conversations with myself
number 1
On the Marathon
by PS Carlin
i'm going to run a marathon, sez i
why? sez u
because, sez i
no, really? sez u
'cause i want to, sez i
that's not a reason, sez u
a challenge, sez i
loads-a challenges out there...why a marathon? sez u
people wanna know yer marathon time, sez i
so what? sez u
or yer not a real distance runner, sez i
u care what they think? sez u
not really, sez i
then why? sez u
so i'm a distance runner, sez i
yer already a national champ, sez u
no, a real distance runner, sez i
a half-marathon's not real? sez u
real but..., sez i
but what? sez u
but not a marathon, sez i
baloney! sez u. why?
because it's there, sez i
that's 'climbing a mountain', sez u
or a marathon, sez i
a marathon's not a mountain, sez u
close enough, sez i
how so? sez u. is it big?
mebbe not big but definitely grand, sez i
majestic? sez u
that's it, sez i
and hard? sez u
difficult, sez i
once in a lifetime? sez u
most people never, sez i
yer not most people? sez u
nope, sez i
an accomplishment? sez u
big, sez i
copyright Paul S. Carlin--no use without author's written permission
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Indiana Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships-4 of Top 6 Indiana Teams-- Women's race recap
The Indiana Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships were held yesterday, Friday September 19 on a beautiful sunny afternoon with temperatures in the low 70's--ideal for spectators but perhaps a bit warm for the runners. There were a few muddy spots here and there on the course but the footing was quite good by X-C standards.
Purdue University has a course that is exclusively for Cross Country races, not a course that winds around a golf course. That makes it a little easier for spectators to get out on the course to observe up close and cheer on the runners at strategic points during the race. There is also a nice hill close to the finish line that gives a pretty good overview of how the race is progressing for those who want a single vantage point.
But there are enough trees around the course that the runners are sometimes out of sight for several minutes at a time. There is a nice completely open and visible stretch of nearly 300 yards that serves as the start of the race and is repeated on subsequent laps for the 8K (on the 2nd and final lap for the 5K course the women's teams were scheduled to run on).
Eventually the runners finish their 8K or 5K race at the foot of this hill.
There were four races on the afternoon, starting with separate Open women's and men's races, followed by the Championship races for women and men. This recap will focus on the Championship races. The Big State Meet (Division I universities) and the Little State Meet (all other Indiana colleges and universities) were run together but scored separately. Today's post will cover the women's race and the men's race will be covered tomorrow.
The women's teams ran first over a shortened 3.0 mile course (rather than the usual 5K [=3.1 miles] course. Things were tight for much of the first loop of the course (about 3k or 1.8 miles) but then two
runners, Amanda Behnke, a sophomore from IU, and Alex Berends, a first year student at Taylor, established a gap. Berends held tough with Behnke through almost to the finish when Behnke pulled away but after that it was (almost) all the IU Hoosiers with just a few Purdue runners interspersed and
then the IUPUI pack prevailed over Indiana State and Ball State. Berends held her pace to the end, losing to Behnke by 15 seconds but beating her closest Little State opponent by over 40 seconds. Berends demonstrated clearly why she had been named the NAIA National Female Runner of the Week earlier this month.
In the Big State meet, Behnke led Whitman to the line for the Hoosiers as they finished 1-2 in 17:09.9 and 17:30.3. Junior Boilermaker, Katie Hoevet closed quickly over the last mile and wound up less than 4 seconds behind Whitman. But IU took 4 of the next 5 places to ice the win with 19 points. Amelia Reynolds[17:35.2], the Neeley sisters, Bethany [17:36.0] and Brittany [17:36.9], and Chanli Mundy [17:37.8] did the damage.
In addition to Hovet, Boilermaker Junior, Michelle Porter, broke up the Hoosier pack with her 6th place finish in 17:36.6. Hope Schmelzle was the 3rd Purdue runner in in 9th followed by a tight 3-runner pack of Kiara McIntosh, Gabrielle Broschard, and Kristen Fritts in 12th through 14th place. That was not enough to catch the Hoosiers but ti was enough to keep the up and coming IUPUI Jaguars well behind as Purdue scored 43 points to IUPUI's 103 points for third.
Although IUPUI was unable to get anyone into the top 15 they had a tight enough pack to defeat Indiana State and Ball State who finished fourth and fifth respectively with 117 and 137 respectively.
