April 13 2015. On April 2nd, Running Times published my article on age grading for Master's runners in their online section. It is an intuitive introduction focusing on how the everyday runner can use it to improve their running. That's what they wanted as a first article--they may be open to more substantive articles in the future about using age grading for awards--which they view as more controversial.
http://www.runnersworld.com/masters/a-guide-to-age-grading
Monday, April 13, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
USATF Masters LDR Individual Grand Prix Standings-Women--Commentary
April 3 2015. The initial set of standings for women and men in the 2015 USATF Masters Individual Grand Prix [IGP] are posted at:
http://www.usatf.org/Resources-for---/Masters/LDR/Individual-Grand-Prix.aspx
WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX
W40. In 2014, ten women qualified for an award in this category by running in at least 2 USATF IGP events. Melody Fairchild [CO] dominated the category by running in 5 events winning 2, and finishing 2nd in 3 others. Three events were enough for Sonja Friend-Uhl [GA]to finish comfortably in second, again relying on firsts and 2nd places. After that, it was pretty tight. Sheri Piers [ME] and Melissa Senal [NY] had 200 points each but Piers took 3rd as her two races were both winning efforts. After that there were only 15 points total separating 5th from 9th place.
This year Fairchild is off to a good start again, with a 1st place age group finish in the USA XC event.
That leaves her tied with Cassandra Henkiel [TX] who took the title at the Brea 8K. Last year at this time, Fairchild already had 285 points, scoring in the Half Marathon in Melbourne, FL and the Brea 8K, in addition to her finish at the USA XC. The half marathon was moved this year so that was unavailable but Fairchild did not compete in the Brea 8K this year. Last year Fairchild made 2 trips east; if she is willing to do that in 2015, she could take the IGP again. But Henkiel may have something to say about that. Last year she took 4th at Dedham and 9th at Bethlehem to finish 10th in the IGP.
Henkiel is already over two-thirds of the way toward last year's total. Club Cross in San Francisco is, no doubt, part of her plans. But if she can add the 15K at Tulsa, which is not far from her home base of Texas, and one or two trips east, she can be in contention for the top spot. Joanna Zeiger [CO] is currently in 5th place with 90 points. That is identical to her finishing spot last year, when she took 3rd at the USA XC championships and later took 2nd place at the Marathon championships in the Twin Cities. Will she be content with the same strategy this year or will she decide to travel once or twice more? Tulsa is not far from Oklahoma so the 15K would seem to be a reasonable option. And why not Club XC at the end of the year? Last year Friend-Uhl did not race until the fall; that may not be enough for a 2nd place IGP finish this year.
W45. All of the contenders in this group last year ran just two races. Terri Rejimbal [FL] won two races, one in her home state of Florida, and one in Oklahoma, winning both. As there are no races in Florida this year, she will have to travel some to be in contention for 2015. Cindy Abrami [CA] and Kirsten Leetch [CA] were 15 and 20 points back respectively. Abrami competed only at Boulder and Brea but Leetch, missing Boulder, showed a willingness to travel when she matched her 2nd at brea with a 4th at Club Cross in Bethlehem PA.
This year there are already four runners with two events under their belts. In 2015, Tania Fischer [CA] who ran only at Club Cross in 2014, has already run 2 races, winning at Brea and finishing 2nd at the USA XC meet, for 195 points. She must surely be planning on running Club Cross again as it is on the west coast.
And Leetch is keeping pace with her, finishing 6th at the USA XC and 4th at Brea, for 160 points. Kathleen Cushing-Murray [CA] can make it interesting as she too will, no doubt, compete in San Francisco at Club Cross. She is currently tied for 2nd with Leetch, off of a 4th place finish at Boulder and a 7th at Brea. Abrami, so far, has only her 3rd place finish at Brea, leaving her back in 7th place. She is a quality runner but it is not clear how much she is willing to travel from her home base. It appears this category will be more competitive this year.
W50. In 2014, seventeen women from this category completed the requisite two events, making this the most active group on the women's side. The two Athena Track Club teammates, Doreen McCoubrie [PA] and
Marisa Sutera Strange [NY] went head to head, with McCoubrie completing 5 events, amassing 480 points to outpace Sutera Strange who only fit in 4 for 400 points.
