Za4/s2048/Trent_Bryson-3000M%20steeple%2055-59.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTtunSzwGKhYLm7UooG8CCx_UkgLvAIn0tBs1B1GiCBlt32g6h-R4Z2wcRtDrEQkvA1dlvrw18dG0wm0S2cgqtpefo3ZX3_w1NKl3jaRBHi59BwW0HjY1x9J5HMsQKqr4uZytEkMSoolShqd-s4-NJNZN1_ABRKB6J8ZpPIrYyqe3qFdmvDQl99UP-Za4/w640-h478/Trent_Bryson-3000M%20steeple%2055-59.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Clint Bryson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">right </span>leading the 4th place competitor, <b>Filip Janku,</b> on his way to the 45-49 Gold medal in the 3000-Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by C Santoro on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span></span></p><p><span><b>Clint 'Flash' Santoro</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Arizona Pacemakers</span>, who delights fellow competitors with his photos, nailed the Silver medal with a late push. At 1400 meters, Santoro was in 4th, a second behind <b>Aaron Hale </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bull City TC</span>, but 11 seconds back from <b>Robert McRae</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">So Cal TC</span>. McRae's race ended abruptly. His pace ballooned by 15 seconds; Santoro took advantage by passing not only McRae but Hale as well. Hale was just a second back with 3 laps to go. But Santoro pushed to widen the gap, cruised for a lap and then crushed the last lap, taking the Silver medal with 17 seconds back to Hale.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Trent Bryson</i> 10:52.03 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Clint Santoro</i> 12:13.68 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aaron Hale</i> 12:30.94</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDUqv4SBVHAwP8m64XNtKgyHrqx9RRuwCowuoUDepQK3-_LID_5mDtvfv2FS1iYbinB4hLym4YmZOa441iPn7f1lKvlj-PI0CF4L0zhhX1zQdB7fK1Nc4OKX-xtJKh-Yikql0Uv1w6bJFhpr-xW2Z5pX0wxeNoKKDFyhVEKX4GmRmknnoGPWJy6Fb294A/s2048/Clint%20Santoro-3000M%20steeple%2055-59.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDUqv4SBVHAwP8m64XNtKgyHrqx9RRuwCowuoUDepQK3-_LID_5mDtvfv2FS1iYbinB4hLym4YmZOa441iPn7f1lKvlj-PI0CF4L0zhhX1zQdB7fK1Nc4OKX-xtJKh-Yikql0Uv1w6bJFhpr-xW2Z5pX0wxeNoKKDFyhVEKX4GmRmknnoGPWJy6Fb294A/w400-h266/Clint%20Santoro-3000M%20steeple%2055-59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Clint Santoro </b>clearing the barrier on his way to the Silver medal in the 45-49 3000-Meter Steeplechase at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted by C Santoro on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>40-44 </b>It was a tight battle for the win between<b> Jesse Rappole</b> and <b>Joshua Sanders</b>, who finished 2nd in this race in 2022. Sanders led for the first 200 meters but was then content to let Rappole lead for the next two laps, as he slipped in behind. Sanders took the lead back after the 4th lap, but Rappole stuck to him for that lap and the next. With two laps to go, Sanders picked up the pace and Rappole could not answer. When he took the bell lap, Sanders had an 11 second lead. Sanders cruised to the win! At the end, Rappole was 16 seconds down in 2nd, with <b>Bryan Brander</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bull City TC </span>in third.</div><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joshua Sanders</i> 10:55.35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jesse Rappole</i> 11:11.80 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Bryan Brander</i> 11:26.46</span></p><p><span><b>35-39</b> <i style="font-weight: bold;">Chris Hopkin</i> 12:52.50 <b>30-34 </b>No Competitors <b>25-29 </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Lynn Hackett </i>11:48.79</span></p><p><span>-----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p>The 800 Meter event, held after the Steeplechase on Saturday afternoon, will be covered in the next recap, with the 1500 Meter Run ('metric mile') which was held on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-17940271190763114392023-07-22T13:34:00.003-04:002023-07-22T13:34:47.482-04:005000 Meters in the Hot! At the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships<p><b>July 22, 2023 </b><i>Greensboro, NC. </i>On Thursday, July 20th, the temperatures were in the low 70's for the Women's 60 and up and the Men's 80 and up at 7:15 AM. By the time the Women's 45-59 races were scheduled to start, it was already over 80 F. By the time the Men's 45-49 race went off, 40 minutes late, at 11:30, it was 85F with a dew point of 71 degrees, definitely dripping weather. Somehow the athletes all managed to adjust; times were probably a bit slower than they would be had the temperatures and humidity been less extreme. They did have a table set up on the backstretch with water. Several runners took advantage of it. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Team affiliation is listed in a small font after the athlete's name; athletes with no team listed are racing as 'Unattached.'</span></p><p><b>World Record</b>. </p><p><i>Women<b> </b>60 and Up</i></p><p><b>75-79 </b>The big news from the early Women's 60 and up heat was that <b>Jeannie Rice</b>, the USATF 2019 Masters Athlete of the Year, broke the Women's 75-79 World Record. Seven seconds ahead at the 400 meter mark, she added to her lead throughout the race, clocking 22:41.46, seven seconds under the existing World Mark. <b>Nancy Rollins</b> and <b>Andrea McCarter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta TC (ATC) </span>chased her around the track, finishing 2nd and 3rd. Rollins ran more than 20 seconds under the American Record with her 26:32.39. But, of course, Rice will have the AR as well as the WR. </p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 22:41.46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nancy Rollins</i> 26:32.39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 39:58.01</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0amXjbDAkoBy9BVquSQqnDBn713r7N2-BWb6w6FnfKubippdvCzFxR0cAwh73adxAwwJ78kie95_MiX7gXO8ejpIVgeyUBaF97Nf-Pwqmi-R_lrZp1dnb33kEsa6Cn1Ss7Q4zYG5feEL65kAm89MUI6nhOluCeNkURjwk8lr1x78oVCudzgVAFm3Z4A0/s1600/Rick%20Lee%20&%20Jeannie%20Rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0amXjbDAkoBy9BVquSQqnDBn713r7N2-BWb6w6FnfKubippdvCzFxR0cAwh73adxAwwJ78kie95_MiX7gXO8ejpIVgeyUBaF97Nf-Pwqmi-R_lrZp1dnb33kEsa6Cn1Ss7Q4zYG5feEL65kAm89MUI6nhOluCeNkURjwk8lr1x78oVCudzgVAFm3Z4A0/w185-h400/Rick%20Lee%20&%20Jeannie%20Rice.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span>& <b>Jeannie Rice</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">right</span> warming up for their 5000 M races at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships in Greensboro NC <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted by Rick Lee on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>85-89</b> <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>took the division title unopposed in 51:04.91.</p><p><b>70-74 Francoise Levinson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>trailed her teammate, <b>Norma Hudnall</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span>, for the first three kilometers, but had taken a two second lead by the 3800 meter mark and did not relinquish it. Their teammate, <b>Terry Ozell</b>, was close to Hudnall for the first two kilometers but fell back after that.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Francoise Levinson</i> 27:14.41 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Norma Hudnall</i> 27:25.02 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Terry Ozell</i> 27:58.02</p><p><b>65-69 Patrice Combs</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> was 5 seconds ahead of the field by the second time they passed the (eventual) finish line--only 11 laps to go. Combs added to her lead steadily, taking the win with over a minute to spare. Her teammate, <b>Cynthia Williams</b>, trailed <b>Debbie Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Southern California TC (SCTC)</span> for the first 1400 meters but took the lead on the next lap; she held the 2nd place position the rest of the way to the finish.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Combs </i>22:33.52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cynthia Williams</i> 23:48.71 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Debbie Lee</i> 24:35.28</p><p><b>60-64 Doreen McCoubrie </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greater Philadelphia TC (GPTC)</span> was just a second ahead of <b>Deb Torneden</b> at the 1 kilometer mark; a lap later, that lead had ballooned to 9 seconds. McCoubrie had no trouble the rest of the way. Torneden took second, well ahead of <b>Robin Tanner</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Doreen McCoubrie</i> 21:07.61 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Deb Torneden</i> 25:30.74 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robin Tanner</i> 26:17.52</p><p><i>Men's 80 and Up </i></p><p><b>85-89 Robert Randall </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">New England 65+ Runners Club (NE 65+) </span>led through 600 meters. <b>Colben Sime</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">SCTC </span>took over at that point and held the lead all the way to the finish.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Colben Sime</i> 37:48.79 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Randall</i> 39:44.58</p><p><b>80-84 Jim Assal</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>took the title in this division with no opposition, winning in 29:04.78.</p><p><i>Men's 70 - 79</i></p><p><b>75-79 Gene Dykes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC</span>, the celebrated marathoner and ultra marathoner, enjoyed his first USATF victory as a 75 year old. Dykes led <b>Leon Cook</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greenville TC</span> by a fraction of a second at the 600 meter mark. Two laps later, Dykes had stretched the lead to 9 seconds. Cook fell back but had little difficulty staying ahead of <b>Richard Weinberg</b>, who finished 18 seconds back in 3rd.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gene Dykes</i> 22:07.44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leon Cook</i> 23:03.61 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Weinberg</i> 23:21.82</p><p><b>70-74</b> <b>Eugene Myers</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Potomac Valley TC</span> finished ahead of <b>Kirk Larson</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC</span> earlier this year on the turf at Club cross in San Francisco and at Cross Nationals in Richmond VA. Once the Grand prix turned to the roads it was another story as Larson came in ahead of Myers at the 5 Km and 10 Km Championships. It was the same story on the track. Myers stayed in touch with Larson through the first three kilometers but slowed over the next two laps. Larson enjoyed a 12-second lead at 3800 meters and cruised the rest of the way, taking the win with a half minute to spare. He enjoyed some friendly sparring with Dykes, in his first track competition in his new 75-79 age division. Both pushed toward the finish line together, as they did at the 5 Km road championships in Atlanta. The honors went to Dykes again, but Larson still had the gold medal for 70-74! Interestingly enough, both had been trailing <b>Perry Linn </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">River City Rebels</span> over the first two kilometers. Linn had taken it out hard; he had a 13 second lead at 600 meters, and two laps later it was 17 seconds but then things started to fall apart. Larson caught Linn at the 3-kilometer mark and two laps later, Linn was a half-minute behind Myers. At that point, <b>John Roeske</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder Road Runners (BRR) </span>was 47 seconds back. But, as Linn continued to struggle, Roeske closed in. But Linn persisted to the end, just outlasting Roeske for the bronze medal by a fraction of a second.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Kirk Larson</i> 22:12.39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Eugene Myers</i> 22:43.46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Linn</i> 24:04.80</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMPI90GQ3UP5q_J4i28kX1PnSFbIszeZUSQaxwenUEJtlVLdfwAdGYpg6XjPxPhRzYEB9ijUrA_wZCmq2CmAyLLKwUK0F5eSfCeHWDa34fsWx4tmWngc7KfTu-KTwlStLrHPwJwwj_Frqkzv2W-jRaUM69pOonT4Htmt4ZIL5_clWtgiGBd42KoY0L88t/s960/M70%20podium-5000M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMPI90GQ3UP5q_J4i28kX1PnSFbIszeZUSQaxwenUEJtlVLdfwAdGYpg6XjPxPhRzYEB9ijUrA_wZCmq2CmAyLLKwUK0F5eSfCeHWDa34fsWx4tmWngc7KfTu-KTwlStLrHPwJwwj_Frqkzv2W-jRaUM69pOonT4Htmt4ZIL5_clWtgiGBd42KoY0L88t/w400-h300/M70%20podium-5000M.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's 70-74 5000 Meter Podium- <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left:</span> <b>Perry Linn </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bronze</span> <b>Kirk Larson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gold </span><b>Eugene Myers </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Silver</span> at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships in Greensboro NC <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted by Kirk Larson on FB</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><i>Men's 60 - 69</i></p><p><b>65-69 Fred Torneden</b> let <b>Timothy Conheady</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">GPTC</span> set the pace, staying within a couple seconds until making his move with a lap to go. Conheady had no answer as Torneden sped out to a twelve second margin of victory. <b>Robert Reynolds</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>was not far back, in contention but unable to move up.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fred Torneden </i>19:19.82 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Timothy Conheady</i> 19:32.14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Reynolds</i> 19:51.65</p><p><b>60-64 Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shore AC, </span>known for racing everything from a leg of a 4 x 400 m relay to a six-day race across the Sahara Desert, shot out from the starting line when the gun went off. When he was around the first turn, he checked his watch and found a more reasonable pace. <b>Mark Neff</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shadow Project TC </span> matched that pace for the first 600 meters. Lee was two seconds ahead at that point and added a second per lap to the lead until the 1400-meter mark. Lee doubled his lead in the next lap and Neff was done; he focused on staying ahead of <b>Jeff Mann</b> all the way to the finish.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee</i> 18:00.35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Neff</i> 18:21.77 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Mann</i> 18:51.74</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX3Hcym1yy2fyUX-CNoy8cpOHzn2zHYhyeOmU8yjR2nUf58g3zyoK9f3rKZHTmUS951u4lBsvOVhB4fEQ4lgopWVK-7CtvQ5SquSoPa9nPf9_ag5tz3J8m240dkTBo75jaPCDVu0LH-lPiOO8nLQCgJ0rq1F5Z20Bd3ENGIg_EaG_vD-Fl_eng--d4edQ/s1600/Rick%20Lee-200M%20into%205000M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1600" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX3Hcym1yy2fyUX-CNoy8cpOHzn2zHYhyeOmU8yjR2nUf58g3zyoK9f3rKZHTmUS951u4lBsvOVhB4fEQ4lgopWVK-7CtvQ5SquSoPa9nPf9_ag5tz3J8m240dkTBo75jaPCDVu0LH-lPiOO8nLQCgJ0rq1F5Z20Bd3ENGIg_EaG_vD-Fl_eng--d4edQ/w400-h305/Rick%20Lee-200M%20into%205000M.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rick Lee</b> leading the field on his way to a 60-64 Gold medal at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships in Greensboro NC <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted by Rick Lee on Strava</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><i>Women 45 - 59</i></p><p><b>55-59 Michelle Rohl</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC</span>, the American record holder for this division in the 800M and 1500M, had a twelve second lead on the field by the 600 meter mark. She added to that lead the rest of the way, cruising to a win with a 1-minute margin. <b>Kris Huff</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">ATC </span>could not stay with Rohl but led the rest of the field around the track. <b>Melissa Chiti</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pursuit of Excellence Track Team (POETT) </span>kept within striking distance of Huff for the first half of the race but then Huff pulled away.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Michelle Rohl </i>21:09.97 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kris Huff</i> 22:11.98 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Melissa Chiti</i> 22:48.78</p><p><b>50-54 Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Florida TC East </span>returned to a national Outdoor Track championship after a period of rehab and reset. She returned in style. Friend-Uhl took off with the gun, running with the 45-49 leaders as she covered the first 200 meters in 42 seconds. If she had kept that pace up, she would have run 17:11. Of course, that was not to be. As Friend-Uhl returned to a more reasonable pace, <b>Hilary Cairns</b> gradually closed the 7-second gap Friend-Uhl had opened up in the first 200 meters. By the 1800-meter mark, less than 2 seconds separated the two leaders. Another two laps and Cairns inserted herself in front. Friend-Uhl did not give in. She stayed close; with two laps to go, Friend-Uhl made a decisive move, turning a 2-second deficit into a 4-second lead. Adding to the lead in the final lap, Friend-Uhl had the victory with fifteen seconds to spare. Cairns had the silver medal by 2 minutes and the satisfaction of knowing that she had made Friend-Uhl earn her gold medal. <b>Yuko Whitestone </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PVTC</span> claimed the bronze.