The Jaguar pack was led by Leah Brooks, 18th [18:09];
Savannah Turner, 23rd [18:31.8], 1st year runner, Kelsey Tyler, 25th [18:38.3];
Jordan Hanaway, 27th [18:45.7]; 1st year runner, Mindy Whidden, 29th [18:48.6]
and Julie Riggins, 30th [18:49.2].
Nicole Lucas finished 11th for the Sycamores in 17:52.9 but the gaps back to their 2nd through 5th
runners were too large. First year runner, Taylor Austin, was their second runner in at 24th [18:34] and Sydney Dickerson, their third runner was at 31st [18:52.4]. First year runners, Danielle Muse and Jessi Conley ran well together, finishing in 34th and 35th but were not able to break up the main Jaguar pack of 8 runners.
The story was similar for Ball State but just notched down a bit. The Edon sisters, Courtney and
Caitlyn, led the way for the Cardinal with a 14th [18:03.8] and 21st finish respectively [18:26.3] but then there was a gap of over a minute to the third Ball State runner who finished in 39th place, 1st year Danielle Dahl. Their scoring was rounded out by Ericka Rinehart and Jessica Bryzek in 41st and 42nd.
Evansville closed out the team scoring with 143 points, led by Laurel Wolfe in 26th (18:42.9), Alyssa Moran in 28th(18:48.2), Loren Oboikovitz in 37th, Kirsten Perry (38th), and Elizabeth Kingshott (40th).
Two of the top 6 Indiana teams were absent, Butler and Notre Dame. Actually Butler did send some of their second tier runners to compete in the Open race but their top runners were kept out.
Butler is pointing towards their big race next Saturday, the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, MN. It will be interesting to see how they do as a test of mid-season fitness; that meet typically invites some of the top 20 teams nationally.
Notre Dame was hosting the National Catholic Championships as they do every year. Notre Dame did well in those races with the women winning convincingly but the men being surprised by Canisius to finish second. The ND coach described it as a 'wake-up' call for the men's team.
Now in its 19th year, the event has sometimes attracted some of the big eastern running powers like Georgetown, Providence and Villanova, but not this year. For any Indiana spectators interested in those teams, Butler University is hosting the Big East Cross Country Championships on the storied cross country course at Northview Church in Carmel Indiana on Halloween day, October 31st. It's a beautiful course; let's hope it is also a beautiful, crisp fall day. Interestingly enough that course will also play host to the 2014 USA Track and Field National 5K Masters Championships on the following weekend.
Many of these same teams will be in action again at the Notre Dame Invitational in two weeks.
Purdue University has a course that is exclusively for Cross Country races, not a course that winds around a golf course. That makes it a little easier for spectators to get out on the course to observe up close and cheer on the runners at strategic points during the race. There is also a nice hill close to the finish line that gives a pretty good overview of how the race is progressing for those who want a single vantage point.
 |
| Spectator Hill viewed from the finishing area below. |
But there are enough trees around the course that the runners are sometimes out of sight for several minutes at a time. There is a nice completely open and visible stretch of nearly 300 yards that serves as the start of the race and is repeated on subsequent laps for the 8K (on the 2nd and final lap for the 5K course the women's teams were scheduled to run on).
 |
| Looking out over the finish area toward the start of the race in the middle distance |
 |
| View of the finish line area with runner's recovery area out of picture to the right. |
The women's teams ran first over a shortened 3.0 mile course (rather than the usual 5K [=3.1 miles] course. Things were tight for much of the first loop of the course (about 3k or 1.8 miles) but then two
 |
| Tightly bunched, about 600 yards into the race. |
 |
| Second wave of runners with IUPUI's Jordan Hanaway (Captain) and Savannah Turner |
 |
| Behnke and Berends ahead of the pack at about the two-thirds point. |
In the Big State meet, Behnke led Whitman to the line for the Hoosiers as they finished 1-2 in 17:09.9 and 17:30.3. Junior Boilermaker, Katie Hoevet closed quickly over the last mile and wound up less than 4 seconds behind Whitman. But IU took 4 of the next 5 places to ice the win with 19 points. Amelia Reynolds[17:35.2], the Neeley sisters, Bethany [17:36.0] and Brittany [17:36.9], and Chanli Mundy [17:37.8] did the damage.
 | ||
| IU's 2nd runner, Jill Whitman (1st yr.) in the gap between Berends and the rest of the pack | . |
Although IUPUI was unable to get anyone into the top 15 they had a tight enough pack to defeat Indiana State and Ball State who finished fourth and fifth respectively with 117 and 137 respectively.