Runners from the Mid-Atlantic states dominated this category last year with runners from PA and NY taking 3rd through 7th in the IGP. Julie Hankin [PA] accumulated 335 points over 4 events to claim 3rd.
Last year's IGP podium finishers from this group will apparently wait, again this year, until the 10K in Dedham MA (at least) to start their quest for the Grand Prix win. So far this year, the leaders are Colleen DeReuck [CO] and
Kathleen Phair [CA] with wins at Boulder and Brea respectively. Last year none of the west coast runners actively pursued the IGP title so a wait and compete strategy worked well for the easterners. It will be interesting to see if any of the western runners will take advantage of the extra races on the west coast to mount a more active challenge.Up to this point there is no indication of that, as all runners have only 1 race in so far.
W55. In 2014, seven runners competed in two or more events each. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso [TX] competed in 3, taking home 3rd place honors at Brea, with wins at Dedham and Bethlehem to total 290 points and the IGP top prize. Christine Kennedy [CA] took 2nd last year but has moved up to the W60 group. Andriette Wickstrom [IA] took 3rd by competing in the Marathon at the Twin Cities and the 5 km XC at Carmel IN. But it appears that Wickstrom has also moved up to W60.
None of the three leaders from last year appear in the IGP standings yet. And those who are at the top at present, did not compete in two events last year. Delicia Litt [CO]
and Suzanne Morris [CA]took 1st in Bouldeer and Brea respectively to tie for 1st so far with 100 points. And Nancy Simmons [CA] and Meredith Mills [CA] are tied for 3rd in the IGP with seconds at Boulder and Brea respectively. No one has competed in more than one event so far this year. That means Ayala -Troncoso could still mount a rush to the lead starting, perhaps , with the Dedham race. At the moment this category appears to be wide open to new blood at the top. Based on the evidence thus far, if any of the good runners sets their aim on competing in 3-4 races, there is a good chance they can wind up on the Individual Grand Prix podium.
W60. In 2014 eleven runners in this category competed in the necessary 2 events to qualify for an award.Kathryn Martin [NY] competed in the most events, 6, and won all of them, giving her a perfect 500 point score. Coreen Steinbach [NY] won almost every race that Martin did not, amassing 460 points over 5 events. Two other New Yorkers, Sharon Moore and Cindy Ingalls, competed in 4 events to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. Martin competed in Boulder and Florida last year as well as in the east and Midwest but the others restricted themselves pretty much to the east and Midwest; Moore did venture as far west as Tulsa to join Martin in the 15K contested there.
In 2015, Martin is off to a similar start as last year in that she ran the USA XC (and won) but skipped Brea.
The only difference is that in 2014 she ran and won the Half Marathon in Melbourne FL. The race has been moved this year and is expected to be contested in San Diego at the end of May. If so, Martin can get back on track with her 2014 pace by racing there. On the other hand, an injury forced her to miss Flint, Syracuse and Carmel races last year so she may figure she can easily pick up 5-6 races without another west coast trip. Christine Kennedy [CA], new to the age group, is tied with Martin, thanks to her 1st place finish at Brea.
In past years, Kennedy has only competed in a couple of USATF races and that would seem to be a reasonable prognosis this year. She is focused on becoming the first woman 60 years of age or older to break 3 hours in any marathon. Apparently she has decided to forego Boston and focus on the Chicago marathon in the fall. In the meantime, she can pursue her other goal of breaking as many W60 Masters records as possible. She already has the 8K in her pocket from Brea. She just ran 19:11 at Carlsbad, missing Martin's record by 4 seconds. That may encourage her to run the 5K championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races, known for its fast course. Still it seems unlikely Kennedy would run enough USATF events to seriously challenge Martin and Steinbach if they run as many events as last year. Another wrinkle is that Andriette Wickstrom [IA] and Elizabeth Cooney [MA]who finished 3rd and 4th in the 55-59 category last year will move up sometime this year into the 60-64 group.
W65. In 2014 31 runners competed in this category but only 4 competed in the requisite 2 events to be award eligible. Sabra Harvey [TX], a 5K record-setter in 2014, took first easily by racing and winning 3 events. JoAnne Rowland [CA] also took first in the events she raced, but she only raced in two events. With two additional races west of the Mississippi perhaps she will consider increasing her participation at championship events. Susan Gustafson [MA] who took a 2nd and a 3rd in her two events was not too far back with 185 points.