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sonja Friend-Uhl</i> 20:11:29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hilary Cairns</i> 20:26:32 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Yuko Whitestone</i> 22:28.18</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LwoEpiVzk-QDqP6wLInPB3A01Tza73HiKeAZEiv1h19-hjOigje2y2uDMsj4NEWpx0YtohwGqJ-BwqQqBqM9qCxeIdVZT-U1QwPJAc_DXX6-jqf1kSUWzu9hCwWnfHHBG_IpBmkVNNliD8ibcoCOqoyr73HOhNobbtF5ooFD2s2rsvL9Kjb-mI2nttGK/s900/Cairns_Friend-Uhl-Clint%20Santoro%20pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LwoEpiVzk-QDqP6wLInPB3A01Tza73HiKeAZEiv1h19-hjOigje2y2uDMsj4NEWpx0YtohwGqJ-BwqQqBqM9qCxeIdVZT-U1QwPJAc_DXX6-jqf1kSUWzu9hCwWnfHHBG_IpBmkVNNliD8ibcoCOqoyr73HOhNobbtF5ooFD2s2rsvL9Kjb-mI2nttGK/w320-h400/Cairns_Friend-Uhl-Clint%20Santoro%20pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hilary Cairns </b>leading <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl</b> in the 50-54 5000Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships in Greensboro NC <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Clint Santoro posted by S Friend-Uhl on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>45-49 Jennifer Sober </b>took the early lead, establishing a 5-second gap back to <b>Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> in the first 600 meters, and another 4 second gap back to <b>Rebekah Kennedy </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Central Park TC (CPTC+)</span>. The gap between Sober and Josiah-Tanner grew gradually to 8 seconds by the 1800-meter mark. Then Josiah-Tanner started to reel Sober in, cutting the 8-second gap to a 2-second gap by the 3800-meter mark. Josiah-Tanner had spent a lot of energy closing the gap. Sober fought to stay in the lead. Josiah-Tanner stayed two seconds back for a lap. But then Sober accelerated just before the bell rang and kicked it in for a 7-second victory. Kennedy had no trouble keeping the rest of the field at bay, claiming the bronze medal with 40 seconds to spare.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Sober</i> 18:59.38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 19:06.35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rebekah Kennedy</i> 19:48.91</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGWKXZ-a8fN8OMt3Lu0zrMZnyMfQJzTBm3Q3Q99N6-2yfqCfZvEEhOYxxVDbzNIdPFfwnvbWDWtLe-8B9zbv8etgmCxpvUybcU8yqHMN3euNJIUeYJQmT_cO_kVEy5e0WdwN29HW301IwZnHLSf1iF2wgQp0iVfPF-PJWlrfBjp-f6c6V3MKMnIk-2G-g/s960/Sober%20&%20Friend-Uhl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGWKXZ-a8fN8OMt3Lu0zrMZnyMfQJzTBm3Q3Q99N6-2yfqCfZvEEhOYxxVDbzNIdPFfwnvbWDWtLe-8B9zbv8etgmCxpvUybcU8yqHMN3euNJIUeYJQmT_cO_kVEy5e0WdwN29HW301IwZnHLSf1iF2wgQp0iVfPF-PJWlrfBjp-f6c6V3MKMnIk-2G-g/w400-h400/Sober%20&%20Friend-Uhl.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teammates, <b>Jennifer Sober</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">left </span>and <b>Sonja Friend-Uhl </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">right</span> celebrate their 45-49 and 50-54 Gold Medal performances at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships in Greensboro NC <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted by S Friend-Uhl on FB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>Men 55-59</i></p><p><b>55-59 </b>This was the most competitive division at the top. <b>Karl Welke</b> led at the 600-meter mark, with <b>Mike Nier</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Genesee Valley Harriers (GVH) </span>tucked in behind in 2nd, followed by <b>John Borthwick</b> and <b>Scott Harmon</b>, running shoulder to shoulder, in third, a second back. Borthwick took over the lead on the next lap, followed by Welke, Harmon and Nier, with less than 2 seconds of separation. They remained in that order until the 3400-meter mark when Welke fell back behind Nier. On the next lap, Nier surged into the lead. Borthwick was just two seconds back, with Harmon and Welke right behind. Nier was able to keep his next lap under 91 seconds and opened up a ten-second gap back to the three chasers. Nier was tiring but was still able to add another 5 seconds to his lead. It is a good thing because the three chasers all had plenty of kick left. With a sub-85 second last lap, Harmon went from 18 seconds down to just 7 seconds behind Nier. He did not threaten Nier but stayed a second ahead of Borthwick and Welke, who finished 3rd and 4th, separated by a fraction of a second!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mike Nier</i> 18:35.14 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Harmon</i> 18:42.25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">John Borthwick</i> 18:43.15</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4YZI73lfxBI6y5ab4O3dMqFHxGHx5de0Nmazz2Q-g01pMgazIM3SkYTgIaTLjGFHeF1NZ6kSLTpUcsI3cAMk4Ls4Kw3eSsZ4n3r3o7f6ocLjHbKHthD9GbHMLBcCtRo1lr3hji0QfBnAFAjEr7qTR6VXZ4FF4awU6YvThKQVzMCmrZ2kFvtphwJM3y76/s1600/5000M-M55-Mike%20Nier%20et%20al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4YZI73lfxBI6y5ab4O3dMqFHxGHx5de0Nmazz2Q-g01pMgazIM3SkYTgIaTLjGFHeF1NZ6kSLTpUcsI3cAMk4Ls4Kw3eSsZ4n3r3o7f6ocLjHbKHthD9GbHMLBcCtRo1lr3hji0QfBnAFAjEr7qTR6VXZ4FF4awU6YvThKQVzMCmrZ2kFvtphwJM3y76/w640-h458/5000M-M55-Mike%20Nier%20et%20al.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mike Nier </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">far right </span>leading <b>John Borthwick, Scott Harmon</b>, and <b>Karl Welke</b> in the Men's 55-59 5000 Meter Run at the 2023 USATF Masters Outdoor TF Championships in Greensboro NC <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted by M Nier on Strava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><i>Men 45-54</i></p><p><b>50-54 Allen Baddour</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bull City TC</span> sped to a 5 second lead in the first 600 meters and doubled that lead on the 2nd lap. No one could stay with him; Baddour took the win with well over a minute to spare, lapping every runner except the silver medalist. It was much closer between <b>Jeffrey Townsend</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Athletics East TC (AETC)</span>, <b>Jason Newport</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indiana TC (ITC) </span>and <b>Guian McKee.</b> Newport and McKee stayed within a few seconds of Townsend up through the 1800-meter mark. Over the next two laps, Townsend grew that gap to 9 seconds. At the same time, McKee took over chase duties from Newport. With a lap to go, Townsend had 18 seconds on McKee and 21 on Newport. Newport turned in a blazing 80.06 last lap to pull within 6 seconds of Townsend, while leaving McKee 6 seconds back in his wake.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Allen Baddour</i> 17:22.56 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeffrey Townsend</i> 18:42.54 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Newport </i>18:48.73</p><p><b>45-49 David Angell</b>, fresh off his 45-49 win in the USATF Road Mile Championships in Indianapolis, sped off to a 5-second lead at the 600-meter mark. In the next two laps he increased it to 13 seconds and was never headed. Angell claimed the gold medal with over a half minute to spare. There was an even greater gap between 2nd and 3rd. <b>Christopher Wolf</b> create a gap of a few seconds in the first 600 meters but grew it steadily after that, claiming the silver medal with a minute gap back to 3rd. <b>Tommy Boles</b> and <b>Brian Bramer</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Twin Cities TC (TCTC) </span>battled for the bronze. After the first kilometer, Bramer tucked in behind Boles, staying there until two laps to go. Bramer surged past Boles with two laps to go and Boles could not answer.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 16:38.68 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Wolf</i> 17:13.93 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brian Bramer </i>18:18.89</p><p><i>Women 25-44</i></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: USATF Masters Track and Field includes athletes from 25 to 39 in their championships. USATF Masters LDR, consistent with practice in the road racing industry, defines 'Masters' as 40 and up. Since I focus on Masters LDR, I will report the 25-39 winners with no commentary.</span></p><p><b>40-44 April Lund </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GYS TC </span>won the overall Masters race at Cross Nationals in Richmond VA and earned a Team Silver and a Women's 40-44 Gold at the initial WMA XC Championships in Bathhurst Australia. She would match up against <b>Jennifer Pesce </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garden State TC (GSTC)</span>, the Overall women's winner at the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. Pesce led for the first 5 and a half laps, with Lund content to run just off her pace. On the lap after the 2200-meter mark, Lund cut her lap time from 1:28 to 1:23 as she surged past Pesce. Pesce was not able to recover; Lund upped her lead from 2 seconds to 8 seconds on the next lap. Lund won by over a half minute. Pesce had over a minute and a half lead over the third-place finisher, <b>Emily Boles</b>.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">April Lund</i> 17:53.98 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Pesce</i> 18:29.87 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Emily Boles</i> 20:19.31</p><p><b>35-39 Hana Baskin</b> 18:40.34 <b>30-34 Emily Maass</b> 19:40.13 <b>25-29 Sarah Kittle</b> 19:54.62</p><p><i>Men 25-44</i></p><p><b>40-44 Josh Whitehead </b>and <b>Adam Otstot </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colonial Road Runners (CRR) </span><span>finished the first full lap in a virtual tie, with <b>Ryan Mills</b> one second back and <b>Matthias Wilder</b> another three seconds back. Whitehead had a two second lead by the end of the next lap. The rest of the way Whitehead carried a pace that added anywhere from one to five seconds to the gap. Otstot finished 17 seconds after Whitehead, with a half minute lead on Mills who took 3rd. Wilder was in 4th 15 seconds behind.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Josh Whitehead</i> 15:36.95 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Otstot</i> 15:54.23 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ryan Mills</i> 16:24.43</span></p><p><span><b>35-39 Kevin Kuhn </b>16:42.25 <b>30-34 Jesse Jones </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">GPTC </span>17:26.47 <b>25-29</b> <b>George Carbaugh</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sir Walter Running </span>16:16.4</span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span>First race in the books--Next up the 10,000 Meter Run on Saturday, July 22nd!</span></p>The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107719861026439780.post-2889388368135166032023-07-06T14:03:00.000-04:002023-07-06T14:03:20.730-04:00American Records-Six of Them! The USATF Masters Road Mile at Indy<p><b>June 27 2023 </b>Fleet Masters<b> </b>runners from coast to coast and in between converged on Indy. Some were middle distance specialists; many were running the short race to see what their fast twitch muscles could do or were simply there for the team. Whatever their motivation, with a warm, summer day and a flat, fast course in front of them, they were ready to roll.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxVivsLcVEpqwFnSH605LBi4hCGkuvGDzPkN-gtzFRGwJpeqdxpW_jWsX-Zp68a6G-jwuqwnaBtw9-qxItLIwGHcRReMMa4AgtpJgv9YDqz7UqKvlIkaKpahBwduK2lgkAE_8tuyWton78Ik9ijDWjsik3Q0-lFR_w-5yzm9v-K2Z2DLCxP0wNLYM7AuR/s960/Finish%20Line-Morn%20b4%20race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="816" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxVivsLcVEpqwFnSH605LBi4hCGkuvGDzPkN-gtzFRGwJpeqdxpW_jWsX-Zp68a6G-jwuqwnaBtw9-qxItLIwGHcRReMMa4AgtpJgv9YDqz7UqKvlIkaKpahBwduK2lgkAE_8tuyWton78Ik9ijDWjsik3Q0-lFR_w-5yzm9v-K2Z2DLCxP0wNLYM7AuR/w340-h400/Finish%20Line-Morn%20b4%20race.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Finish Line at Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis, the morning before the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo from Beyond Monumental Facebook post</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">AMERICAN RECORDS</span> </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: All American Records set are pending until they are ratified. The event must be USATF sanctioned and the course must be record eligible and USATF certified. Record eligibility requires a drop of less than a meter per kilometer and the distance from start to finish can be no more than half the distance being run. For Masters, the records are based on chip time. </span>My preview suggested many American Records were possible; almost all toppled. <i>WOMEN</i> <b>55-59 </b>Two runners who are old running buddies were primed to make it happen. <b>Fiona Bayly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">New York, NY <i>Unattached</i> </span>and <b>Jennifer Harvey </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">New York NY <i>Central Park TC</i></span> both competed for <i>Urban Athletics</i> a few years back. Then Harvey decided to dial down and focus more on the track and middle distances while Bayly kept up her running on the roads, from the Mile to the Marathon. Bayly set 55-59 American records at the 8 Km and 15 Km last summer and winter and won her division at the Fifth Avenue Mile in 5:19. Harvey ran a 5:29 at the Liberty Mile last summer, a 5:23 Indoor Mile at the NYRR Night at the Races meet and clocked an early 5:32 road mile at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines in April. If they could push each other, <b>Marisa Sutera Strange</b>'s 5:27 AR from 2019 would be at risk. When the gun went off, the top 40's and 50's athletes took it out hard. Bayly went out with Harvey hanging back slightly for the first quarter mile. As they approached the half mile, Harvey crept up on Bayly's shoulder and then gradually eased forward until she had a lead of 2-3 meters. They both crossed the halfway mat in 2:42. They passed some 40-year-olds inside a quarter mile to go, and Bayly felt like she was starting to gain on Harvey, but if so, Bayly ran out of racecourse.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMFnjNkoUoPk6C7Wm6HBFsC4zNnwo4N5X2DdAYr84T9eMkA4BK94G-dh666DQ0K3XGCKOygWezyRfvaVVbFztWZ1RrCjxjudoOzuPwOnke-CPG16Eovx8WL9dcKROChRDpTXxQPDLzzq-pswe5wG-dW34XFUS7XEz8_-Amin21cv1eSbl-ilxs0slwlso/s304/Havey_and_Bayly_1CROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="304" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMFnjNkoUoPk6C7Wm6HBFsC4zNnwo4N5X2DdAYr84T9eMkA4BK94G-dh666DQ0K3XGCKOygWezyRfvaVVbFztWZ1RrCjxjudoOzuPwOnke-CPG16Eovx8WL9dcKROChRDpTXxQPDLzzq-pswe5wG-dW34XFUS7XEz8_-Amin21cv1eSbl-ilxs0slwlso/w640-h467/Havey_and_Bayly_1CROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Harvey </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Left</span> and <b>Fiona Bayly</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right </span>in a near dead heat for the 55-59 Win and the 55-59 American Record-Harvey won by a fraction of a second at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Terry Fletcher-posted initially at USATF-New York</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Harvey held for the win and the Record at 5:24.99, by USATF Masters LDR rule, rounded up to 5:25! Bayly was less than half a second back. Such a tight race; the victory and the record tasted sweet, no doubt! <b>75-79</b> There was no doubt that <b>Jeannie Rice </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Concord Twnshp, OH </span>would run faster than <b>Joann Hall</b>'s 8:36 American record, set just three years ago. After all, on this past Patriot's Day in Boston, she ripped off a 3:33:15 Marathon into a moderate northeast headwind. Anyone can see that is an amazing feat. But then do the math; that represents carrying an 8:08 pace per mile over the 26.21875 miles of a Marathon. Rice only had to run her Marathon pace to break the record easily. But, of course, she would run it much faster. Rice holds the 70-74 Mile record of 6:29, set in 2019 when she was 71. She would not run that fast now, 4 years later, but she would run plenty fast! Rice hit the half mile split in 3:21 and slowed imperceptibly over the second half for a 3:23 closing half and a new American Record for the Road Mile of 6:44! Rice had taken the Record down by almost two minutes! <b>85-89</b> The only thing more certain than Rice taking down the 75-79 American Record was <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta GA </span>establishing a new American Mile Record for Women 85-89. With no record in place for that age, Hodges-Hite had to start, and then she had to run the course and finish. Whether she ran it in ten minutes, fifteen minutes or twenty minutes would not matter; she would have the new American Record. Of course, it is also true that the faster she runs, the longer the record is likely to last. Hodges-Hite kept to a pace she could easily manage, crossing the half mile mat in 7:29 (chip). Hodges-Hite closed off her race with a 7:56 second half to establish the record at 15:25. That will now be a goal for her peers to shoot at. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnSA-uQSuiTGR5b8bjAxY5mNWMtbQNMaKByesMamuRkOAZMSAX0YDPksXUkVOgO5_w3CtTv2e46FAdAdJ5yNb5n1byI2dwik-7m1CIBkPJ9b0Eb1zZSmDc2aDSFWWNEi3I0_7UlMBEfJ4IxkZLoFbrAuD6Agye1EPkqdtMqtLuI9FjqaimxkcUyDp-pvi/s3198/Hodges-Hite_Joyce-New%2085-89%20AR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3198" data-original-width="2401" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnSA-uQSuiTGR5b8bjAxY5mNWMtbQNMaKByesMamuRkOAZMSAX0YDPksXUkVOgO5_w3CtTv2e46FAdAdJ5yNb5n1byI2dwik-7m1CIBkPJ9b0Eb1zZSmDc2aDSFWWNEi3I0_7UlMBEfJ4IxkZLoFbrAuD6Agye1EPkqdtMqtLuI9FjqaimxkcUyDp-pvi/w300-h400/Hodges-Hite_Joyce-New%2085-89%20AR.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b> finishes off her 1 Mile Run which established the new American Record for Women 85-89 at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Terry Fletcher, courtesy of Beyond Monumental</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i>MEN </i><b>50-54 </b><b>Mike Madsen's</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Flagstaff, AZ <i>Team Run Flagstaff</i></span> hometown is at nearly 7,000 feet. Madsen enjoys his altitude training. He dropped down to Indy's 732 feet above sea level with a glint in his eye. In 2019, he raced in Flint Michigan at the USATF Masters Road Mile Championships. Madsen was nipped at the finish line by <b>Chuck Schneekloth</b>, with a classic lean at the tape, for the Overall win. This time Madsen was after the 50-54 record of 4:40, held by <b>Alan Wells</b> since 2013. He had confidence in his training and knew, no doubt, that his 4:46 at the 2022 Flagstaff Downtown Mile converts, according to the NCAA, to a 4:36 at sea level. It looks like they were right! Madsen was aiming for a negative split, hitting the half mile in 2:22. He accelerated from there. <b>David Angell</b> who was closer to the front, said Madsen 'blew by me like I was running in place!' With a 2:16 second half mile, Madsen crossed the line at 4:38, with two seconds to spare! Madsen was the only Record breaker to negative split! <b>55-59</b> Perhaps the only entrant in the field who has a sub-4-minute mile in his running résumé, <b>Christian Cushing-Murray </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Orange, CA </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Cal Coast TC </i>arrived in Indianapolis knowing that he had run a 4:39.28 at the Portland Track Festival three weeks earlier. <b>Nat Larson</b> holds the current American Record at 4:49. Of course, track miles tend to be faster than road miles and LDR rules require that all road times be rounded up to the next whole second for record purposes. Still, having 7.71 seconds to play with, must have helped in terms of confidence. Cushing-Murray took it out hard but then settled in behind the faster 40's and Madsen. He crossed the halfway mat in 2:23 and brought it home in 2:24 for a 4:47 and Cushingg-murray had the 55-59 American Record! <b>70-74</b> In the summer of 2022, <b>Robert Qualls</b>, came storming back from a couple of uneven years of running. But he has been remarkably consistent since, taking the 70-74 division crown at almost every national Masters championship he has entered. He has competed on the track, on the turf, and on the roads. At the 2022 World Masters Athletics <span style="font-size: xx-small;">WMA</span> Outdoor Championships in Finland, Qualls captured the Gold medal in the 70-74 6 Km Cross Country event, and the Silver at the 10 Km Road race. At the 2023 WMA Indoor Championships this past March, Qualls earned Gold in the 10 Km Road race. Silver in Cross Country and Bronzes on the track in 1500M and 3000M. In the meantime, it has been Gold Medals galore at Masters National Road Championships. The one gold medal that eluded him last year was where he finished 2nd to track legend, <b>Nolan Shaheed</b> in the Masters 1 Mile Championships in Rochester, running 5:39. That course was found to be short, but it was still likely, but uncertain, that Qualls (and Shaheed) would have been faster on an accurately measured mile course. This time, Qualls did not have to fret about Shaheed, who did not enter. Qualls knew he was fitter than last year. He just had to execute! Crossing the halfway mat in 2:45, Qualls had put himself in position for the Record! He slowed to 2:50 for the last half mile but held everything together for a record-smashing 5:35! Qualls was a good 8 seconds under the 5:43 established by <b>Doug Goodhue</b> in 2013. Good news! The Local Organizers reported on July 3rd that the course has now been post-verified by a WA 'A' measurer, in keeping with the requirements of the USATF Road Racing Technical Council and was found to be an accurately measured course. That hurdle has been cleared!</p><p>Those six record-breaking performances highlighted a morning of dramatic and competitive overall and age division races.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIPS</span><b> </b><i>M<span style="font-size: xx-small;">EN</span> </i>My preview highlighted 7 contenders, in alphabetical order: <b>David Angell</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blue Ridge, VA </span><i style="font-size: small;">Unattached</i>; <b>Thomas Burns </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Westfield IN </span><i style="font-size: small;">Indiana Elite AC</i>; <b>Mark Guyer</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Fishers, IN </span><i style="font-size: small;">Indiana Elite AC</i>; <b>Jaret Herter</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Rochester NY </span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">Genesee Valley Harriers </span><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic;">GVH</span><span>; <b>Bryan Lindsay</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Zionsville IN </span><i style="font-size: small;">Indiana Elite AC</i>; Madsen. I should have included <b>Chris Bielsa-Brown</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Kansas City MO <i>Kansas City Smoke</i>. </span><span>He got to fly in under the radar.</span></span></p><p><span>Angell took the bronze medal at the 2017 Masters Mile Championships in 4:39. His most recent 5K was a 15:48. At 46 he was a longshot for the podium but had a shot at top 5. </span></p><p><span>Burns finished 2nd at the USATF Masters Indoor 1500M Championships, finishing just ahead of Herter with a time that converts, according to the MileSplit calculator, to a 4:38 Mile. </span></p><p><span>Guyer's claim to being a podium contender relies on his outstanding 4:25 at last year's Monumental Mile. </span></p><p><span>Herter, as noted, finished just behind Burns in the 1500M at the Masters Championships in March. Herter finished 3rd overall in the Masters Mile Championships last year in 4:35. Shortly after that he ran a 4:29 at the Main Street Mile in Pennsylvania. </span></p><p><span>Lindsay, running for BYU, was a silver medalist at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor 1500M. He won the Masters 5 Km overall championships in 2022 with a 15:35 on a somewhat hilly Atlanta course. He is familiar with the setting; he ran a 4:21 6 years ago in the Monumental Mile to finish 9th in the Elite Wave. </span></p><p>Madsen is focused on his record effort but anyone who can break 4:40 is a threat for the podium.</p><p>Ritter ran 4:44 on this course in 2021 but also ran a 15:58 5K in the Colts Back to Football 5K. That equates via age grading to a 4:42. </p><p>Bielsa-Brown ran a 4:51 at the Grand Blue Mile in late April. I may have undervalued his 15:59 5K this May. But that, too, would have him only a little faster, age grade equivalent to a 4:43. Bielsa-Brown must be on an upward trajectory.</p><p>In the end, I picked Guyer-Linday-Burns and suggested that provided an incentive to Herter to break them up. Whether he read that or not, he apparently took it to heart as a challenge.</p><p>Herter took
it out hard and dared everyone to go with him. Only two did. Herter passed the halfway
mark in 2:14, with Guyer right on his heels at 2:15. Lindsay was on Guyer’s shoulder, also at 2:15. When Lindsay kicked, Guyer
tried to go with him, but could not. Herter held Lindsay at bay as long as he
could. In the end Lindsay had a strong win in 4:25! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-UR4mfLlQzSI_Fpm3jS3aV8vfV0hHuM7KsmcO986SHd_JvRlGP1MMH1kJskX6Ty6UY-WWkIiwaEaZOK5q3mdVJnIWQxcWxo6WtHqpoK92GNBBzIL3_pzAuAPbEptFXBx_5Ki-Y5kE0UOxWNfgSGCx0Oqfct9dR__T0skeqxYBe9iQj_hbGAMS9xkT4rk/s4482/Lindsay_Bryan-Men%20Overall%20Win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3364" data-original-width="4482" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-UR4mfLlQzSI_Fpm3jS3aV8vfV0hHuM7KsmcO986SHd_JvRlGP1MMH1kJskX6Ty6UY-WWkIiwaEaZOK5q3mdVJnIWQxcWxo6WtHqpoK92GNBBzIL3_pzAuAPbEptFXBx_5Ki-Y5kE0UOxWNfgSGCx0Oqfct9dR__T0skeqxYBe9iQj_hbGAMS9xkT4rk/w640-h480/Lindsay_Bryan-Men%20Overall%20Win.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bryan Lindsay </b>Captures the Overall Win in the Masters (Road) Mile at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Terry Fletcher, courtesy of Beyond Monumental</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Herter claimed 2<sup>nd</sup>
in 4:30, with Guyer 3<sup>rd</sup> in 4:33. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiZG9DGZXxjMCYXHK4asWjzrQoEOmkDVSwFgciFGdrkQ2_B2cbzrr2xTgooRwX7vSG_ss3vXFF1nLdWLtr9UXpJZIOwvyDRaGmVNc9Z87QHSeG8-3vjk0ixm7m1sRAYTFg8Oww6y4BAqFwaeLTLhL9MicEz6g5ObNYfOQM4dCRGGm1EwTAyyPNRPJGG12/s1028/Guyer_Mark-a%20Block%202%20go-MG-FBpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="779" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiZG9DGZXxjMCYXHK4asWjzrQoEOmkDVSwFgciFGdrkQ2_B2cbzrr2xTgooRwX7vSG_ss3vXFF1nLdWLtr9UXpJZIOwvyDRaGmVNc9Z87QHSeG8-3vjk0ixm7m1sRAYTFg8Oww6y4BAqFwaeLTLhL9MicEz6g5ObNYfOQM4dCRGGm1EwTAyyPNRPJGG12/w303-h400/Guyer_Mark-a%20Block%202%20go-MG-FBpost.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mark Guyer </b>finishing up his Men's Bronze Medal Overall Mile Run at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Mark Guyer-FB Post</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Madsen passed 4 runners in the final 500 meters, to take 4th overall in 4:38
with Bielsa-Brown 5<sup>th</sup><b> </b>at 4:41. Angell was sixth in 4:41.1, with Burns at 4:41.3, and <b>Dan Cleary</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">South Boston MA <i>Heartbreakers </i></span>at 4:41.8</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bryan Lindsay </i>4:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jaret Herter</i> 4:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Guyer</i> 4:33</p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>WOMEN </i>Top contenders in this race included: </p><p><b>Fiona Bayly </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">New York, NY <i>Unattached </i></span>Second in the 2019 Masters Mile Championships, Bayly has continued at a high pace since then. She is now the American 55-59 Record holder at 8 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">30:05</span> and 15 Km <span style="font-size: x-small;">58:55</span>. She won the 55-59 division at the Fifth Avenue Mile last September in 5:19! She was on the Overall podium at the USATF Masters 10 Km championships with a 38:10. She would be firing on all cylinders in an effort to get under the 5:27 American 55-59 Record of <b>Marisa Sutera Strange</b>, set in 2019.</p><p><b>Hidi Gaff </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ft. Wayne IN </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Three Rivers Racing</i> Sixth overall at the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in 18:39 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">chip</span><span style="font-size: medium;">, </span>Gaff has also run some Indoor 1500M's. After running some longer, 10 Km to 25Km, races Gaff dropped back down to the Brian Diemer 5K, with a USATF certified course, and ripped a 17:58. The Diemer 5K has been one of the faster 5K courses in the Midwest. Still, taken all in all, it suggests Gaff could well run down around 5:20 or better and be in solid contention.</p><p><b>Angela Giuliani </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Irving TX </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached </i>finished 4th in the 35-39 division at the Fifth Avenue Mile last year in 5:16, three seconds faster than Bayly. This will be her first national championship race as a Masters athlete.</p><p><b>Jennifer Harvey </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">New York NY <i>Central Park TC</i></span><b> </b>Last July, Harvey ran a 5:29 mile at the Liberty (Road) Mile in Pittsburgh. <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She ran a 5:23 Indoor Mile in early March at the NY Road Runners 'Night at the Races.<span style="color: #666666;">'</span> She prepped further for this road mile by racing at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines IA. She had an off day, clocking 5:32. If she could run closer to her March Indoor time, she would be a threat! Like Bayly, she was gunning for Strange's 5:27 American 55-59 Record.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Katie Sherron</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tallahassee FL </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Gulf Winds TC </i>won the Masters Women's race overall at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships. Speedy cross country runners are not necessarily speedy runners on the roads. But Sherron showed she has that covered with a 17:34 at the Palace Saloon 5K, a certified course in Tallahassee. That is the fastest 5K time among these rivals for the Mile crown.</span></span></p><p><b>Perry Shoemaker</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Vienna VA </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</i> Not known as a Miler, Shoemaker has plenty of credentials from longer races. Those include three consecutive wins at the USATF Masters 12 Km Championships in Alexandria VA from 2013-15 and three Masters Wins at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in Washington DC in 2016, 2018 and 2019. More recently she finished 2nd in the 3000M event at the USATF Master1s Indoor Championships in 10:08 and ran a swift 18:08 5K. Both suggest a 5:20 or better Mile should be within Shoemaker's reach. McCoubrie's 5:18 American 50-54 Record from 2013 might be at risk.</p><p>Note: <b>Abby Dean</b> might have contended but made the age division podium at Grandma's Marathon in 3:05:56 7 days before. Adrenalin carried her through the first 600 meters, despite the marathon in her legs, but then reality kicked in.</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Sherron</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
left nothing to chance, getting out fast and hitting the halfway point in 2:34. Her closest rivals were 30 meters back. The others crossed the half mile mat in a bunch with just over a second separating 2nd through 6th. It was Shoemaker </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">2:40.5</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Giuliani </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">2:40.9</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Gaff </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">2:41.1</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Bayly </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">2:41.4</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Harvey </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">2:41.9</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Sherron accelerated
from there, more than doubling her lead, to take the win in a nifty 5:06! </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6lCIvYUdAbIG4Cqtzs4zcJKMDMCodMIGc6DGSRepZ4K9fZV1ab8PUgXQhCRGzde7p_t6cQDng2-LjbMeTpIU1MPrUR6-mMq2aE1ohB0XgshKznSg4eNzVa7HGSvUnfM1ovd9O0ssexAewf1Kpb1W9D_7wCgWOv--z3Kb9E6hh4l4oYcJ5t077CN0dXGm/s4511/Sherron_Katie-Women-Overall%20Win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3386" data-original-width="4511" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6lCIvYUdAbIG4Cqtzs4zcJKMDMCodMIGc6DGSRepZ4K9fZV1ab8PUgXQhCRGzde7p_t6cQDng2-LjbMeTpIU1MPrUR6-mMq2aE1ohB0XgshKznSg4eNzVa7HGSvUnfM1ovd9O0ssexAewf1Kpb1W9D_7wCgWOv--z3Kb9E6hh4l4oYcJ5t077CN0dXGm/w400-h300/Sherron_Katie-Women-Overall%20Win.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Katie Sherron</b> Wins the Overall Women's Championship in the Masters (Road) Mile at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Terry Fletcher, courtesy of Beyond Monumental</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shoemaker kept the pressure on and gradually created some space back to the others. Gaff was trying desperately to hold on but felt herself slipping almost imperceptibly back from Shoemaker. The other three were a meter back and then 2 meters back from </span>Gaff but<span style="font-family: inherit;"> were giving no quarter to the other two! </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shoemaker