The Jaguar pack was led by Leah Brooks, 18th [18:09];
 | |
| Leah Brooks, 1st IUPUI runner, establishing a gap on the remainder of the field. |
Jordan Hanaway, 27th [18:45.7]; 1st year runner, Mindy Whidden, 29th [18:48.6]
 |
| Mindy Whidden, winning her conference title for Hobart HS last year |
and Julie Riggins, 30th [18:49.2].
Nicole Lucas finished 11th for the Sycamores in 17:52.9 but the gaps back to their 2nd through 5th
 |
| Nicole Lucas, Indiana State's top runner |
runners were too large. First year runner, Taylor Austin, was their second runner in at 24th [18:34] and Sydney Dickerson, their third runner was at 31st [18:52.4]. First year runners, Danielle Muse and Jessi Conley ran well together, finishing in 34th and 35th but were not able to break up the main Jaguar pack of 8 runners.
The story was similar for Ball State but just notched down a bit. The Edon sisters, Courtney and
 |
| Courtney and Caitlyn Edon, top Ball State runners |
Caitlyn, led the way for the Cardinal with a 14th [18:03.8] and 21st finish respectively [18:26.3] but then there was a gap of over a minute to the third Ball State runner who finished in 39th place, 1st year Danielle Dahl. Their scoring was rounded out by Ericka Rinehart and Jessica Bryzek in 41st and 42nd.
Evansville closed out the team scoring with 143 points, led by Laurel Wolfe in 26th (18:42.9), Alyssa Moran in 28th(18:48.2), Loren Oboikovitz in 37th, Kirsten Perry (38th), and Elizabeth Kingshott (40th).
Two of the top 6 Indiana teams were absent, Butler and Notre Dame. Actually Butler did send some of their second tier runners to compete in the Open race but their top runners were kept out.
Butler is pointing towards their big race next Saturday, the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, MN. It will be interesting to see how they do as a test of mid-season fitness; that meet typically invites some of the top 20 teams nationally.
Notre Dame was hosting the National Catholic Championships as they do every year. Notre Dame did well in those races with the women winning convincingly but the men being surprised by Canisius to finish second. The ND coach described it as a 'wake-up' call for the men's team.
Now in its 19th year, the event has sometimes attracted some of the big eastern running powers like Georgetown, Providence and Villanova, but not this year. For any Indiana spectators interested in those teams, Butler University is hosting the Big East Cross Country Championships on the storied cross country course at Northview Church in Carmel Indiana on Halloween day, October 31st. It's a beautiful course; let's hope it is also a beautiful, crisp fall day. Interestingly enough that course will also play host to the 2014 USA Track and Field National 5K Masters Championships on the following weekend.
Many of these same teams will be in action again at the Notre Dame Invitational in two weeks.
Preview No. 1 of USATF National Masters 5K Road Championship-Women
As promised, here is the first preview for the upcoming USATF 5K Master's women's championship race at the Syracuse Festival of Races on October 5th, 2014. Feedback suggests shorter posts may be better so today I do W40 through W50 and tomorrow W55 and up.
The women and the men run separate races; last year the men ran first and were lucky with the rain which held off. The women wound up running in a fair [or perhaps unfair :)] amount of rain. But I was told it had been the other way around a few years previously. In any case, the rain served to neither dampen their spirits nor slow their times down as there were some incredible performances.
[Preview based upon information available online as of Sep.19, 2014 at 10:30 pm]
Overall. The overall Master's crown went to Melody Fairchild [Boulder, CO] who scored a decisive win last year in 16:51. She was followed by Sonja Friend-Uhl [Brentwood, TN] 19 seconds back and Lori Kingsley [Wysox, PA] another half minute back. It was a terrific Masters debut for Fairchild, who has been a storied runner since her high school days. As of press time, only Friend-Uhl is currently registered. Even if the field were fixed as at present, there would be a challenger for 2014. Holly Ortlund [Atlanta Track Club] is a new Masters athlete who ran a 17:12 5K on Labor Day this year. And, of course, Fairchild and Kingsley may yet register.
W40. Fairchild, Friend-Uhl, and Nancy Mack [GA] went 1-2-3 in the W40 age group. If Fairchild has other plans for the 5th of October, Friend-Uhl and Ortlund should battle it out for supremacy in this age group, as for the overall title.