So far this year, Rowland is the only runner from the 2014 GP podium to be in the standings. Running and winning at the 8K at Brea, as with last year, ties her for the early lead. This year she is tied with Laurie Rugenstein [CO] who took first at Boulder. Tied for third are Sandi Wiebe [CO] and Irene Herman [CA], who took 2nd place at Bouder and Brea respectively. It will be interesting to see if Rowland chooses to increase her participation this year to take a shot at the top spot. Edie Stevenson [CO] who competed in the 60-64 group last year, will move up to this group sometime this spring or summer. She could be a formidable competitor but, unlike last year, Stevenson did not compete at Boulder this year. Will she compete at Dedham this year as she did last year? Here's hoping the difficulty she had with injuries earlier in her running career have not popped up again.
W70. In 2014, twenty runners competed in this age group; five participated in 2 or more events. The top three all competed in 5 events as teammates. Ellen Nitz, Shirley Larsen, and Janet Wallen all run for Playmakers Elite/New Balance of Lansing MI. Nitz typically led the trio across the finish line, garnering 455 points to take the GP crown. Larsen and Wallen battled it out with sometimes one and sometimes the other prevailing. In t he end, Larsen eked out a narrow victory, 415 to 405 points. And their triumph was almost short-circuited by the fast closing rush of Ruth Thelen, also of Playmakers Elite/New Balance, who moved up to this category late in the year and started leading the group across the finish line. She wound up with 380 points. With Nitz moving up to the 75-79 category this summer, it appears that 2015 should belong to Thelen, Larsen and Wallen.
The early lead, however, goes to Anita Gonzalez [CO] and Norma Thomas [CA], the victors at Boulder and Brea, with Betty Valent [CO], who took 2nd at Boulder, holding the third GP position with 95 points. At this point there is no reason to think these western runners are interested in competing for the GP crown against the Michiganders but time will tell.
W75. Eleven runners competed in this age group in 2014 but only three entered the two events needed to become award-eligible. Madeline Bost [NJ] competed in three events, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 6th to take the GP crown with 270 points.
The celebrated runner, Libby James [CO] took first at Boulder and at Syracuse; those two events gave her 200 points and a 2nd place tie with Heide Moebius [NY] who landed firsts at Alexandria (12K) and at Bethlehem's Club Cross competition.
So far in 2015 it looks like 2015 is as good a guide as any. James again won in Boulder and neither
Bost nor Moebius have yet competed. The major difference will be that Nitz is also moving up from the 70-74 age group to contend for this groups GP prize.
W80. In 2014 three women competed in this age group but only Edna Hyer [NY] competed in two events. Her first place finish at Dedham (10K) and second place finish at Syracuse (5K) gave her 195 points and the GP crown. So far in 2015, as in the early part of 2014, no one has competed in this age group. So the best prediction at this point is that Hyer may well take the group again.
http://www.usatf.org/Resources-for---/Masters/LDR/Individual-Grand-Prix.aspx
WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX
W40. In 2014, ten women qualified for an award in this category by running in at least 2 USATF IGP events. Melody Fairchild [CO] dominated the category by running in 5 events winning 2, and finishing 2nd in 3 others. Three events were enough for Sonja Friend-Uhl [GA]to finish comfortably in second, again relying on firsts and 2nd places. After that, it was pretty tight. Sheri Piers [ME] and Melissa Senal [NY] had 200 points each but Piers took 3rd as her two races were both winning efforts. After that there were only 15 points total separating 5th from 9th place.
This year Fairchild is off to a good start again, with a 1st place age group finish in the USA XC event.
 |
| Melody Fairchild [W40], in hot pursuit of Colleen DeReuck [W50], at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015 |
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| Cassandra Henkiel (L), Overall Masters Winner and W40 winner at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 .[photo: Thuc Tran] |
Henkiel is already over two-thirds of the way toward last year's total. Club Cross in San Francisco is, no doubt, part of her plans. But if she can add the 15K at Tulsa, which is not far from her home base of Texas, and one or two trips east, she can be in contention for the top spot. Joanna Zeiger [CO] is currently in 5th place with 90 points. That is identical to her finishing spot last year, when she took 3rd at the USA XC championships and later took 2nd place at the Marathon championships in the Twin Cities. Will she be content with the same strategy this year or will she decide to travel once or twice more? Tulsa is not far from Oklahoma so the 15K would seem to be a reasonable option. And why not Club XC at the end of the year? Last year Friend-Uhl did not race until the fall; that may not be enough for a 2nd place IGP finish this year.