outlasted Gaff to take second in 5:20. Gaff crossed the finish line, less than ten meters ahead of the other three who were in a mad dash to the finish line! Harvey had the edge, getting the 4th place overall in 5:25.00, with Bayly 5th in 5:25.3, and Giuliani 6th in 5:25.4!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Katie Sherron </i>5:06<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Perry Shoemaker </i>5:20<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Hidi Gaff</i> 5:23</span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS</b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>WOMEN</b> </i><b>40-44</b> Sherron, Gaff, and Giuliani are all 40-44 athletes. See Overall recap above.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">Katie Sherron </i><span style="font-size: medium;">5:06 </span></span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Hidi Gaff</i> 5:23 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Angela Giuliani</i> 5:26</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">40-44</span> Sherron, Gaff and Giuliani bettered the previous course and event record of 5:31, which are based on gun time. Sherron will now be listed as the Event and Course Record holder at 5:06.</p><p><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>45-49 Euleen Josiah-Tanner</b> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atlanta GA <i>T.H.E. Track Team </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">and <b>Julie Mercado</b> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Springboro OH <i>Dayton TC </i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">seemed the two most likely to be in for the division win. Mercado's performances in the 2022 Dash for Cash Mile </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:33</span>, a 5:13 in the 1500M at the 2022 MTF Outdoor championships, and a 19:28 5K this spring. It appeared she was competitive if the winning time would be in the 5:30's. Josiah-Tanner tends to run longer than Mercado, favoring the 3000 M indoors and the 5000 and 10,000 Outdoors. For the last two years she has also participated frequently in Masters LDR Road and Cross Country Championships. She took 3rd in 45-49 at Atlanta with a 19:20 5K on a rather hilly course. That equates, via age grading, to a 5:33 Mile. Her 4th place 3000M effort, 11:19, at the World Indoor Championships in Poland at the end of March, converts to a 5:35. That probably should have made Josiah-Tanner a slight favorite, although I picked Mercado to win in my preview. I expected <b>Yasamin Dahlstrom</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indianapolis IN <i>Unattached </i></span>and <b>Hiroko Guarneri</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Villa Rica GA <i>Atlanta TC </i></span>to have a tight contest for 3rd. Dahlstrom ran 6:23 on this very course last year. Dahlstrom backed that up with a 26:35 for a 6K race, roughly equivalent to a 6:20. Guarneri probably had the edge on 5K prowess. She finished 10th in Atlanta with a 22:40 that equates to a 6:33. Because the Atlanta course is challenging it might be equivalent to a 6:30 on a flatter course. I felt the times were roughly equivalent, but that Dahlstrom had the edge with the0 faster recent mile and knowledge of the course, plus racing in her hometown. <b>Theresa Hector</b>, with a 5K time of 24:22 last year and a 1:24:14 15K this year, seemed likely to be a bit slower than the rest.</span></p><p><span>From the differences between chip and gun time, it appears that Mercado started in the first row and Josiah-Tanner the 2nd. Nonetheless, Josiah-Tanner was able to move to the front of the 45-49 field by the halfway mat. She crossed it in 2:46, with a 25-meter lead on Mercado. Josiah-Tanner continued to pull away over the last half mile, adding another 4 seconds to her margin. She crossed the finish line with the 45-49 win in 5:34, ten seconds ahead of Mercado. In this case, strength won over speed. Dahlstrom, it turned out, was able to get out fast and put some distance on Guarneri. Dahlstrom crossed the half mile in 3:05 with a 25-meter lead on Guarneri. At that point, Guarneri was struggling to get past Hector, who was a second ahead. Dahlstrom tired a bit but not as much as her two chasers. A 3:15 last half mile gave her a fasters time than last year and the bronze medal in a national championship! Guarneri righted her ship, caught Hector and created a gap of three seconds over the last half mile, finishing 4th in 6:42. Josiah-Tanner proved that she can run a fast road mile!</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Euleen Josiah-Tanner</i> 5:34 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Julie Mercado</i> 5:44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Yasamin Dahlstrom</i> 6:21</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnT4yzeuih80vvWh-0kRtSa9s3nBsyL-IMUnSeJKsn98fKYWSEOmrUqz4pB5J_tq5qL5nuQ2bVLsHF8IVww7uc4XBoOfzPE4qzGgJzNJCrr3hW9v21aBvUK4vNeL8zRYpiykkozBOU4AZ4KEtQVH4wjVOnfZM8DY186HdJkj9HJkPwnkDXzLoh_FQbV4Q/s2048/Hidi%20Gaff%20&%20Julie%20Mercado-BM-FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnT4yzeuih80vvWh-0kRtSa9s3nBsyL-IMUnSeJKsn98fKYWSEOmrUqz4pB5J_tq5qL5nuQ2bVLsHF8IVww7uc4XBoOfzPE4qzGgJzNJCrr3hW9v21aBvUK4vNeL8zRYpiykkozBOU4AZ4KEtQVH4wjVOnfZM8DY186HdJkj9HJkPwnkDXzLoh_FQbV4Q/w400-h266/Hidi%20Gaff%20&%20Julie%20Mercado-BM-FB.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hidi Gaff </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Left </span>and <b>Julie Mercado </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right</span> Relaxing and Enjoying Friendly Rival post-race<br />Camaraderie at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Beyond Monumental</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">45-49</span> Josiah-Tanner and Mercado both bettered the course record of 6:08. Josiah-Tanner lowered and Mercado matched the previous event record of 5:55. Josiah-Tanner will now be listed as the Course and Event record holder at 5:34</span></p><p><span><b>50-54 </b>Shoemaker nailed 2nd overall so she took this division title as well. I initially thought that <b>Abby Dean</b> might press her in the overall competition. Dean finished 6th last year in the Mile Championships at Rochester in 5:33. As that course was more technical and had a few ups and downs, I thought Dean might break 5:30 on a flatter course with fewer turns. She validated that view with a 4:24 effort in May at the Main Street Mile in Pennsylvania. I was not aware until the event transpired that Dean had competed at Granma's Marathon on the 17th of June. <b>Cassandra Crane</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chittenango NY <i>GVH</i></span>, it seemed, could focus on doing well for her team. She would be likely to break 7 minutes but not 6. So she would likely claim the bronze medal. When the gun sounded, the fastest 40's led them out at a very fast pace. Shoemaker and Dean were a few yards behind them. It appears that Shoemaker was able to keep her cadence going but Dean started to slip back by the time they hit the first turn at about 500 meters. By the time they hit the halfway mat, Shoemaker was 5 seconds ahead and the gap was growing. Dean went as far as she could on adrenaline. Shoemaker took the win in 5:20, with Dean 2nd. Crane ran a solid race for her team and also captured the individual bronze medal.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Perry Shoemaker</i> 5:20 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Abby Dean</i> 5:49 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cassandra Crane</i> 6:49</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rpQNUCCvDykdqa0qd4FlS3hFkrJIzplzvhKxE7J2YBKp5WvonUor6Xf8wbwxzeJ3BM5qEM9cduEt8S1GvtTUb5JwxXm0_DNRncOgGuSamKIsMCZoAWaDInNBvUQ25N-nraO-vXASh4KMIeh_UyguPqSQkDDwcB_vP6xoNVKMDtFkw6rHc9jXEuydK1Kw/s1208/W50%20Podium-Shoemaker-Dean-CraneCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="866" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rpQNUCCvDykdqa0qd4FlS3hFkrJIzplzvhKxE7J2YBKp5WvonUor6Xf8wbwxzeJ3BM5qEM9cduEt8S1GvtTUb5JwxXm0_DNRncOgGuSamKIsMCZoAWaDInNBvUQ25N-nraO-vXASh4KMIeh_UyguPqSQkDDwcB_vP6xoNVKMDtFkw6rHc9jXEuydK1Kw/w458-h640/W50%20Podium-Shoemaker-Dean-CraneCROP.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's 50-54 Podium- From Left <b>Cassandra Crane, Perry Shoemaker, Abby Dean</b> at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by A Dean</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">50-54</span> Shoemaker lowered both the course record of 5:51 and the event record of 5:42. Dean, despite the marathon in her legs, bettered the course record. Shoemaker is now the course and event record holder at 5:20.</span></p><p><span><b>55-59 </b>As noted in the overall recap above, two of the competitors from this division, Bayly and Harvey, featured in the Overall competition. It was an epic race between these two former teammates. Bayly and Harvey are still friends, but when the gun goes off, the gloves come off; they are both fierce competitors. They were both chasing the Overall podium, the 5:27 American Record, and the division championship. Bayly went through the first quarter mile a few strides behind the leaders; Harvey was laying off the pace. At the half mile, Bayly was still ahead but could feel the presence of Harvey. Bayly clocked 2:41.4 to Harvey's 2:41.8. Harvey crept ahead of Bayly by 203 yards but could not make a decisive break. As they approached the finish line, Bayly felt she was gaining ever so slightly on Harvey, but, all of a sudden, lost some of her control and almost stumbled. Bayly kept herself upright and crossed the line a fraction of a second behind Harvey. Harvey had the division win and the American Record in 5:25. </span><span style="font-size: small;">See coverage in first paragraph of this article. </span>Bayly's time was rounded up to 5:26. <b>Lisa Veneziano</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fenton MI <i>Pursuit of Excellence TC </i></span>is usually a big part of the story in this division, often vying for the win. Among other accomplishments, Veneziano is the American 55-59 Record holder in the 12 Km at 46:13. She has earned Silver medals at the 2019 Masters Mile Championships in Flint and at last year's championship in Rochester. In this case, she did not get to mix it up for the division win, but she had no trouble landing on the podium in 3rd. She finished 22 seconds ahead of the 4th place finisher, <b>Roxanne Springer</b>.</p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Harvey </i>5:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fiona Bayly</i> 5:26 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lisa Veneziano</i> 5:36</span></p><p><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">55-59</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">:</span> Harvey, Bayly, Veneziano, <b>Melissa Chiti</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Durham NC</span><i style="font-size: x-small;"> Pursuit of Excellence TC</i>, and <b>Brenda Osovski </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Candor NY <i>GVH</i> </span>all ran faster than the existing Course record <span style="font-size: xx-small;">8:46</span> and the Event record <span style="font-size: xx-small;">7:33</span>. <b>Gail Geiger </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Davison MI <i>GVH </i></span>also broke the course record. Harvey is now the holder of the 55-59 Course and Event Record at 5:25</span></p><p><span><b>60-64 Suzanne La Burt</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gr8eenwoood Lake NY <i>Shore AC </i></span>finished 3rd in Rochester last year in 5:57. Six weeks later at the Big Bang Mile, she ran 5:55. But in September at the Fifth Avenue Mile, she really got cranking, lowering her mile time to 5:41. The Fifth Avenue Mile is fast, but much of that 14-second improvement must be due to La Burt.<b> Doreen McCoubrie </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">West Chester PA <i>Greater Philadelphia TC </i></span>took 2nd in 60-64 at Rochester last year, clocking 5:50, seven seconds faster than La Burt. McCoubrie was cooking this spring at the Memorial Main Street Mile in Pennsylvania, running 5:38 in late May. She also had a 5:53 at the RUNway Mile. <b>Deb Torneden</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Manhattan KS <i>Unattached</i> </span>ran 6:01 at the Ad Astra Running Irish Mile in March. Her 60-64 win at 5:36 in the 1500M at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships this Marach is consistent with a 6-minute mile. McCoubrie and La Burt both got out fast. McCoubrie had the edge and through the first half mile it looked like things would go as they did last year in Rochester. La Burt was going faster than she did last year, carrying 5:40 pace through the first half mile. McCoubrie was 2 seconds faster, crossing the half mile mat in 2:48. Once they got inside a quarter mile to go though, something happened with McCoubrie, who faltered. La Burt had never been dropped and took advantage, passing McCoubrie and claiming the win in 5:46, with McCoubrie 2nd in 5:53. </span>Torneden must have been behind the division leaders at the half, but has no split. Perhaps she swung wide around the 2nd turn. Crossing the mat was only handy, and not required, if you took that turn tight and were running on the lefthand side rather than down the middle of Meridian Street. Running down the center, you could still see your own split on the clock. Torneden took 3rd in 6:02, with <b>Suzanne Cordes </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Alamo CA <i>Impala Racing</i></span>, who was not at full fitness, in 4th with a 7:10.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne La Burt</i> 5:46 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Doreen McCoubrie </i>5:53 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Deb Torneden</i> 6:02</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">60-64 :</span> La Burt, McCoubrie, Torneden and Cordes bettered both the 7:16 Event Record and the 7:54 course record. <b>Debbie Brathwaite</b><i> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Garfield NJ </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Shore AC</i> bettered the course record with her 7:31. La Burt will now hold both the Course and Event 60-64 records at 5:46.</p><p><b>65-69 Carol Poenisch </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Northville MI </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached </i>is a strong long-distance runner who occasionally runs shorter distances. She has run three half marathons this year in times ranging from 1:54:44<b> </b>to 1:56:08. Her chief rival, 2022 Grand Prix champion for 65-69, <b>Susan Stirrat</b> has run two half marathons, both at times a little over 2 hours. But this is a mile not a half marathon. Poenisch ran 7:20 to take the 60-64 Bronze Medal at the 1 Mile Masters Championships at Flint in 2018. She ran a 25:26 5K in March and a 24:21 in May. Stirrat finished 3rd in this division at the 2023 Masters 5 Km Championships at Atlanta in February with a 25:48 and ran a 26:05 this June. Poenisch appeared to have the edge. The third entrant, Cullison, has mostly run longer races also. She ran a 2:17 Half Marathon last October. This April she ran a 1:01:42 10K. In 2021, she ran a 25:27 5K but has no recent efforts at that distance or shorter. Poenisch lacks a split time also, but she was presumably in the lead. Certainly, she was in the lead at the finish line. She crossed in 7:13 to take the win by more than a half minute. It was closer between Stirrat and Cullison. But Stirrat had no problem building a ten second lead in the first half mile, going out in 3:48. Cullison was able to take 2 seconds out of Stirrat's lead in the last half mile but that was it. Stirrat took the silver medal in 7:48 with 25 meters to spare. Cullison was 8 seconds back in 3rd.<b> </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFAZjYStxGZhdcvMdC52sENVBTLe7W9T00-sKlVacjdp1ibtv0XokKfSpdW_F6RSUsAyRe6UY1FtndFiz_hnL2W2T7cyVosNlvCpfXfASk4WaRzvqAGP3b-KiOF2hAqH9ZWpgL9fvoToxp1mHUNtTSZgpwU86wwF-G_P0Bz_DR-PcduEOZc6OBN1BGMpC/s1355/W65%20PodiumCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="884" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFAZjYStxGZhdcvMdC52sENVBTLe7W9T00-sKlVacjdp1ibtv0XokKfSpdW_F6RSUsAyRe6UY1FtndFiz_hnL2W2T7cyVosNlvCpfXfASk4WaRzvqAGP3b-KiOF2hAqH9ZWpgL9fvoToxp1mHUNtTSZgpwU86wwF-G_P0Bz_DR-PcduEOZc6OBN1BGMpC/w418-h640/W65%20PodiumCROP.jpg" width="418" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's 65-69 Podium - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left </span><b>Linda Cullison, Carol Poenisch, Susan Stirrat </b>at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by C Poenisch</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>That gives Poenisch a Silver and a Gold medal in two tries at the Masters 1 Mile Championships-not a bad record for a long-distance runner!<b> </b></p><p><b style="font-style: italic;">Carol Poenisch</b> 7:13 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Susan Stirrat</i> 7:48 <b style="font-style: italic;">Linda Cullison</b> 7:56</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">65-69: </span>Poenisch, Stirrat and Cullison all came in under both the Course <span style="font-size: x-small;">11:35</span> and Event <span style="font-size: x-small;">7:59 </span>Records. Poenisch will now be listed as the Course and Event 65-69 Record Holder at 7:13.