W45. Last year Lori Kingsley (PA) and Emily Bryans (NY) battled to the finish with Kingsley taking the age group [and 3rd overall] by 5 seconds in 17:47. So far neither is signed up for this year's race. Among
those who have signed up, it appears that Linda Hawke [Athena Track Club] is the strongest competitor with a sub-3 hour marathon, a 1:25+ half marathon and a 30:41 8K. Although she seems
to prefer longer races, she does have a sub-20 5K this year and a couple of sub-19 5K's in 2013. I hope that Kingsley and Bryan have this race on their calendar as Hawke adds a new element to the competition.
W50. Last year Marisa Sutera Strange [Athena Track Club-NY] took this category decisively at 18:10, with a half minute margin over Deborah Torneden (KS). Sutera Strange is back to defend her
title but so far Torneden has not registered. Among those who have, her teammate, Doreen McCoubrie [Athena Track Club], is a real threat. She will try to reverse the results of the USATF 10K championship earlier this year where
Sutera Strange defeated her by 14 seconds in 38:47. It should be quite a rematch!
The women and the men run separate races; last year the men ran first and were lucky with the rain which held off. The women wound up running in a fair [or perhaps unfair :)] amount of rain. But I was told it had been the other way around a few years previously. In any case, the rain served to neither dampen their spirits nor slow their times down as there were some incredible performances.
[Preview based upon information available online as of Sep.19, 2014 at 10:30 pm]
Overall. The overall Master's crown went to Melody Fairchild [Boulder, CO] who scored a decisive win last year in 16:51. She was followed by Sonja Friend-Uhl [Brentwood, TN] 19 seconds back and Lori Kingsley [Wysox, PA] another half minute back. It was a terrific Masters debut for Fairchild, who has been a storied runner since her high school days. As of press time, only Friend-Uhl is currently registered. Even if the field were fixed as at present, there would be a challenger for 2014. Holly Ortlund [Atlanta Track Club] is a new Masters athlete who ran a 17:12 5K on Labor Day this year. And, of course, Fairchild and Kingsley may yet register.
| Melody Fairchild breaking the tape as the 5K Women's Champion in 2013 |
 |
| Sonja Friend-Uhl, setting a brisk pace in one of her many races |
W45. Last year Lori Kingsley (PA) and Emily Bryans (NY) battled to the finish with Kingsley taking the age group [and 3rd overall] by 5 seconds in 17:47. So far neither is signed up for this year's race. Among
 |
| Lori Kingsley, USATF Half Marathon Champion, 2011 |
those who have signed up, it appears that Linda Hawke [Athena Track Club] is the strongest competitor with a sub-3 hour marathon, a 1:25+ half marathon and a 30:41 8K. Although she seems
 | |
| Linda Hawke (middle), 3rd place finisher in Michelle's Miles 5K |
W50. Last year Marisa Sutera Strange [Athena Track Club-NY] took this category decisively at 18:10, with a half minute margin over Deborah Torneden (KS). Sutera Strange is back to defend her
 |
| Marisa Sutera Strange, claiming the vistory in the Women's 5k of the Dutchess County Classic |
title but so far Torneden has not registered. Among those who have, her teammate, Doreen McCoubrie [Athena Track Club], is a real threat. She will try to reverse the results of the USATF 10K championship earlier this year where
 |
| Doreen McCoubrie, #2 in the 2006 MORE Marathon |
Sutera Strange defeated her by 14 seconds in 38:47. It should be quite a rematch!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
USATF Masters 5K National Championships on October 5 2014--Preview
Preview as of 9 am Sep 16 2014 (based on online information search and list of entrants at USATF site)
The USA Track and Field Masters 5K Road National Championships are scheduled for October 5, 2014 in Syracuse, NY as part of their annual Festival of Races. Organized by Dave Oja, this is one event that elite Masters runners look forward to each year. Now in its 7th consecutive year as host of the 5K championship, it is very well organized, Dave goes out of his way to make all of the runners feel appreciated and knows so many on a first name basis. And, by the way, the course is flat and fast; it has about as few and as gentle turns as you can have for an out and back course. Dave prides his race on having 'world class' age-graded performances (90% or better) for almost all of his individual age records. He has his hopes set on at least one more of those being chalked up this year, that for male 70 year olds, but more on that below. The fastest men's times on the course can be observed here: http://www.festivalofraces.com/agegroupmen.html.