W45. All of the contenders in this group last year ran just two races. Terri Rejimbal [FL] won two races, one in her home state of Florida, and one in Oklahoma, winning both. As there are no races in Florida this year, she will have to travel some to be in contention for 2015. Cindy Abrami [CA] and Kirsten Leetch [CA] were 15 and 20 points back respectively. Abrami competed only at Boulder and Brea but Leetch, missing Boulder, showed a willingness to travel when she matched her 2nd at brea with a 4th at Club Cross in Bethlehem PA.
This year there are already four runners with two events under their belts. In 2015, Tania Fischer [CA] who ran only at Club Cross in 2014, has already run 2 races, winning at Brea and finishing 2nd at the USA XC meet, for 195 points. She must surely be planning on running Club Cross again as it is on the west coast.
 |
| Tania Fischer (L}, 3rd place overall Masters and 1st in W45 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
And Leetch is keeping pace with her, finishing 6th at the USA XC and 4th at Brea, for 160 points. Kathleen Cushing-Murray [CA] can make it interesting as she too will, no doubt, compete in San Francisco at Club Cross. She is currently tied for 2nd with Leetch, off of a 4th place finish at Boulder and a 7th at Brea. Abrami, so far, has only her 3rd place finish at Brea, leaving her back in 7th place. She is a quality runner but it is not clear how much she is willing to travel from her home base. It appears this category will be more competitive this year.
W50. In 2014, seventeen women from this category completed the requisite two events, making this the most active group on the women's side. The two Athena Track Club teammates, Doreen McCoubrie [PA] and
 |
| Doreen McCoubrie, finishing strong at the National Club Cross Country Championship December 2014 in Bethlehem PA. |
Marisa Sutera Strange [NY] went head to head, with McCoubrie completing 5 events, amassing 480 points to outpace Sutera Strange who only fit in 4 for 400 points.
 |
| Marisa Sutera Strange winning the W50 division of the USA 5 km Masters Cross Country championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services] |
Last year's IGP podium finishers from this group will apparently wait, again this year, until the 10K in Dedham MA (at least) to start their quest for the Grand Prix win. So far this year, the leaders are Colleen DeReuck [CO] and
 |
| Colleen DeReuck, leading the pack in the midst of the race at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015 |
W55. In 2014, seven runners competed in two or more events each. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso [TX] competed in 3, taking home 3rd place honors at Brea, with wins at Dedham and Bethlehem to total 290 points and the IGP top prize. Christine Kennedy [CA] took 2nd last year but has moved up to the W60 group. Andriette Wickstrom [IA] took 3rd by competing in the Marathon at the Twin Cities and the 5 km XC at Carmel IN. But it appears that Wickstrom has also moved up to W60.
None of the three leaders from last year appear in the IGP standings yet. And those who are at the top at present, did not compete in two events last year. Delicia Litt [CO]
 |
| Delcia Litt, stepping out smartly in the middle of the race at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015 |
and Suzanne Morris [CA]took 1st in Bouldeer and Brea respectively to tie for 1st so far with 100 points. And Nancy Simmons [CA] and Meredith Mills [CA] are tied for 3rd in the IGP with seconds at Boulder and Brea respectively. No one has competed in more than one event so far this year. That means Ayala -Troncoso could still mount a rush to the lead starting, perhaps , with the Dedham race. At the moment this category appears to be wide open to new blood at the top. Based on the evidence thus far, if any of the good runners sets their aim on competing in 3-4 races, there is a good chance they can wind up on the Individual Grand Prix podium.