</p><p><b>70-74 </b>Since<b> Suzanne Ray </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jacksonville OR <i>Team Red Lizard </i></span>turned 70, <i>Team Red Lizard </i>has been tough to beat. She and her teammate, <b>Jeanette Groesz</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Redmond OR </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </i>almost always make the 70-74 podium, with Ray usually excelling at longer distance road races and Groesz excelling on the turf and at shorter road races. When one of them is out due to injury or other obligations, it is tough for them to field a complete team. That is why, at this race, having missed the 5 Km due to an elbow injury, Ray was running for the team despite a different injury. In between, Ray took 1st in 70-74 at the Masters National Half Marathon Championships in 1:51:48. Ray would take it easy, not aggravate her injury and finish the race so Red Lizard had a complete team finishing the race. <b>Sabra Harvey</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Houston TX </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Team Red Lizard </i>ran in this race as Red Lizard's Outside Association athlete. Harvey, the 2017 Masters Athlete of the Year, is not training as intensively now as she did 6 years ago. In that year, Harvey set the 65-69 American Mile Record at 6:06. A recent 5K result suggested her current fitness would enable her to break 7 minutes but not necessarily by a lot. Groesz's performance in Atlanta, competing as an individual, suggested she too could break 7 minutes. Ordinarily Ray would be close to them in time, but not today. The strongest runner, otherwise, <b>Hannah Phillips</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Alexandria VA </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Potomac Valley TC</i> has no recent results to go by. I found a 26:05 5K in 2016 and a 28:08 5K in 2017. In short, there was nothing that suggested Phillips would break 8 minutes. The suspense in this division rested on whether Groesz or Harvey would win the division title and whether Ray's easy mile would be fast enough to come in ahead of Phillips.<b> </b>Neither Harvey nor Groesz had a halfway split. Like others they must have swung wide and been content to view their split on the clock as they raced past. It was close overall, but Harvey had a thirty-meter lead when she crossed the finish line in 6:52. Groesz took 2nd in 6:59. Ray was able to stay a good half minute ahead of Phillips, claiming third place in 7:57. </p><p><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpryol4ntkKjYICKTboJWCigDK3X13xIIv1aI8oUrosC0xbWmpYmcZzRopmAtb2HbFMzagQRHYpIOen8qU5NaMdYLSymIEgPg6hJrKFYNLiz4DBb84K_7m73pKvo0KOKNkcL0sIJDSjqGJ5Jyq1KoMKrXEjUPWJai9PCdnj6IeHT7AZ5Z2xUVOqAwJWLKL/s1600/W70%20Podium-JeanetteG%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpryol4ntkKjYICKTboJWCigDK3X13xIIv1aI8oUrosC0xbWmpYmcZzRopmAtb2HbFMzagQRHYpIOen8qU5NaMdYLSymIEgPg6hJrKFYNLiz4DBb84K_7m73pKvo0KOKNkcL0sIJDSjqGJ5Jyq1KoMKrXEjUPWJai9PCdnj6IeHT7AZ5Z2xUVOqAwJWLKL/w640-h480/W70%20Podium-JeanetteG%20post.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's 70-74 Podium and Winning 70+ Team-<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left-</span><b>Sabra Harvey, Suzanne Ray, Jeanette Groesz</b> at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by J Groesz</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </b></p><p>Phillips finished 4th at 8:27.</p><p><i><b>Sabra Harvey</b> </i>6:52<b> </b><i><b>Jeanette Groesz</b></i> 6:59<b> </b><i><b>Suzanne Ray</b> </i>7:57<b> </b></p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">70-74</span>; Harvey, Groesz and Ray all came home under the Course and Event Record of 8:06. Harvey will now be listed as the Course and Event Record holder at 6:52.</p><p><b>75-79 Jeannie Rice,</b> the 2019 Masters Athlete of the Year, ran a 3:33:15 Boston Marathon this year, averaging 8:08 per mile. As noted above, she had no problem demolishing the American Record. in the (Road) Mile. <span style="font-size: small;">See coverage in first paragraph of this article.</span> It probably would have been a World Record, but WMA does not recognize the 1 Mile on the roads (Non Stadia) for record purposes. Rice crossed the halfway mat in 3:21 and went on to win the division in 6:44. She was well over 500 meters ahead of her closest pursuer. <b>Andrea McCarter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Duluth GA <i>Atlanta TC</i> </span>and <b>Carol Patterson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mount Ida AR </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Atlanta TC</i> were primarily focused on finishing so their 70+ team could gain the Silver medals and earn 90 Grand Prix points. It appeared that McCarter and Patterson would likely finish close to each other. I gave McCarter the edge on the basis of her silver medal effort at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta last February. McCarter went past the half mile marker with a big half-minute lead. It looked like Patterson had the Silver medal in a waltz. But Patterson kept chipping away at that lead over the last half mile. By the finish it was McCarter 2nd in 10:43, with Patterson just 18 seconds back in third.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> 6:44 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrea McCarter</i> 10:43 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Carol Patterson</i> 11:01</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">75-79</span>; There is no course record for this division; no one 75 or over ran on this course last year. The Event record was set in 2019 on the straight-shot course at 9:52. Rice establishes the Course Record and takes over the Event Record at 6:44, records that are likely to stand for a very long time.</p><p><b>80-84</b> Vacant-No Entries</p><p><b>85-89</b> <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Millen GA <i>Atlanta TC</i> </span>ran unopposed. She claimed her third division victory this year in 15:28. As noted above, that becomes the new American 1 Mile (road) record for 85-89. <span style="font-size: small;">See coverage in first paragraph of this article. </span>It also establishes a new Event and Course record for the Monumental Mile.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hodges-Hite</i> 15:28 </p><p><i style="font-size: large;"><b>MEN</b> </i><b style="font-size: large;">40-44 </b><span>Lindsay, Herter and Guyer </span><span>are all 40-44 athletes. See Overall recap above.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bryan Lindsay</i> 4:25 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jaret Herter</i> 4:30 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Guyer</i> 4:32</span></p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">40-44</span> Lindsay, Herter, and Guyer bettered the previous course and event record of 4:35, which are based on gun time. Lindsay will now be listed as the Event and Course Record holder at 5:06.</p><p><b>45-49 </b>The top contenders were <b>David Angell</b> Blue Ridge VA <i>Unattached</i>, <b>Jonathan Bishard</b>, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kansas City MO <i>KC Smoke </i></span> <b>Christopher Hernandez </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Charleston SC <i>GVH</i></span>, and<b> Jasen Ritter</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indianapolis IN </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Indiana Elite AC</i>.Angell had a self-imposed break from racing last year to rehab some long-standing issues with ankle, foot, etc. After a nice outing in Richmond at the USATF XC as followed by a PRP shot and more recovery time. Ran a very nice 33:15 to take the Silver 45-49 medal at the National Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham at the end of April. He followed that with a 15:48 5K at the end of May. He appeared prepped for upper 4:30's to lower 4:40's for a mile. Bishard ran a 4:36.95 Mile on the track at the Music City Distance Carnival last summer and a 4:26.4 indoor Mile at the Masters TF Championships in Louisville this past March. Three seconds slower than Hernandez in that race, Bishard did not have the kind of fitness he exhibited at MCDS in June 2022. But with three months prep time, those times should come down closer to 4:40. Hernandez, as just noted, finished 2nd in 45-49 at Louisville ahead of Bishard. He finished 3rd in the 45-49 division at the Masters 1 Mile Championships in Rochester last year in 4:48. Ritter ran 4:44 at the 2021 Monumental Mile and skipped it last year. In 2022, Ritter ran 16:02 to take 5th 45-49 at the Masters 5 Km Championships and in August, clocked 15:58 in a 5K. Mid- to upper 4:40's seemed very attainable for Ritter. When the gun sounded, Angell peeled out with only M40's ahead of him. It stayed that way through the first half-mile. Angell's clock read 2:18.4. Ritter was about 15 meters behind Angell, with Hernandez another 15 meters back from Ritter. Bishard was probably in the mix halfway but did not get a split time recorded. Angell slowed slightly in the last half mile but took the win, crossing the line in 4:41.07, rounded up, by rule to 4:42. Ritter slowed also, allowing Hernandez an opening. he took advantage of it with a strong negative split, his 2:25 half followed by 2:22 2nd half, for 4:47 and second place. Bishard was also able to edge Ritter by a fraction of a second at the line for third place. <b>Trent Bryson </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Long Beach CA </span><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cal Coast TC</span>, </i>running his first 'legit race' in 25 years, hung tight for the first half, solidly in the mix, between Ritter and Hernandez, caught by the clock at 2:23.7. Somewhere between there and the finish, things fell apart, and the hoped for 4:48 became a 4:58 and 5th place. To Bryson's credit, he let very few athletes pass him in that last half mile.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">David Angell</i> 4:42 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Hernandez</i> 4:47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jonathan Bishard</i> 4:49</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">45-49</span><span>: A tale of two records. The Event Record of 4:21, set on the old course in 2015 will likely stand for many years to come. It certainly gives fast 45-49 year old milers a heck of a time to shoot for. The Course record, however, was set last year at 6:05, the first time the Mile was contested on the new record-eligible course. Not only did Angell, Hernandez, Bishard, Ritter, and Bryson better the record, but <b>Chris White </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Granger IN <i>Unattached</i></span><b>, Rob Awe</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Carmel IN <i>Indiana Elite AC </i></span>and <b>Matthew Di Pretore</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Newtown Square PA <i>Greater Philadelphia TC</i></span><b> </b>did as well. Angell will be the 45-49 Course Record holder going forward at 4:42.</span></p><p><span><b>50-54</b> <b>Mike Madsen </b>lowered the American Record, pending ratification; he won this division as well with his 4:38. 2</span><span style="font-size: small;">See coverage in first paragraph of this article. </span>In my preview, I touted <b>Jason Newport </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Avon IN <i>Indiana Elite AC </i></span>as one of the strongest contenders for 2nd behind Madsen. That was based on his 5:10 performance on this course last year. In late August last year he clocked 18:56 in a 5K. I should, perhaps, have given more weight to his 13th place finish in 45-49 at the 5 Km Masters Championships this past February. That might have been a sign that something acted up during the race or that he had lost some training time to rehab. <b>Andrew Hector </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indianapolis IN <i>Indiana Elite AC </i></span>ran an 18:26 5K last November but more recent efforts had been in the 19:14 to 19:30 range. <b>Matthew Cutrona</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wilmington DE <i>Greater Philadelphia TC </i></span>was ten seconds behind Newport in Atlanta but ran a fast 18:48 5K in March, followed by a 19:30 in mid-May and a 5:13.65 at the Memorial Main Streeet Mile in Yardley PA. A little uneven but Cutrona certainly had a reasonable shot at the podium. Fifteen seconds after Madsen scorched through the first half mile, Cutrona led a quartet of 45–49-year-olds through the half. Cutrona was at 2:37.2, followed a second later by <b>Alonso Gonzalez</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indianapolis IN <i>Indiana Elite AC</i></span>, with <b>Christopher Rinaldi </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Berkeley Heights NJ <i>Shore AC </i></span>another second back and<b> Hector</b>, biding his time another two seconds back. Hector held some speed in reserve, the only one in this group, apart from Madsen to negative split the race. He passed Rinaldi and then started to close on Cutrona. Cutrona held tough, though, outlasting Hector. Cutrona had 2nd place in 5:21.4, rounded to 5:22. Hector took the Bronze medal in 5:22.3, rounded to 5:23, just under a full second behind. Rinaldi took 4th in 5:25. It was a tight race for 2nd through 4th! Newport, apparently on an off day, finished 6th.</p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mike Madsen</i> 4:38 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Matthew Cutrona</i> 5:22 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Andrew Hector</i> 5:23</span></p><p><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">50-54</span><span>: Madsen beat the 50-54 Event Record of 5:07 and the Course Record of 5:11. Others were close but did not quite get there. Madsen will be listed as the new Event and Course Record holder at 4:38.</span></span></p><p><span><span><b>55-59 </b>As noted above, like Madsen, <b>Christian Cushing-Murray</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Orange CA<i> Cal Coast TC </i></span>lowered the American 55-59 Road Mile Record, breaking it by 2 seconds with a 4:46.4, rounded up to 4:47. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">See coverage in first paragraph of this article. </span>That also got him the division win. Although not quite in record-breaking form at present, <b>Todd Straka </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Broomfield CO <i>Boulder Road Runners </i></span>was viewed as a strong contender, likely to break 5:00. He finished 12 seconds behind Cushing-Murray at Portland in what must be viewed as an off day. In 2019 he took 2nd at the Masters (road) Mile Championships on a slower course in Flint Mi in 4:56. And Road miles tend to be slower than track miles. That year <b>Jeff Conston </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hopewell Jct. NY <i>Shore AC </i></span>finished 2 seconds behind Straka, with <b>John Borthwick</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dillon CO <i>Boulder RR </i></span>another 2 seconds back. Straka did not compete last year in Rochester, but Conston finished, again 2 seconds faster than Borthwick, that time in 5:05. Nier is running better than a year ago at Rochester. Later in the summer, he finished 6 seconds behind Straka in the 1500M at Outdoor Nationals. He should be in the mix for the podium. Cushing-Murray led the field out, crossing the halfway mat in 2:22.3. Straka did not get a split time at the half mile, probably because he swung wide on the turn onto Meridian and was focused on running down Cushing-Murray if possible. Nier was next at 2:28.6 with Conston just 1.3 seconds behind. Borthwick, who went out more cautiously, was three seconds behind Conston. Straka stayed much closer to Cushing-Murray in Indy than he had in Portland. He zipped across the finish line in 4:51.4, claiming 2nd just 5 seconds back and with a comfortable lead over the third-place finisher, Conston, who closed rapidly, surging past Nier to claim 3rd in 4:59.4, breaking the 5:00 barrier as well! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYelHcvZNA3rD3i4IKOZJl64x_jC4WTK34dOOHxqFbajRFH6MUgQgTnRvW0XXwqAjM9WLm_IYgBESFg-83pj92EU1c3A85wEHGo5Ast9tN8ul5u8BQBVHmL40M1eF3zAxJ4SlUSF5eMGgJYF-YPqGbwf1fZU6Um-uEPT4eUcq4NKOl5LUQN01xgLfch3g4/s1600/Conston_Jeff-Jeff%20C%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYelHcvZNA3rD3i4IKOZJl64x_jC4WTK34dOOHxqFbajRFH6MUgQgTnRvW0XXwqAjM9WLm_IYgBESFg-83pj92EU1c3A85wEHGo5Ast9tN8ul5u8BQBVHmL40M1eF3zAxJ4SlUSF5eMGgJYF-YPqGbwf1fZU6Um-uEPT4eUcq4NKOl5LUQN01xgLfch3g4/w248-h400/Conston_Jeff-Jeff%20C%20post.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeff Conston </b>sprinting for the finish and a bronze 55-59 medal at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by J Conston</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Nier took 4th in 5:03.4, 7 seconds ahead of Borthwick in 5th.</p><p><span><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Christian Cushing-Murray</i> 4:47 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Todd Straka</i> 4:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Conston</i> 5:00</span></span></p><p><span><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">55-59</span><span>: The existing 55-59 event record belonged to Tim Mylin (now in 60-64-see below) at 5:19, with the Course Record at 5:25. Cushing-Murray, Straka, Conston, Nier and Borthwick all came in under both the course and event records. Cushing-Murray will now be listed as Event and Course Record holder at 4:47.