Today I will preview the Men's races and the Women's later this week. Here's a pic of Andrea Darmad, overeall winner of the race last year in 15:21; he beat the overall masters winner, Chad Newton, from Pisgah Forest, NC representing the Atlanta TC, by a mere 4 seconds.
First the course: It starts by the parking lots for the Syracuse University athletic complex. Pretty flat at the start, it soons turns left with a slight downgrade. Then around the 1K mark there is a gentle turn to the right as runners start to run along a parkway. Eventually you wind along to the half way point where runners swing around to the other side of the road (180 degrees but not a tight 180) to head back along the way they came. At about 4.5 K you are going back up the only slight upgrade turning right. Once you crest the grade there it is about a quarter mile slightly downhill to the finish line.
Overall: First for the overall Masters race in 2014. The top three last year were Chad Newton (Atlanta TC) [15:25], Scott Weeks [15:27] (NY), and Kristian Blaich (Atlanta TC) [15:29] (GA). It should be another barn-burner this year as Newton and Blaich are entered already along with a newcomer to Syracuse, Greg Mitchell (Adidas), who has been tearing up the roads this year at USATF championships from 8K to the Half Marathon. His 25:07 on the tough 8K course at Brea, CA shows that, although stepping down in distance, he is likely to be a serious contender for the top spot.
Now the age groups:
M40: As with the overall, this should be a battle between Newton and Mitchell, along with Weeks, if he enters between now and race day. Last year only 12 seconds separated first from third and it may be even tighter this year.
M45: Based on entries as of this date, Sep 16 2014, it appears that Kristian Blaich (Atlanta TC) should run away with the age group award. Last year he beat Kent Lemme MA) by 12 seconds but Lemme has not yet entered. If Lemme stays away there are a number of runners entered who should compete tightly for the next two podium positions including: Francis Burdett (Greater Springfield Harriers), Brian Crowley (Garmin Runners), and Matthew Whitis (Atlanta TC).
M50: Last year Kevin Miller (KS), dominated this race, winning by 40 seconds in 15:51. Alan Evans (NY) had a fairly comfortable 16 second spread over Gary Droze (Fl) for 2nd place. As of today, only Droze is entered, suggesting that unless Miller and Evans show up between now and race day, he should be the favorite. Apart from late entries, other runners such as Troy Holland, Carl Nordheilm (Atlanta TC) and Nathan Skipper (Atlanta TC) should be competitive for the podium with recent sub-18 performances.
M55: It is a little tough to handicap this race right now because none of the podium crowd from last year are yet entered. Brian Pilcher (CA) dominated the race last year, winning by 40 seconds in 16:21 and had such a great set of 2013 races that he was voted Male Masters Runner of the Year. But Pilcher has had a very different year in 2014, leaving us uncertain what to expect. Injured toward the very end of 2013, Pilcher did not compete in the first few months of 2014. But he did eventually show up on nationally posted results including a 17:21 5K on May 10th and a 16:54 on May 17th so it appeared he was in pretty good form. But the most recent entry I can find is a 7:01 pace 7.5 mile trail run which could either indicate a re-injury or running for fun. So as of this date I cannot guess at his fitness; others may know more.
Should Pilcher be off his game or not enter for any other reason, the early favorite should be Ken Youngers (Atlanta TC) who took 2nd in 17:02 last year.Charlie Andrews (NY) who battled Youngers most of the way only to finish 5 seconds back, is not yet entered. Others in the hunt include Jeffery Dundas (Atlanta TC) and newcomer to the M55 group, Dominic Wyzomirski (Steel City TC--PA), both of whom should finish well under 18:00.
M60: Last year Richard Larsen (MA), Peter Mullin (TX), and Dale Campbell (CA) duked it out over the 5K course, finishing in 17:47, 17:49 and 17:59 respectively. None of those fellows are yet entered but a relative newcomer, Tom McCormack (Atlanta TC-TN), is. He showed up at the USATF Masters 5K Cross Country
championship last year and ran away with the first place medal in 17:17, winning by over a minute. Since that time he has added national championships in the USATF 12K (national championship road race), the 10K at Dedham , the 5K and 10K on the Wake-Forest University track, and most recently at the one mile run as part of Michigan's CRIM races. None of those races were close. Even the great masters runner, Peter Mullin, who has been tearing up the roads for the last few years seems unable to stay with McCormack at least for races 12K and under. Should any of last year's podium finishers not show up, a newcomer to the M60 group, Reno Stirrat (Shore AC), should finish well under 19:00 and be a potential competitor for the podium.