W60. In 2014 eleven runners in this category competed in the necessary 2 events to qualify for an award.Kathryn Martin [NY] competed in the most events, 6, and won all of them, giving her a perfect 500 point score. Coreen Steinbach [NY] won almost every race that Martin did not, amassing 460 points over 5 events. Two other New Yorkers, Sharon Moore and Cindy Ingalls, competed in 4 events to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. Martin competed in Boulder and Florida last year as well as in the east and Midwest but the others restricted themselves pretty much to the east and Midwest; Moore did venture as far west as Tulsa to join Martin in the 15K contested there.
In 2015, Martin is off to a similar start as last year in that she ran the USA XC (and won) but skipped Brea.
 |
| Kathy Martin, putting on the brakes after crossing the finish line with a new 12K record in hand at the .US Nationals 12 K Championship in Alexandria, Virginia on November 16 2014 [photo: USATF, Marlene Van den Neste] |
The only difference is that in 2014 she ran and won the Half Marathon in Melbourne FL. The race has been moved this year and is expected to be contested in San Diego at the end of May. If so, Martin can get back on track with her 2014 pace by racing there. On the other hand, an injury forced her to miss Flint, Syracuse and Carmel races last year so she may figure she can easily pick up 5-6 races without another west coast trip. Christine Kennedy [CA], new to the age group, is tied with Martin, thanks to her 1st place finish at Brea.
 |
| Christine Kennedy, being congratulated at the Awards Ceremony on her New American 8K Record by Don Lein, USATF Masters LDR Chair--at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 [photo: Thuc Tran] |
In past years, Kennedy has only competed in a couple of USATF races and that would seem to be a reasonable prognosis this year. She is focused on becoming the first woman 60 years of age or older to break 3 hours in any marathon. Apparently she has decided to forego Boston and focus on the Chicago marathon in the fall. In the meantime, she can pursue her other goal of breaking as many W60 Masters records as possible. She already has the 8K in her pocket from Brea. She just ran 19:11 at Carlsbad, missing Martin's record by 4 seconds. That may encourage her to run the 5K championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races, known for its fast course. Still it seems unlikely Kennedy would run enough USATF events to seriously challenge Martin and Steinbach if they run as many events as last year. Another wrinkle is that Andriette Wickstrom [IA] and Elizabeth Cooney [MA]who finished 3rd and 4th in the 55-59 category last year will move up sometime this year into the 60-64 group.
W65. In 2014 31 runners competed in this category but only 4 competed in the requisite 2 events to be award eligible. Sabra Harvey [TX], a 5K record-setter in 2014, took first easily by racing and winning 3 events. JoAnne Rowland [CA] also took first in the events she raced, but she only raced in two events. With two additional races west of the Mississippi perhaps she will consider increasing her participation at championship events. Susan Gustafson [MA] who took a 2nd and a 3rd in her two events was not too far back with 185 points.
So far this year, Rowland is the only runner from the 2014 GP podium to be in the standings. Running and winning at the 8K at Brea, as with last year, ties her for the early lead. This year she is tied with Laurie Rugenstein [CO] who took first at Boulder. Tied for third are Sandi Wiebe [CO] and Irene Herman [CA], who took 2nd place at Bouder and Brea respectively. It will be interesting to see if Rowland chooses to increase her participation this year to take a shot at the top spot. Edie Stevenson [CO] who competed in the 60-64 group last year, will move up to this group sometime this spring or summer. She could be a formidable competitor but, unlike last year, Stevenson did not compete at Boulder this year. Will she compete at Dedham this year as she did last year? Here's hoping the difficulty she had with injuries earlier in her running career have not popped up again.
W70. In 2014, twenty runners competed in this age group; five participated in 2 or more events. The top three all competed in 5 events as teammates. Ellen Nitz, Shirley Larsen, and Janet Wallen all run for Playmakers Elite/New Balance of Lansing MI. Nitz typically led the trio across the finish line, garnering 455 points to take the GP crown. Larsen and Wallen battled it out with sometimes one and sometimes the other prevailing. In t he end, Larsen eked out a narrow victory, 415 to 405 points. And their triumph was almost short-circuited by the fast closing rush of Ruth Thelen, also of Playmakers Elite/New Balance, who moved up to this category late in the year and started leading the group across the finish line. She wound up with 380 points. With Nitz moving up to the 75-79 category this summer, it appears that 2015 should belong to Thelen, Larsen and Wallen.