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><b>60-64</b> This division this year has fireworks every time. Different contenders show up at different races. This time <b>Nat Larson, Steve Schmidt</b>, and <b>John Van Danacker</b> had other things that prevented them from competing in Indy. But <b>Dan King </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boulder CO <i>Athletics Boulder</i></span>, <b>Rick Lee </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bayville NJ <i>Shore AC</i></span>, and <b>Joe Mora</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rochester NY <i>GVH </i></span>were on hand. King has had an up and down last few months, but the holder of the American 60-64 Mile Record on the track, at 4:51.45, is always a threat. King had a good set of training coming into this race. As long as his hamstring did not act up, he felt confident of a competitive race at the front. The most recent edition of the Road Mile Championships, in Rochester last year, featured Lee and Mora. Lee was still learning how to race over short distances and Mora had the edge, as he did in Atlanta in 2022, when he could kick away from Lee to take the win. Last year it was Mora taking Lee in the mile by a fraction of a second in 5:04. Lee had the edge over King by 2 seconds in 4:57 at the Fifth Avenue Mile in September. King was looking forward to the rematch, as was Lee! They love competing against each other. <b>Dave Bussard </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Elkhart IN </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">CHT Elite</i>, <b>Tim Mylin</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Carmel IN <i>Indiana Elite AC</i></span>, and <b>Mark Zamek </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Minneapolis MN <i>Shore AC</i></span> gained a mention as well. Bussard was a regular on national podiums when running for Playmakers Elite in the late teens. After taking time off for rehab, his times have come down significantly in the last year. Running mid-18's in 5K's last year, he turned in a 17:42 at the Brian Diemer 5K this spring. Mylin, one of the top runners int he Indianapolis area for decades, was running his 5K's well under 18 minutes up through his 50's. Two years ago he ran 5:21 in the Monumental Mile. Zamek, 55-59 winner at the 2019 Masters National Championships in 4:55, has been rehabbing off and on for the last year. He finished 3rd at Dedham in the 10 K Championships in 36:12 but suffered a setback in his rehab a week later. He was coming to Indy with the idea of running a 'tempo 5:20' to help his team.</span></span></p><p>Lee, with King right on his shoulder, led out the field. Bussard and Mora were hanging in right behind, crossing the half mile mat in 2:35.9 and 2:36.1! Then it was <b>Chuck Bridgman</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dayton OH </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Unattached</i>, who came in under my radar to be right there at 2:38.8, a couple of strides ahead of Mylin at 2:39.6. Lee and King were speeding down Meridian Street stride for stride. Approaching the finish line, King was about to make a final push for the win, when his hamstring sent a message, 'Don't do it!'. Lee enjoyed a little more breathing space in the last few meters, gaining his second straight win over King, 5:05.73, rounded to 5:06, to 5:08.4 for King, rounded to 5:09. Mora made a good move over the last half mile but fell 5 seconds short of the two leaders as he claimed the Bronze medal. It was a good thing Mora was moving as fast as he was because Mylin, finishing off a negative split, was bearing down on him.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62yNsB1Rut_0UCJ-CWeO8Wwi_Ymm13wrv_AOuzfBSCfRS1k2SaRX8x2KlaOAObQVIh_4PCEoLB__WQ3vXEwYMVVhk82ywCHAGEi_MKeJ0F0CX-vsMQcyuGizwip827MdvoK-n4MqwCwcbGSnIQw99YF2pw9Vrz49FGGHkJLy5p3tkpWc2nIw-BVicm5HK/s1600/Lee-King-Mora-RKpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1075" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62yNsB1Rut_0UCJ-CWeO8Wwi_Ymm13wrv_AOuzfBSCfRS1k2SaRX8x2KlaOAObQVIh_4PCEoLB__WQ3vXEwYMVVhk82ywCHAGEi_MKeJ0F0CX-vsMQcyuGizwip827MdvoK-n4MqwCwcbGSnIQw99YF2pw9Vrz49FGGHkJLy5p3tkpWc2nIw-BVicm5HK/w430-h640/Lee-King-Mora-RKpost.jpg" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's 60-64-Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalists celebrater post race-<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left-</span> <b>Rick Lee, Dan King, Joe Mora </b> at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by R Lee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Mylin's 2:40/2:36 brought him within two seconds of Mora, 4th in 5:15.12, rounded to 5:16. Bussard was sixth in 5:16.28, rounded to 5:17. With just 12 seconds between 1st and 6th, it was another 'barn burner' of a show for the 60-64 crew!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Lee</i> 5:06 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dan King</i> 5:09 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Mora</i> 5:14</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">60-64:</span> Mylin's 5:21 from 2021 is the event record; the course record is 6:51. Lee, King, Mora, Mylin, and Bussard came in under the event record, and Zamek tied it with his tempo. Those six and twelve other competitors came in under the course record.</p><p><b>65-69 </b>It initially looked like this would be a battle between <b>David Westenberg</b> and <b>Jacob Nur</b>, with the winner coming home under the 5:18 record. First, I heard that Westenberg scratched due to an eye issue that came up and prevented him from running. Then when I saw Nur at Packet Pickup, he mentioned an adductor injury that kept him from training for the past week. He would be running and was optimistic the adductor would not act up during the race. There were plenty of other fast competitors who would push Nur or supplant him if it was not his day after all. <b>Roger Sayre </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Golden CO <i>Boulder RR</i></span>. Second at the 5 Km Championships, he came back with wins from the 10 Mile and Half Marathon Championships this year. No stranger to the Mile, Sayre won the 60-64 title at the 2018 Masters Mile in Flint MI in 5:15. Last summer he ran a 5:43 mile in Greater Denver; the NCAA altitude adjustment puts that at 5:35 at sea level. That was his first race that short that I can find in the last several years. It may have been a test run; his second Mile might be faster. <b>Fred Torneden's</b> running history includes a 2:11:34 marathon in the 1984 Twin Cities Marathon. Inactive in Masters National Championships until recently, he ran a 5:07 1500M at the Indoor Masters Championships in Louisville this past March. He finished 7 seconds behind Westenberg in that race. A week later he ran 5:30 at the Ad Astra Running Irish Mile. <b>Michael Lebold</b> was able to defeat Westenberg in the 800 Meters at Louisville but the Mile is toward the outer edge of his high comfort zone. <b>Dan Spale</b> is a terrific runner who was a big factor in national podiums from 2017 through 2019. In 2017, Spale took 2nd in 60-64 at the 8 Km and 10 Km National Championships, and 4th in the Masters Mile. He ran 5:28 in 2017; normal aging would make that a 5:46, consistent with the 5:51 he ran last year in the Carnation Mile. Even though that converts to a 5:43 at sea level, I thought Spale would not be in the mix for the podium this time. <b>Tim Conheady</b> finished just 7 seconds behind Westenberg at the 1500M in Louisville. With Westenberg a scratch and Nur perhaps not at full fitness, Conheady and Spale might be vying for the podium.</p><p>I did not get a full report but, at some point during the race, Nur's adductor issue asserted itself and Nur, wisely pulled up. That left the field clear for the others. Torneden pulled away from the field, crossing the half mile mat in 2:39.7. Sayre was just two seconds back at that point, still in the hunt for the win. Lebold was just off Sayre's shoulder at that point, in 2:42.6. Conheady was another 2 seconds back at 2:44.8 in 4th place. Spale was laying off the pace at 2:47.1. Sayre had plenty left for the last half mile; he ran a negative split, 2:41.6/2:39.4 to push Torneden. But try as Sayre might, Torneden had enough left to hold him at bay. Torneden came home with a 2:39.5 half, giving up only 0.1 seconds of his lead to Sayre. Torneden got the win in 5:19.3, rounded up to 5:20. Sayre claimed 2nd in 5:21. Sayre's push to catch Torneden left everyone else behind. Spale had kept plenty in reserve. He roared past Lebold and then Conheady. By the finish, Spale had created a six second gap, taking 3rd in 5:27, a second faster than his 4th place Mile finish in 2017! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AImeSdzG2pauIJ7Eakf3r-udBbwabSpHOFAOLB9TJOB9tGzDvlbdj5QaLPXz3NiQfSmCaXm3hsh5yjX3EOT8hNAsD8qYYvwvcI5o9cw3j8ZxxDEzS90vQID5NdiHZD9ob8TNKHLuJEWroUFehprCipTabWSG544EB5SIfZqivpeHRX1Bq-2c_IPgXnyT/s2048/Spale-Torneden-Sayre-65+%20RSpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AImeSdzG2pauIJ7Eakf3r-udBbwabSpHOFAOLB9TJOB9tGzDvlbdj5QaLPXz3NiQfSmCaXm3hsh5yjX3EOT8hNAsD8qYYvwvcI5o9cw3j8ZxxDEzS90vQID5NdiHZD9ob8TNKHLuJEWroUFehprCipTabWSG544EB5SIfZqivpeHRX1Bq-2c_IPgXnyT/w640-h640/Spale-Torneden-Sayre-65+%20RSpost.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's 65-69 Podium <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From left </span><b>Dan Spale, Fred Torneden, Roger Sayre </b>at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by R Sayre</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Conheady pulled well away from Lebold, claiming 4th in 5:33. Lebold finished 5th in 5:45.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fred Torneden</i> 5:20 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Roger Sayre</i> 5:21 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dan Spale</i> 5:27</p><p><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">65-69: Event Record 6:07, Course Record 6:41 </span><span>Torneden, Sayre, Spale, Conheady, and Lebold all broke both records, as did <b>Kevin Dollard</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hopewell JCT. NY <i>Shore AC </i></span>and <b>Gary Passamonte </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mount Morris NY <i>GVH</i></span><b>. </b>In addition, <b>Scott Linnell</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Colts Neck NJ <i>Shore AC. </i></span>and <b>Reno Stirrat </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rockaway NJ <i>Shore AC </i></span>also bettered the Course Record. Going forward, Torneden will be listed as the Course and Event Record holder at 5:20.</span></p><p><span><b>70-74</b> <b>Robert Qualls</b>, the 1500M Bronze Medalist in the 2022 World Outdoor Championships in 5:12.18, entered as the favorite and left as the new American 70-74 Record holder in the (Road) Mile. <span style="font-size: x-small;">See coverage in first paragraph of this article. </span>Three of the other competitors, <b>D</b></span><b>oug Bell, Doug Chesnut</b>, and <b>James Linn</b> appeared to be closely matched. Bell finished 3rd last year in Rochester with a 6:06. His third-place finish in the 5K in Atlanta with a 20:51 confirms that he was in shape then to run a 6:05 or so Mile. Last year, Bell ran in the 10 Mile Championship in Sacramento, for the team, and then competed next at the 1 Mile. That was his practice this year as well. The lack of recent races did not seem to be a sign of any problem, just his approach to running a (road) Mile championship in the spring. Although I found no recent Mile efforts from Chesnut, he has been a step or two ahead of Bell a the 5 Km and 10 Mile road championships. Bell had the edge over 8 Km of turf at Richmond. Will that road edge for Chesnut carry over to a short race like a mile or does Bell have the edge there? Linn ran a 6:11 mile on Memorial Day an hour after running a 43:49 10K. A couple of weeks later Linn ran 6:02 at the RUNway Mile. In 2018, <b>Kirk Larson</b> was a Silver Medalist in the 65-69 Mile Championship. But, more recently, finished a half minute behind Chesnut and Bell in Atlanta. </p><p>Qualls took off at the gun with the fast 60-year-olds; he crossed the half mile mat in 2:45, way faster than needed to take down a 5:45 record. Linn was six seconds back at 2:51, with Bell 11 seconds back at 3:01.81. It was close behind Bell. Larson was at 3:02.99, with Chesnut a couple of strides back at 3:04.3. Qualls held his lead and got the American Record, claiming the 70-74 win in 5:35. The torrid pace of the first half mile took its toll on James Linn as well. He came home in 3:01 over the last half mile, taking the Silver Medal in 5:52. Bell's 2nd half was 3:09. He did not close on J. Linn but had no trouble maintaining his position relative to the rest of the field. He finished 3rd in 6:11. Chesnut was able to move past Larson and move ahead ever so gradually. Chesnut maintained that slim lead all the way to the finish line, crossing it in 6:12.01 to Larson's 6:12.88. That fraction of a second gave Chesnut 4th to Larson's 5th. <b>Perry Linn</b> did not cross the halfway timing mat, so I am not sure where he was at the half, but he was not far behind those two at the end. P. Linn crossed the finish line in 6:14.2 in 6th place.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls </i>5:35 <i style="font-weight: bold;">James Linn</i> 5:52 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Doug Bell</i> 6:11</p><p><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">70-74</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">: Event & Record 6:46 </span><span>Qualls, J. Linn, Bell, Chesnut, Larson and P. Linn all crossed the finish line under the Course & Event record. Qualls will, henceforth, be listed as the Event and Course record holder at 5:35.</span></span></p><p><span><span><b>75-79 </b>My own division can be tricky to preview but the only thing I thought would be tricky was the exact order of the top three. <b>Dave Glass </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Glenville NY <i>Atlanta TC</i></span>, <b>Jim May </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Williamson NY <i>GVH</i></span>, and <b>Keith Yeates </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fairport NY <i>GVH </i></span>have been running consistently ahead of everyone else who was entered; there seemed little chance that anyone else would wind up on the podium. But little chance is not 'no' chance and that is why we run races. Last year in Rochester, May almost pulled an upset, but Glass held on for 2nd behind <b>Gary Patton</b> in 6:37 (gun) to Jim May's 6:38 (gun). [Apologies to Glass; I misreported in my preview, relying on the order (by chip time as posted in Athlinks)] Yeates was a good few steps back at 7:04 with me, <b>Paul Carlin</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Three Oaks MI, <i>Ann Arbor TC</i></span>, another set of steps back in 7:18 (gun times), <b>Liam Finnigan</b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Farmington NY <i>GVH </i></span>who edged me by three seconds a month earlier at the 10K championships, was further back. He was nursing an injury and running for the team score. We did not compete head-to-head this year at Dedham or any other race, but his 5 Km times have been roughly comparable to the 24:48 I clocked in taking the Bronze Medal at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta. </span></span> I gave us an equal chance for 4th place. <b>Jan Frisby</b>, who was a Miler before he was a long-distance runner, would have been a podium threat but he had to scratch for an inner ear problem that cropped up. As May had a faster chip time than Glass last year, I opted for him to come first with Glass and Yeates following. The tricky thing about that is that Yeates came in ahead of May at Cross Country Nationals in Richmond. Would Yeates be able to do that in the Mile? I guessed not.</p><p>By the time we passed the quarter mile where a volunteer was calling out times, I heard 1:42...1:43 so I knew I was going at a very good pace. But I could also see that May and Yeates were starting to pull away. At that point I could not see Glass nor Finnigan, but assumed Glass was out ahead, out of sight, and that Finnigan was behind me. It is not unusual for Glass to get out fast and disappear from my view at the start of races. As we made the 1st turn at the 500-meter mark, I could sense someone inside me on my left and it turned out to be Finnigan. Finnigan had the inside curve and gained a few steps as we made the 2nd and last turn onto Meridian. It was somewhere around the half mile mat that I passed Finnigan and did not see him again. He did not have a half mile split. Mine was 3:34.45. Neither May nor Yeates had splits either, but I can report that they were too far ahead of me for me to have much hope of catching them. I had not spotted Glass either but that did not surprise me. If he were ahead of May and Yeates he would be difficult to see from my vantage point. When I crossed the finish line, I figured I had 4th. Finnigan was behind me. I saw May and Yeats ahead of me beyond the finish line and assumed Glass had cleared the area already. Imagine my surprise when, a dozen seconds or so later, I turned and caught a glimpse of Glass crossing the finish line. It slowly sank in that I had landed on the podium. How did May and Yeates sort out? As the preview suggested, May can run a fast mile! This year he took the top prize with a 6:38.2, rounded to 6:39. Yeates finished much closer than in 2022! He has improved a lot this year. Yeates clocked 6:42.2, almost 20 seconds faster than last year, to land in second place. I was a distant third in 7:11.4 but was not closely pressed. Six seconds faster than last year cannot be a bad thing, even if it does pale in comparison to Yeates's improvement! Glass finished fourth at 7:28, with Finnigan 5th at 7:35. </p><p>*<span style="font-size: x-small;">Footnote: Glass confirmed that he is not injured and felt that he would be able to compete at his usual level. It just did not happen. He has some thoughts about why that might be but does not have an explanation at this point. He and I hope to see him back to his usual 'running' self very soon.