M65: Based on current entrants, the great Masters runner, Terry McCluskey (Ann Arbor TC--OH) is the clear favorite. He ran the USATF Marathon championship last year but the year before ran 18:07 at Syracuse. But it is not clear whether McCluskey is in that kind of form this year. His Boston
Marathon in April may have taken something out of him. In any case, the fastest 5K I can find listed this year is a 19:22 in August, but it is hard to say much based on one race. He was a very comfortable age group winnerin that race so may not have felt the need to push. My best guess is he'll come in under 19:00 and that should be fast enough to beat anyone currently entered. None of the top 3 from last year are currently entered. Last year Bill Dixon (VT) and Lloyd Hansen (Ann Arbor TC--UT/MI) battled it out for the top spot, finishing in 18:24 and 18:28. They have both been running well this year, Lloyd with a number of PR's, so if either enters, I would make that one a slight favorite over McCluskey. If Dixon and Hansen stay away, Jerry Learned (Atlanta TC) should have a good shot at making the podium. I edged out Learned last year for 3rd by 9 seconds, and had a strong set of races in the first two-thirds of the year. But I have been battling a hamstring injury since August 11th and it seems unlikely I will be race fit on the 5th.
M70: This is the one that Dave Oja has been waiting for. Two of the grand lions of Masters distance running are set to go at it. Doug Goodhue (Ann Arbor TC), another of the great Masters distance runners for the past decade at least, has ruled the M70 group since entering a couple of years ago. He won it last year in 19:35 even though he was still coming back from an injury.
Jan Frisby (Boulder Road Runners) will challenge Goodhue for the first time in the M70 group although they did battle often enough in the past. Now Frisby is coming back from an injury that kept him off the roads for a full year. Two years ago he won the M65 group in 18:58. He needs to finish in 19:35 or better to give Dave Oja a world class time for the 70 year old category. What we do not know is whether Frisby is race fit. I have found no results for him posted online this year. But if Frisby is race fit and Goodhue can run as well or faster than last year there seems a good chance of
him pushing or pulling Frisby enough so he can give Dave the record he desires. No one else in the group seems poised to break 20. Przemyslaw Nowicki (Shore AC) and Rick Stetson (Gate City Striders) appear capable of running low 21's or better so may battle each other for a podium position.
M75: Last year Fay Bradley (KS) and Thom Weddle (MN) battled it out with Bradley winning by a
half minute at the end in 23:13. And Harry Carter (MA) finished a minute behind Weddle. As of today, none of the three are entered so this group is wide open. John Elliott (Potomac Valley TC) was not in the race last year but has recently run 23:05 and 24:48. If the faster of those two times is indicative of what he will bring to Syracuse, he would have a heck of a battle with Bradley if he enters. Without Bradley in, it would appear Elliott is the current favorite. James Leitz (Clifton Roadrunners), with recent times in the mid-23's to low 25's, could also factor into the race for the podium.
M80: Eric Seif (NY) won this group handily last year in 28:34 with Wally McRae (Syracuse Chargers TC) a strong second in 31:05 and Fritz Schlereth (Syracuse Chargers TC) in third at 32:25. McRae and Schlereth are already entered and there is a new guy in the M80 group, Jon Desenberg (Ann Arbor TC) who has some recent outings in the 29 to 30 minute range. If Seif enters, he and Desenberg could have quite a contest for first.
M85: Willis Moses (NY) is back to defend his title in this group. Last year he defeated the lone contender by a country mile, winning in 32:38. So far no one has signed up to try to give him some competition this year.
So Dave Oja has attracted a strong field already and it is likely that some of the stronger runners who
have not yet entered will do so in the next two weeks. As usual it will be an intriguing set of races on the Men's side. Next up in a few days will be my preview of the Women's races.
The USA Track and Field Masters 5K Road National Championships are scheduled for October 5, 2014 in Syracuse, NY as part of their annual Festival of Races. Organized by Dave Oja, this is one event that elite Masters runners look forward to each year. Now in its 7th consecutive year as host of the 5K championship, it is very well organized, Dave goes out of his way to make all of the runners feel appreciated and knows so many on a first name basis. And, by the way, the course is flat and fast; it has about as few and as gentle turns as you can have for an out and back course. Dave prides his race on having 'world class' age-graded performances (90% or better) for almost all of his individual age records. He has his hopes set on at least one more of those being chalked up this year, that for male 70 year olds, but more on that below. The fastest men's times on the course can be observed here: http://www.festivalofraces.com/agegroupmen.html.
Today I will preview the Men's races and the Women's later this week. Here's a pic of Andrea Darmad, overeall winner of the race last year in 15:21; he beat the overall masters winner, Chad Newton, from Pisgah Forest, NC representing the Atlanta TC, by a mere 4 seconds.
 |
| Andrea Darmad, overall winner 2013 FoR 5K in 15:21 |
First the course: It starts by the parking lots for the Syracuse University athletic complex. Pretty flat at the start, it soons turns left with a slight downgrade. Then around the 1K mark there is a gentle turn to the right as runners start to run along a parkway. Eventually you wind along to the half way point where runners swing around to the other side of the road (180 degrees but not a tight 180) to head back along the way they came. At about 4.5 K you are going back up the only slight upgrade turning right. Once you crest the grade there it is about a quarter mile slightly downhill to the finish line.
Overall: First for the overall Masters race in 2014. The top three last year were Chad Newton (Atlanta TC) [15:25], Scott Weeks [15:27] (NY), and Kristian Blaich (Atlanta TC) [15:29] (GA). It should be another barn-burner this year as Newton and Blaich are entered already along with a newcomer to Syracuse, Greg Mitchell (Adidas), who has been tearing up the roads this year at USATF championships from 8K to the Half Marathon. His 25:07 on the tough 8K course at Brea, CA shows that, although stepping down in distance, he is likely to be a serious contender for the top spot.
 |
| Chad Newton, establishing a lead on a XC course |
 |
| Greg Mitchell from National Masters Club Cross Country |
Now the age groups:
M40: As with the overall, this should be a battle between Newton and Mitchell, along with Weeks, if he enters between now and race day. Last year only 12 seconds separated first from third and it may be even tighter this year.
M45: Based on entries as of this date, Sep 16 2014, it appears that Kristian Blaich (Atlanta TC) should run away with the age group award. Last year he beat Kent Lemme MA) by 12 seconds but Lemme has not yet entered. If Lemme stays away there are a number of runners entered who should compete tightly for the next two podium positions including: Francis Burdett (Greater Springfield Harriers), Brian Crowley (Garmin Runners), and Matthew Whitis (Atlanta TC).
 | ||
| Kristian Blaich on the track |
M50: Last year Kevin Miller (KS), dominated this race, winning by 40 seconds in 15:51. Alan Evans (NY) had a fairly comfortable 16 second spread over Gary Droze (Fl) for 2nd place. As of today, only Droze is entered, suggesting that unless Miller and Evans show up between now and race day, he should be the favorite. Apart from late entries, other runners such as Troy Holland, Carl Nordheilm (Atlanta TC) and Nathan Skipper (Atlanta TC) should be competitive for the podium with recent sub-18 performances.
M55: It is a little tough to handicap this race right now because none of the podium crowd from last year are yet entered. Brian Pilcher (CA) dominated the race last year, winning by 40 seconds in 16:21 and had such a great set of 2013 races that he was voted Male Masters Runner of the Year. But Pilcher has had a very different year in 2014, leaving us uncertain what to expect. Injured toward the very end of 2013, Pilcher did not compete in the first few months of 2014. But he did eventually show up on nationally posted results including a 17:21 5K on May 10th and a 16:54 on May 17th so it appeared he was in pretty good form. But the most recent entry I can find is a 7:01 pace 7.5 mile trail run which could either indicate a re-injury or running for fun. So as of this date I cannot guess at his fitness; others may know more.
 |
| Brian Pilcher, leading the pack |
M60: Last year Richard Larsen (MA), Peter Mullin (TX), and Dale Campbell (CA) duked it out over the 5K course, finishing in 17:47, 17:49 and 17:59 respectively. None of those fellows are yet entered but a relative newcomer, Tom McCormack (Atlanta TC-TN), is. He showed up at the USATF Masters 5K Cross Country
| Tom McCormack, featured in Runners World |
championship last year and ran away with the first place medal in 17:17, winning by over a minute. Since that time he has added national championships in the USATF 12K (national championship road race), the 10K at Dedham , the 5K and 10K on the Wake-Forest University track, and most recently at the one mile run as part of Michigan's CRIM races. None of those races were close. Even the great masters runner, Peter Mullin, who has been tearing up the roads for the last few years seems unable to stay with McCormack at least for races 12K and under. Should any of last year's podium finishers not show up, a newcomer to the M60 group, Reno Stirrat (Shore AC), should finish well under 19:00 and be a potential competitor for the podium.