</span></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span>J</span>im May</i> 6:39 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Keith Yeates</i> 6:43 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Paul Carlin</i> 7:12</p><p><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">75-79</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">: Event Record 7:51 Course Record 7:57 </span><span>May, Yeates, Carlin, Glass, and Finnigan broke both the Course and Event Records. Jim May will be listed going forward as the Event and Course record holder at 6:39.</span></span></p><p><span><span><b>80-84</b> Masters Hall of Famer, <b>Doug Goodhue</b>, <b>Ed Bligh</b>, and <b>Charlie Patterson </b>were expected to finish in that order and they did. Goodhue's motivation too come back from knee surgery was to win his 60th national age division championship. He accomplished that at the 5 Km Masters Championships in Atlanta. He won there, despite a hamstring issue. He took 8 weeks off after that to let it heal before resuming training. Nonetheless, he was a clear favorite. Bligh is the reigning 80-84 champion from Cross Country nationals but has rarely, if ever, been able to win when Goodhue is in the race. Goodhue went out fast, as he always does; his time at the halfway mat was 3:32; Bligh was at 4:09, and Patterson at 4:42. Goodhue's relative lack of conditioning showed over the second half, but he still won by a minute! Goodhue's winning time was 7:28; the 'Silver Bullet' was atop the division podium yet again!. Bligh claimed the Silver medal in 8:29, with Patterson, over a minute back, gaining the Bronze. That was #61 for Goodhue, not that he is counting, but I am.</span></span></p><p><span><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Doug Goodhue</i> 7:28 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ed Bligh</i> 8:29 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Charlie Patterson</i> 9:46</span></span></p><p><span><span><b>Course/Event Records </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">80-84</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">: Event Record 11:00 Course Record 15:13 </span><span>Goodhue, Bligh and Patterson all broke both the Event and Course Records. Goodhue will now be listed as the Course and Event record holder at 7:28.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><b>85-89 Adrian Craven</b>, the reigning Masters National 85-89 Grand Prix Champion, was the sole entrant. Craven took the win in style, hitting the half mile mat in 5:42 and claiming the title at 11:31. </span></span></span>That also establishes a new 85-89 Event and Course record for the Monumental Mile.</p><p><span><span><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Adrian Craven</i> 11:31 </span></span></span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">AGE GRADING CHAMPIONSHIPS</b></p><p><span>Age Grading measures how well a given athlete's time stacks up to the estimated World's Best curve for an athlete of that age. The higher the percentage the better. Masters LDR has used the standard of referring to 90% and up as World Class, 80% and up as National Class. Some use the term Regional Class for 70% and above but that is informal. The Elite Performance Medals, awarded only at Masters National Road Racing Championships, recognize 85% - 89.99% as upper National Class which earns a Silver as opposed to a Bronze medal (for 80% -84.99%).</span></p><p><span>The winners of Championship Age Grading Medals are the fastest for their age across all age divisions. It can help settle discussions about which age division champion is most awesome among all! It can also provide recognition for an outstanding athlete in the last year or two of an age division, who may not win the age division but can out age grade younger athletes in the division who beat him/her to the finish line.</span></p><p><span><b>MEN </b>The top age grading contenders were identified in my preview as: <b>Christian Cushing-Murray, Dan King, Jacob Nur </b>and <b>David Westenberg. </b>Westenberg was a scratch due to an eye issue that cropped up unexpectedly, and Nur showed up with an adductor issue that flared up during the race, causing him to exit the race. Cushing-Murray got his division win and the American 55-59 Record. Both eluded King, but the 64-year-old nipped Cushing-Murray, 55, for the top age grading prize, 93.6% to 93.4%. King's 5:09 rated slightly higher than Cushing-Murray's 4:47. With <b>Nat Larson</b> setting the 60-64 bar at 4:49 last year at USATF-NJ's Big Bang Mile, it is very tough for any 60-64 athlete to get the record. That said, it gave King some bragging points over Lee who won the division but finished 4th in age grading. <b>Robert Qualls</b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span><span style="font-size: x-small;">71</span>, <b>Rick Lee</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">62</span>, and <b>Mike Madsen</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">50</span>, rounded out the top 5. Qualls's 5:33, Lee's 5:06, and Madsen's 4:38 earned scores of 93.2, 92.9, and 92.7. Qualls has regularly won his division but this is his first age grading podium this year. Lee, not only had #4 in age grading, but got the 60-64 division win, never an easy task in that highly competitive division. Madsen got the American record as well as landing atop-5 age grade.</span></p><p><span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Dan King</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">64 5:09</span> 93.6% <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christian Cushing-Murray</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">55 4:47 </span>93.4 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Qualls</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">71 5:33 </span><span>93.2</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Footnote: 8 others turned in World Class times: Todd Straka, Fred Torneden, Bryan Lindsay, Dan Spale, Tim Mylin, Roger Sayre, Mike Nier, Dave Bussard</span></span></p><p><span><b style="font-size: medium;">WOMEN </b>I wrote in the preview that it would be amazing if anyone other than <b style="font-size: medium;">Jeannie Rice</b> would earn the top age grading score. The report above showed that her 6:44 (chip) broke the 75-79 record by about two minutes. Perhaps the only surprising thing about the outcome is that her score was only 96.21%. Rice thinks that she should run fast enough every time at every distance to earn a 100%! I listed </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Fiona Bayly, </b><b style="background-color: white;">Sabra Harvey, Doreen McCoubrie, </b><b style="background-color: white;">Perry Shoemaker, Lisa Veneziano</b><span style="background-color: white;"> as the strongest additional candidates for the age grade podium. They all ran World Class times, but so did a couple of others. <b>Sabra Harvey</b> claimed Silver; her 6:52 at age 74. earned a score of 92.96. Like King in Men's 60-64, Veneziano could not quite keep pace, at age 58, with her two illustrious 55-year old competitors. But she nipped them in age grading and stood on the age grading podium at the end of the day. Her 5:36 at age 58 graded at 92.29. Harvey <span style="font-size: x-small;">55 5:25</span> scored a 92.12 for 4th place, with Bayly <span style="font-size: x-small;">55 5:26 </span>at 91.84% for 5th place.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Jeannie Rice</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">75 6:44 </span>96.2 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sabra Harvey</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">74 6:52 </span>92.96 <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lisa Veneziano </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">58 5:36 </span>92.29</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Footnote:Four others turned in World Class times: Suzanne la Burt, Doreen McCoubrie, Perry Shoemaker, and Jeanette Groesz.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7QNzW9k1cZyIiEZXrva2lnjaSJqVi71zcisENtS9vNcUJLwqvwfl5lmNbhdyORzPZ7uXOdJJAPaFgxGT2qRQ3O4T7z12Pseg0qMVnJ_mlTksi0f4P81PjNqMnJkmDl3e3_1ZWQfjyespUjV6QRdrxDp_q5xgUdLpW5I-_mu58sh2nz2FHYu73biAFEW8/s1261/Age%20Grade%20Podium-Women-FB-Lisa%20VCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="936" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7QNzW9k1cZyIiEZXrva2lnjaSJqVi71zcisENtS9vNcUJLwqvwfl5lmNbhdyORzPZ7uXOdJJAPaFgxGT2qRQ3O4T7z12Pseg0qMVnJ_mlTksi0f4P81PjNqMnJkmDl3e3_1ZWQfjyespUjV6QRdrxDp_q5xgUdLpW5I-_mu58sh2nz2FHYu73biAFEW8/w476-h640/Age%20Grade%20Podium-Women-FB-Lisa%20VCROP.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's Age Grading Podium-From Left-<b>Lisa Veneziano, Jeannie Rice & Sabra Harvey </b>at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by L Veneziano</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS </b>In road racing, t<span class="treepath">eam championships are
determined by adding up the times of the first three finishers on each team,
low score wins. Teams may declare up to 5 athletes.</span></p><p><span class="treepath"><b>WOMEN</b></span></p><p><span class="treepath"><b>40+ </b>No entries</span></p><p><span class="treepath"><b>50+ </b>The <i>Pursuit of Excellence </i></span><i>Track Club</i> won the 50+ division prize in 17:46, an average of 5:55.3 per scoring team member. All three athletes, <b>Lisa Veneziano, Roxanne Springer</b>, and <b>Melissa Chiti</b> scored before any runners on the 2nd place team finished. The 2nd place team was the <i>Genesee Valley Harriers</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">GVH</span> with a team total of 21:08 from <b>brenda Osovski, Cassandra Crane</b>, and <b>Gail Geiger</b>, for an average of 7:02.7.</p><p><i><b>Pursuit of Excellence</b></i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">L Veneziano, R Springer, M Chiti</span> 17:46</p><p><i><b>GVH</b> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">B Osovski, C Crane, G Geiger </span>21:08</p><p>*<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Following the event, a protest was filed that at least two of the athletes on the winning team were not eligible to compete. With no athletes on the Grandfather nor Moved lists, they are subject to rule 341.8 which allows only 1 runner from outside the association. That protest had not been ruled on, that I know of, at the time this article was posted.</span></p><p><b>60+ </b>The <i>Shore Athletic Club</i> was the sole entry. They won with a cumulative team total of 21:05, from <b>Suzanne La Burt, Debbie Brathwaite</b>, and <b>Susan Stirrat</b>, for an average of 7:01.7. That gave <i>Shore </i>their 1st win this season after a 4th place finish at the 5 Km Championships in Atlanta.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Shore AC </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">S La Burt, D Brathwaite, S Stirrat </span>21:05</p><p><b>70+ </b><i>Team Red Lizard</i><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>had no trouble taking the 70+ win, despite <b>Suzanne Ray</b> having to run a conservative race. All 3 of their scoring team finished before any of the <i>Atlanta Track Club</i>, their rivals, scored. Their team score was 21:48, from <b>Sabra Harvey, Jeanette Groesz</b>, and Ray, for an average of 7:16 per runner. <i>Atlanta </i>claimed the silver medals in 37:12, from <b>Andrea McCarter, Carol Patterson</b>, and <b>Joyce Hodges-Hite</b>, or an average of 12:24 per runner. That was the third win of the season in as many tries for <i>Red Lizard.</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Team Red Lizard</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">S Harvey, J Groesz, S Ray </span>21:48</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A McCarter, C Patterson, J Hodges-Hite </span>37:12</p><p><b>MEN</b></p><p><b>40+ </b>The <i>Indiana Elite AC</i>, the home team, seemed likely to dominate the division. They had 4 athletes entered, all of whom should break 5 minutes. <i>GVH</i> had a runner who could compete up front but did not have three runners likely to break 5 minutes. And the same was true for the <i>Greater Philadelphia TC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">GPTC. </span> A bigger question was whether <i>Indiana's </i>'B' squad could come in ahead of <i>GVH</i> and <i>GPTC. </i>As expected, <b>Bryan </b><b>Lindsay gave</b><i> Indiana</i> the early lead, with a 4:25, but <b>Jaret Herter</b> kept GVH close with a 4:30. But <i>Indiana</i>'s #2 and #3 runners, <b>Mark Guyer</b> and <b>Tom Burns</b>, came in at 4:33 and 4:42, ahead of <i>GVH</i>'s #2 runner and all of <i>GPTC</i>'s runners. Just like that, <i>Indiana 'A' </i>had the win at 13:40, averaging 4:33.3. What about <i>Indiana </i>'B'? The next runner across the line was <b>Christopher Hernandez</b> in 4:47, giving GVH 9:17 with 2 runners in. But then the 'B' squad was doing the scoring. <b>Mike Olson</b> zipped across the line in 4:53, with <b>Brandon Daugherty </b>just 6 seconds back. That brought them into contention at 9:52 with two runners in. The next two runners on the course were <i>Indiana's</i> <b>Robb Awe</b> and <i>GPTC's</i> <b>Matthew Di Pretore</b>, running stride for stride. In the end, it was Awe by a second in 5:04! That gave <i>Indiana </i>B a complete team score at 14:56. GVH needed their third runner to finish in the next 35 seconds to beat the <i>B'</i>s. <i>GVH</i> would have to rely on one of their 60+ runners who dropped down to 40+. <i>GVH</i> made a strategic choice in the run up to the race. Once it was clear they would not have a complete 60's team they decided to put their low 5's 60+ guy onto 50+ where they had a shot at the win, and their upper 5-minute 60+ guy to the 40+ team where it was a question of 2nd or 3rd most likely. <b>Gary Passamonte</b> said, 'Put me where I can do the most good!' GVH knew that Passamonte could not run a 5:39, but hoped he could run fast enough to get them in ahead of <i>GPTC. </i><b>Di Pretore</b> gave <i>GPTC</i> a 5:05, and when <b>Matthew Cutrona </b>turned in a 5:22 as <i>GPTC</i>'s #2, that gave <i>GPTC</i> 10:27 on two runners in. <b>Tim Conheady</b>, also dropping down from the 60+ division, gave<i> GPTC</i> a 5:33 to bring their final total to 16:00. Passamonte only had to beat 6:43 to give <i>GVH</i> the bronze medals. He was more than up to the task, crossing the line in 5:56 to give <i>GVH</i> 15:26 and third place. <i>GPTC</i> would have liked to make the podium but was happy that they scored 70 Grand Prix points. After all, Di Pretore and Cutrona dropped down from the 50+ division and Conheady, as noted, from the 60+ division. That gave the 40+ team 170 points on two championships and moved them into 4th place in the Grand Prix, with two events to go. There is a good chance they can score good points at the 12 Km in New Jersey. They won it in 2021 and finished 3rd last year. Good points there mean they could wrap up a very good Grand Prix season at Boca Raton!! <i>GVH</i> is one of the teams ahead of them, though, and will try to keep it that way!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Indiana AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">B Lindsay, M Guyer, T Burns (J Ritter) </span>13:40</p><p><b><i>Indiana AC</i> 'B' </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">M Olson, B Daugherty, R Awe </span>14:56</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">GVH</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">J Herter, C Hernandez, G Passamonte </span>15:13</p><p><b>50+ </b>This division would be highly contested, second only to the 60+ division. In the preview I had <i>Boulder-GVH-Indiana Elite-Shore AC</i> in that order. But that was based on the teams declared at close of online registration. At packet pickup, GVH moved Joe Mora down from the 60+ division. That move should have been worth about a half minute, enough to move GVH ahead of Boulder on paper. It is also true that I predicted a close race, with no more than a half minute, perhaps, between the top 4 teams. That means anything could happen! <i>Boulder's</i> <b>Todd Straka</b> drew first blood at 4:52, followed 8 seconds later by <i>Shore's <b>Jeff Conston</b> </i>and <i>GVH's</i><b> Mike Nier </b>at 5:04. Seven seconds later, <b>John Borthwick</b> gave <i>Boulder</i> their 2nd score at 5:11, followed closely by GVH's <b>Joe Mora</b>. dropping down from 60+,<b> </b>at 5:14. <i>Boulder </i>was at 10:03 on 2 runners,<i> GVH</i> at 10:18 on two runners. <i>Indiana</i> was heard from next when <b>Tim Mylin</b>, like Mora, dropping down from 60+, clocked 5:16. <i>GVH</i>'s #3, <b>Dale Flanders</b> and <i>Indiana's</i> #2, <b>Andrew Hector</b> were on the course, neither giving an inch! With Flanders ahead by a stride in 5:22 and Hector at 5:23, GVH was closing in on the win! They had a complete team score at 15:40! That was an average of 5:13.3. <i>Boulder's </i>3rd runner needed to crack 5:37 for them to get the win! In the meantime, Hector's 5:23 gave <i>Indiana </i>10:39 on two athletes. <b>Chris Rinaldi</b> was two strides back at 5:25, giving <i>Shore </i>2 athletes in and 10:25, so 14 seconds ahead of <i>Indiana. To</i> take the victory away from <i>GVH</i>, <i>Boulder</i> needed their 3rd runner to finish under 5:37; <i>Indiana </i>and <i>Shore </i>could not catch <i>GVH</i>. <b>Alonso Gonzalez</b> closed off <i>Indiana's</i> scoring at 5:31; their total was at 16:10, an average of 5:23.3. The clock was ticking for <i>Boulder</i> and<i> Shore</i>. <i>Boulder's</i> 3rd runner had 35 seconds before it was too late to thwart<i> Indiana</i> but <i>Shore</i> had just 13! Thirteen seconds came and went with no one crossing the line from this division. <i>Indiana</i> would at least earn team bronzes! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvj12mxjlwB3raV9NP662bkr6uzUW0oc6oAPtAHL37VqeNbhGfFzjwZ9-HGl0seZ-97FTFhl_FAo_uuLOBCGQpMxz73ahn9nyIscTwbQwSV8dv3dAQ1Uxz_QJ7c8YefmX2Zffqtrpgs2QZikFLWrEFJUTb1mD4nw8-5uQbq1OceGdgmFiSQn4OVftVsC_/s2048/Gonzalez-Hector-Mylin-50+%20IN%20Elite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvj12mxjlwB3raV9NP662bkr6uzUW0oc6oAPtAHL37VqeNbhGfFzjwZ9-HGl0seZ-97FTFhl_FAo_uuLOBCGQpMxz73ahn9nyIscTwbQwSV8dv3dAQ1Uxz_QJ7c8YefmX2Zffqtrpgs2QZikFLWrEFJUTb1mD4nw8-5uQbq1OceGdgmFiSQn4OVftVsC_/w640-h426/Gonzalez-Hector-Mylin-50+%20IN%20Elite.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indiana Elite's 50+ Team Bronze medalists <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left </span><b>Alonso Gonzalez, Andrew Hector, Tim Mylin</b> at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Beyond Monumentqal FB page</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>As it turned out the #3 runners from both <i>Shore. </i>and <i>Boulder</i> crossed the line in sync at 5:52. <b>Michael Di Leva</b> gave it everything he had but <i>Shore </i>was seven seconds short. Their 16:17 was an average of 5:25.7. They would enjoy the 70 Grand Prix points nonetheless. Had Di Leva not stepped up, they would have gotten zero! They would move up from 7th into a tie for 5th in that GP race. <b>Adam Feerst</b>, still sore from a crash landing off of a road bike just days before the race, ensured that Boulder got the silver medals and the 90 Grand Prix points that go with it. Their 15:55 was an average of 5:18.3. They were now tied with <i>Shore </i>for fifth in the Grand Prix, moving up from 13th. <i>GVH</i>, by the way, got the full 100 GP points, moving from 2nd into first!</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">GVH</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">M Nier, j Mora, D Flanders (M Mertens) </span>15:40</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder RR</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">T Straka, J Borthwick, A Feerst </span>15:55</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Indiana Elite AC</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">T Mylin, A Hector, A Gonzalez </span>16:10</p><p><b>60+</b> As has often been the case this year, the 60+ division was the most hotly contested. <i>Shore</i> has been dreaming of a race day when their top three of <b>Rick Lee</b>, <b>Henry Notaro</b> and <b>Mark Zamek</b> would all step to the same line, healthy and hearty. It is still a dream. Notaro may still be injured I can find no races for him since Cross Nationals in Virginia. Zamek is also still working through issues. Zamek hoped his bronze medal effort at Dedham in the 10 Km would be a sign he could go all out today. But hsi issues reasserted themselves once he tried to enter a more intensive training block. He determined he would race for the team but hold himself back to what he referred to as tempo pace, around 5:20. They would still be a tough team to beat. Lee would be vying for the individual victory and <b>Gary Wiesinger</b> provided a very solid number 3. Uncertainties included whether Zamek's tendon would be up to the tempo effort and whether Lee might have some heaviness in his legs from his 55K trek in the Comrades marathon in South Africa. The <i>CHT Elite</i> team, which used to compete as <i>Playmakers Elite</i>, would bring a more tightly packed set of runners. <b>Dave Bussard</b> just ran a sub-18 5K but he still would not quite match up with Lee. If <b>Tim Lambrecht</b> and <b>Eric Stuber</b> could deliver times in the 5:20- 5:40 range, they would be dangerous. <i>Boulder</i> would have a solid 1-2 in <b>Roger Sayre</b> and <b>Dan Spale</b>. They are both now in the 65-69 division so not as dangerous in a 60+ team race as they were 5 years earlier. Their #3, <b>Bob Cottrell</b>, was new to me. Though he resides in Dillon CO, the most relevant performances I found were a 5K in Virginia, a 23:01, and a 65 second 400-M effort at the MTF Outdoor Championships last year. He finished almost 4 minutes behind Spale at the 5 Km XC in Boulder. All that suggested to me that there might be a pretty large gap, easily as much as a minute, between their top two and their #3. The fact that he attempted a 400M at the Outdoor MTF meet might be a sign that he is much faster at a mile than a 5K.</p><p>If Lee had any miles in his legs, he did not show it. Lee sped across the finish line in 5:06 to take the division victory and arrive first in the team competition. Bussard came next at 5:17, followed by Sayre and Zamek, true to his word, coming across the line at 5:21. Zamek's score gave <i>Shore </i>'A' 10:27. Now they would wait to see when Weisinger would finish. Six seconds later, Spale was in and <i>Boulder </i>had 10:48 from 2 athletes. Five more seconds and Lambrecht was in and <i>CHT</i> was at 10:49. Eight seconds later, <i>CHT</i> was done. Stuber added 5:40 to bring <i>CHTs </i>total to 16:29. That represents an average of 5:29.7. <i>Shore </i>needed Weisinger under 6:02! Cottrell for <i>Boulder</i> had to be just a second back to move ahead of <i>CHT</i> but that was not to be. Cottrell ran faster than I had expected, clocking 5:47, but that still left <i>Boulder </i>at 16:35, six seconds behind <i>CHT</i>. Their 16:35 was an average of 5:31.7. And what about Weisinger? He still had 14 seconds of opportunity. It was enough; Weisinger crossed the line at 6:01, giving <i>Shore</i> the win by a single second over <i>CHT</i>! Their 16:28 was an average of 5:29.3. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIajblJl2lpcsjbUfdjUGTX3ASpnMaTj_DjRfFwmu5qpOwcrS8bZUaQYUOupCQVHTZKqef78DdYNVnRUaG3Bhs1iyApzUroIzKWdY-tK8p7-Q_jUJEOe69Oa9P_ls7TtowE9A7QrmlP5Q1339VtdYWqQtpqP-izW8asBzn6M1h1xRzPvqW9GL2XQtmyi8/s1601/Shore%20AC%2060+-GWpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1601" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIajblJl2lpcsjbUfdjUGTX3ASpnMaTj_DjRfFwmu5qpOwcrS8bZUaQYUOupCQVHTZKqef78DdYNVnRUaG3Bhs1iyApzUroIzKWdY-tK8p7-Q_jUJEOe69Oa9P_ls7TtowE9A7QrmlP5Q1339VtdYWqQtpqP-izW8asBzn6M1h1xRzPvqW9GL2XQtmyi8/w480-h640/Shore%20AC%2060+-GWpost.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shore AC Men's 60+ Team Gold Medalists <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left </span><b>Mark Zamek, Gary Weisinger, Rick Lee </b>at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by G Weisinger</span><b> </b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>That was close, just seven seconds between Team first and Team 3rd. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDLG_IDuArdNvGt8-fGqsHjrbolfU6L87AGTpFXCuj0afqEtsXEW7KkKDHnRD84ZrHWNqJuPcvFOnT7SIT5aWI5og37pri4-YBr6cx-1dZt-avVi50LnDBTID-0BJqfucjURZ2j2XUx_ZZnjV8gleCW3bi3Qr9X7jgZCN7O1vc3iLdIDrGN9mrwAtMjYP/s702/CTE%20Elite-60+Team-Posted%20by%20J%20HartgesCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="702" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDLG_IDuArdNvGt8-fGqsHjrbolfU6L87AGTpFXCuj0afqEtsXEW7KkKDHnRD84ZrHWNqJuPcvFOnT7SIT5aWI5og37pri4-YBr6cx-1dZt-avVi50LnDBTID-0BJqfucjURZ2j2XUx_ZZnjV8gleCW3bi3Qr9X7jgZCN7O1vc3iLdIDrGN9mrwAtMjYP/w640-h368/CTE%20Elite-60+Team-Posted%20by%20J%20HartgesCROP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CHT Elite-Silver Medalists Men's 60+ Team <span style="font-size: xx-small;">From Left: </span><b>Tim Lambrecht, Dave Bussard, Eric Stuber, Kerry Barnett, Jaime Hartges </b>at the 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo posted on Strava by J Hartges</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The <i>Shore AC </i>B team finished 4th in 18:29, with <b>Kevin Dollard</b>, <b>Scott Linell</b>, and <b>Reno Stirrat</b>.</p><p><b><i>Shore AC</i></b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">R Lee, M Zamek, G Weisinger </span>16:28</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">CHT Elite</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">D Bussard, T Lambrecht, E Stuber (J Hartges, K Barnett) </span>16:29</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Boulder RR</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">R Sayre, D Spale, B Cottrell </span>16:35</p><p><b>70+ </b><i>Boulder</i><b> </b>was the consensus pick, among the teams entered, for the win. With their top two, <b>Doug Bell</b> and <b>Doug Chesnut</b> contending for the team win, and <b>Rick Katz</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>providing solid support at #3, they would be tough to beat. <i>Atlanta</i> had <b>Kirk Larson</b> contending for the team win, and <b>Dave Glass</b>, likely not far back. But <b>Jerry Learned</b>, who has still been a steady #3 this year, although struggling a bit with health issues, was missing. When the Mile was scheduled for Rochester, he committed to an extended family gathering the weekend of the 24th. By the time the Mile was firmly rescheduled to June 24th, it was impossible to change the date for the family event. They would not have the depth to contend for the win, but <b>Morris Williams</b> stepped up to ensure that they would have a complete team and would finish either 3rd or 4th and get the GP points along with it. <i>GVH</i> brought a very solid team but their top runners, now in the 75-79 division, are no longer threats at the front of the team 70+ division. The same thing could be said of the <i>Ann Arbor TC</i> although it is also true that the team, as a whole, is not as competition oriented as they were a couple of years back when they took the 70+ GP title in 2018 and 2019.</p><p>As expected, it was Bell, Larson and Chesnut, barreling down Meridian Street competing for the 70+ Team win. Bell got the win in 6:11 and, although Chesnut edged Larson at the line, their times were both rounded up to 6:13. <i>Boulder </i>had two in and a running total of 12:24. <i>GVH</i> was heard from next as May and Yeates sped across the line in 6:39 and 6:43; GVH had 13:22 from their first two. Glass, of <i>Atlanta</i> should have been mixing it up with those two but had the rare off day. <i>Ann Arbor</i> came next as <b>Terry McCluskey</b> clocked 6:56. Seven seconds later, Katz scored, giving <i>Boulder</i> a team total of 19:27 and the win! No one could catch them! Another nine seconds passed and <b>Paul Carlin</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">That's me! </span>finished at 7:12. <i>Ann Arbor</i> was at 14:08 with two athletes in. Glass and <i>Ann Arbor's </i><b>Doug Goodhue</b> came next, with matching 7:28 finishing times. That gave <i>Ann Arbor </i>21:36 for their complete total, and Atlanta had 13:41 with two in. <i>GVH</i>'s <b>Liam Finnigan</b> had to finish in under 8:14 for them to nail 2nd place. That was no problem for Finnigan! At 7:35, he was across the line, and <i>GVH</i> was in for the silver medals at 20:57. Williams needed a 7:55 or better for <i>Atlanta</i> to edge <i>Ann Arbor </i>for bronze medals. That did not happen, but Willams was across the line in 8:31. <i>Atlanta </i>was at 22:12; they had 70 GP points and that could be important as the GP is winding up this fall.</p><p>The turnout was a little smaller than last year, understandable with their late start on marketing. But they drew very competitive fields in almost every division, from the far corners of the nation. When you have six American records set at a Mile event, you know you have been able to attract some pretty speedy Masters runners! Athletes were enthused, saying it was a great event and they would love to return! A great airport to fly into, a quick ride to downtown and super-convenient layout made it easy. The hotel was a block from Monument Circle, the staging area for the race, with packet pickup, gear drop, uniform check in, and post-race beverage and food, hang out time, along with timing results, and awards. What could be better?! It would be interesting to see what kind of field they would draw if they had a longer marketing period in front of the race. Word of mouth would be a strong positive!</p><p><br /></p><p>A few more shots of post-race celebration and camaraderie:</p><p>Posted on Beyond Monumental's Facebook site:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBcZ9nxUxHn3cQ-JdokPjZ4Lkwnh8IRqtSCzOVNwnM2eOTcWmakDVvqA89i7HSwYNa8RPt0LjPfhFU_1p-xsy38VFD4_a1RvRDrwquDzwIBstc5NIic6hykbaO1xJ_Wkk2c1tLxRI4q7QPo2t0THkXMDRMxFAdaHXrWN2vwryebnt7qFvjOcMpUfd9Ozb/s2048/Carol%20Poenisch%20&%20Cullison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBcZ9nxUxHn3cQ-JdokPjZ4Lkwnh8IRqtSCzOVNwnM2eOTcWmakDVvqA89i7HSwYNa8RPt0LjPfhFU_1p-xsy38VFD4_a1RvRDrwquDzwIBstc5NIic6hykbaO1xJ_Wkk2c1tLxRI4q7QPo2t0THkXMDRMxFAdaHXrWN2vwryebnt7qFvjOcMpUfd9Ozb/w400-h266/Carol%20Poenisch%20&%20Cullison.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Carol Poenisch </b>& <b>Linda Cullison </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">L to R </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHcteBSUbD3pNQ2rrxJTLJkt8ouyCanaE8TaMBkDAzwDM5odxN_vKJ01jFHQksYOpAFWZx5ttXtox9abkWnl1z8QJ8BaTXFRf6WXp9nzLiewGgKQcXFlCaO8NeRaFFq5-wHk_AHQOC2knmM6yBqVw6nU1jrSB8B9fnRcb6ROUO1FSrLhAQgahJoebI2pt/s2048/Indiana%20E;ite%20AC%20group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHcteBSUbD3pNQ2rrxJTLJkt8ouyCanaE8TaMBkDAzwDM5odxN_vKJ01jFHQksYOpAFWZx5ttXtox9abkWnl1z8QJ8BaTXFRf6WXp9nzLiewGgKQcXFlCaO8NeRaFFq5-wHk_AHQOC2knmM6yBqVw6nU1jrSB8B9fnRcb6ROUO1FSrLhAQgahJoebI2pt/w640-h426/Indiana%20E;ite%20AC%20group.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indiana Elite 40+ and 50+</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxlPF1Yn2Zg8-JSIbz22CTKxzrQaA08NKn-lndk9lWVX2d-F_mnJuMydy-bKfrbjscOKoCki5QzDbWvHf1qwPCdHwkBgzNt9iEoZX9ldEAHck4yXHAk1UIbmBB67qRKyCcDUKHhtKKcSWmtoevEMRCMw2ULY6R5K16tLjMOf4TN6bc2dBX2V0ttERbTGc/s1567/Shore%20AC%20&%20Me-post%20raceCROP-Dileva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1567" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxlPF1Yn2Zg8-JSIbz22CTKxzrQaA08NKn-lndk9lWVX2d-F_mnJuMydy-bKfrbjscOKoCki5QzDbWvHf1qwPCdHwkBgzNt9iEoZX9ldEAHck4yXHAk1UIbmBB67qRKyCcDUKHhtKKcSWmtoevEMRCMw2ULY6R5K16tLjMOf4TN6bc2dBX2V0ttERbTGc/w640-h500/Shore%20AC%20&%20Me-post%20raceCROP-Dileva.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shore AC Men's 60's -<span style="font-size: xx-small;">L to R: </span><b>Scott Linnell, Rick Lee, Kevin Dollard, Matt Di Leva </b>+ 1 AATC 70's <b>ME</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Posted on Strava:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-KOF6Q96r8WHZkbn0yyNjMJNbX9nWP3yMcJzPiZMv1wGR61QOSo0qP2Rf7msknbPz2CLVg0jvQAkLqfPdFPk4_IrySkg8ksHlnM2ztFUh53SYoqabyw1I1IWOhfUr0r8dWwGZMhjvUFpKF6tklouueSC81PenpDXvGgx56v9Qp1Ft6XJ2ccx7-I1_DjY/s1461/Boulder-50+_60+_70+_DSpalePost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="1461" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-KOF6Q96r8WHZkbn0yyNjMJNbX9nWP3yMcJzPiZMv1wGR61QOSo0qP2Rf7msknbPz2CLVg0jvQAkLqfPdFPk4_IrySkg8ksHlnM2ztFUh53SYoqabyw1I1IWOhfUr0r8dWwGZMhjvUFpKF6tklouueSC81PenpDXvGgx56v9Qp1Ft6XJ2ccx7-I1_DjY/w640-h566/Boulder-50+_60+_70+_DSpalePost.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boulder Road Runners-50's through 70's</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzWbnf7Qq-f8KzbU6gVAWXCa9TneuMznNfvHsN2iSZusINa22LyKc6m_DFQISBSVDttoMdYR3XiTD5zrq50ErlnlnXgS2rEv_AcJeFyuXfNUvQr2tWmhlmivLeRu-us-p4WoE0pusOB6pqC5V2KhJ9ozJw9yA-J5IWqeAaiT_dwJw0M4iPcXLr52HXEzV/s1129/Groesz-Ray-Rice-Harvey-DayAfterCROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="968" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzWbnf7Qq-f8KzbU6gVAWXCa9TneuMznNfvHsN2iSZusINa22LyKc6m_DFQISBSVDttoMdYR3XiTD5zrq50ErlnlnXgS2rEv_AcJeFyuXfNUvQr2tWmhlmivLeRu-us-p4WoE0pusOB6pqC5V2KhJ9ozJw9yA-J5IWqeAaiT_dwJw0M4iPcXLr52HXEzV/w548-h640/Groesz-Ray-Rice-Harvey-DayAfterCROP.jpg" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day After the Race at the IU Track-Light Workout & Friendship <span style="font-size: xx-small;">L to R </span><b>Jeanette Groesz, Suzanne Ray, Jeannie Rice, Sabra Harvey</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDquLXIGf8PS1_P4V_VLCKB0zjr0gNXsnh1-Gd4HrC16X1-AXb3TZipeZQrsYs3HQ1BgyPexs9d_fpj99YcS_7QARiu8YcPJn5XwRAPwLL2nOjAcOCuGSmovZdE1SO9WOH5Mq4bu_to5wBjNhiMZPMxAwQjA8odKKii5XpD3LB6vHyqknSnRgTmwkMkLJo/s640/Nur-Sayre-Feerst-RSpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDquLXIGf8PS1_P4V_VLCKB0zjr0gNXsnh1-Gd4HrC16X1-AXb3TZipeZQrsYs3HQ1BgyPexs9d_fpj99YcS_7QARiu8YcPJn5XwRAPwLL2nOjAcOCuGSmovZdE1SO9WOH5Mq4bu_to5wBjNhiMZPMxAwQjA8odKKii5XpD3LB6vHyqknSnRgTmwkMkLJo/w400-h301/Nur-Sayre-Feerst-RSpost.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Selfie' with Monument Circle in Background-<span style="font-size: xx-small;">L to R </span><b>Jacob Nur, Roger Sayre, Adam Feerst</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The Running Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636694266399613126noreply@blogger.com0