| Peter Mullin, from one of his many outstanding road races |
M65: Based on current entrants, the great Masters runner, Terry McCluskey (Ann Arbor TC--OH) is the clear favorite. He ran the USATF Marathon championship last year but the year before ran 18:07 at Syracuse. But it is not clear whether McCluskey is in that kind of form this year. His Boston
 |
| Terry McCluskey, Senior Grand Masters winner at the Half Marathon at Parkersburg, WVA |
Marathon in April may have taken something out of him. In any case, the fastest 5K I can find listed this year is a 19:22 in August, but it is hard to say much based on one race. He was a very comfortable age group winnerin that race so may not have felt the need to push. My best guess is he'll come in under 19:00 and that should be fast enough to beat anyone currently entered. None of the top 3 from last year are currently entered. Last year Bill Dixon (VT) and Lloyd Hansen (Ann Arbor TC--UT/MI) battled it out for the top spot, finishing in 18:24 and 18:28. They have both been running well this year, Lloyd with a number of PR's, so if either enters, I would make that one a slight favorite over McCluskey. If Dixon and Hansen stay away, Jerry Learned (Atlanta TC) should have a good shot at making the podium. I edged out Learned last year for 3rd by 9 seconds, and had a strong set of races in the first two-thirds of the year. But I have been battling a hamstring injury since August 11th and it seems unlikely I will be race fit on the 5th.
M70: This is the one that Dave Oja has been waiting for. Two of the grand lions of Masters distance running are set to go at it. Doug Goodhue (Ann Arbor TC), another of the great Masters distance runners for the past decade at least, has ruled the M70 group since entering a couple of years ago. He won it last year in 19:35 even though he was still coming back from an injury.
 |
| Doug Goodhue, pushing the limits, at the National Road Race Championships in Alexandria, VA in 2013 |
Jan Frisby (Boulder Road Runners) will challenge Goodhue for the first time in the M70 group although they did battle often enough in the past. Now Frisby is coming back from an injury that kept him off the roads for a full year. Two years ago he won the M65 group in 18:58. He needs to finish in 19:35 or better to give Dave Oja a world class time for the 70 year old category. What we do not know is whether Frisby is race fit. I have found no results for him posted online this year. But if Frisby is race fit and Goodhue can run as well or faster than last year there seems a good chance of
 |
| Jan Frisby winning his age group at Syracuse a few years back |
him pushing or pulling Frisby enough so he can give Dave the record he desires. No one else in the group seems poised to break 20. Przemyslaw Nowicki (Shore AC) and Rick Stetson (Gate City Striders) appear capable of running low 21's or better so may battle each other for a podium position.
M75: Last year Fay Bradley (KS) and Thom Weddle (MN) battled it out with Bradley winning by a
 |
| Thom Weddle on the track |
half minute at the end in 23:13. And Harry Carter (MA) finished a minute behind Weddle. As of today, none of the three are entered so this group is wide open. John Elliott (Potomac Valley TC) was not in the race last year but has recently run 23:05 and 24:48. If the faster of those two times is indicative of what he will bring to Syracuse, he would have a heck of a battle with Bradley if he enters. Without Bradley in, it would appear Elliott is the current favorite. James Leitz (Clifton Roadrunners), with recent times in the mid-23's to low 25's, could also factor into the race for the podium.
M80: Eric Seif (NY) won this group handily last year in 28:34 with Wally McRae (Syracuse Chargers TC) a strong second in 31:05 and Fritz Schlereth (Syracuse Chargers TC) in third at 32:25. McRae and Schlereth are already entered and there is a new guy in the M80 group, Jon Desenberg (Ann Arbor TC) who has some recent outings in the 29 to 30 minute range. If Seif enters, he and Desenberg could have quite a contest for first.
M85: Willis Moses (NY) is back to defend his title in this group. Last year he defeated the lone contender by a country mile, winning in 32:38. So far no one has signed up to try to give him some competition this year.
So Dave Oja has attracted a strong field already and it is likely that some of the stronger runners who
 |
| Dave Oja, Race Director, Syracuse Festival of Races |
have not yet entered will do so in the next two weeks. As usual it will be an intriguing set of races on the Men's side. Next up in a few days will be my preview of the Women's races.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)