The early lead, however, goes to Anita Gonzalez [CO] and Norma Thomas [CA], the victors at Boulder and Brea, with Betty Valent [CO], who took 2nd at Boulder, holding the third GP position with 95 points. At this point there is no reason to think these western runners are interested in competing for the GP crown against the Michiganders but time will tell.
W75. Eleven runners competed in this age group in 2014 but only three entered the two events needed to become award-eligible. Madeline Bost [NJ] competed in three events, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 6th to take the GP crown with 270 points.
The celebrated runner, Libby James [CO] took first at Boulder and at Syracuse; those two events gave her 200 points and a 2nd place tie with Heide Moebius [NY] who landed firsts at Alexandria (12K) and at Bethlehem's Club Cross competition.
So far in 2015 it looks like 2015 is as good a guide as any. James again won in Boulder and neither
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| Libby James saunters home with a strong win in the Women's 75-79 age group at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015 |
Bost nor Moebius have yet competed. The major difference will be that Nitz is also moving up from the 70-74 age group to contend for this groups GP prize.
W80. In 2014 three women competed in this age group but only Edna Hyer [NY] competed in two events. Her first place finish at Dedham (10K) and second place finish at Syracuse (5K) gave her 195 points and the GP crown. So far in 2015, as in the early part of 2014, no one has competed in this age group. So the best prediction at this point is that Hyer may well take the group again.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Who Are the Early Leaders in the Masters LDR Club Grand Prix Competitions?
March 25 2015. This posting will focus on the Club Grand Prix. The Individual Grand Prix standings will be covered in the next posting. The official standings on the USATF website are here:
http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/69f054f0-cd10-4cfd-a309-147bd518b593.pdf
The first two events in which runners and teams could score Grand Prix points were the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colorado and the 8K National Road Championships at Brea, California. Both races are in the books. As both were staged out west, the western teams are off to a strong start. With the next event being at Dedham, Massachusetts, things will even up a bit. But with two of the three cross country events out west, this will be the best opportunity in years for west coast runners and teams to earn awards. This year there will be a team competition in the half marathon but it does not count toward the Club GP Championship.
Scores from the best 5 team finishes are totaled for the Club Grand Prix standings; teams must compete in at least 3 events to qualify for an end-of-year award. The top ten teams win a certificate; the 2nd and 3rd place teams get a cash prize in addition; the winner gets a larger cash prize and a clubhouse banner. A west coast team can get 3 events by having competed in the Brea 8K and entering the Club XC in San Francisco, and then must have either traveled to Boulder for the USA XC championships or make the trip to Tulsa in October for the 15K. If they did all 4 then they would only need 1 transcontinental trip to get the maximum 5 events in. Many eastern teams are already planning on Club Cross in San Francisco. if they do that race then it should be easy enough to get 4 other races fit in among Dedham, Flint, Syracuse, Saratoga Springs and Alexandria.
In the end the teams with the best totals from their 5 best events will receive awards. The top ten teams (plus tying teams) qualify for awards.
Last Year's Top Three Teams and 2015 Team Standings as of March 25 :
WOMEN
Women 40+: Last year the Genesee Valley Harriers [NY] took the crown with the Athena Track Club [PA] in second. They were the only two teams with the requisite 3 events.
The Jane's Elite team [CA], which finished tied for fourth last year in terms of points scored, is off
to a fast start. Based in Southern California, they naturally competed in the Brea 8K but they also competed at Boulder. Last year they only competed at Brea and at Club Cross. They look certain to get in at least 3 events this year.The Colorado teams dominated the USA XC results but the Jane's were able to eke out a 4th place finish there for 70 points. Three weeks later, in Brea, they did even better, picking up 100 points for first place. Seventy points back with 100 points is the Boulder Mountain Warriors team [CO]. Tied for third with 90 points each is the Colorado Racing Club which finished 2nd in Boulder and Team Run Coach [CA], which finished 2nd in the Brea 8K. Other teams in contention include:
5T. Runners Roost Colorado and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] 80
7. Santa Barbara Running and Racing 70
8T. Athletics Boulder and Mountain West Track Club [MT] 60
10T. Cal Coast Track Club and Revolution Running [CO] 55
Women's 50+: Last year the Athena Track Club [PA] dominated this age group with 5 wins in five events. Finishing a strong 2nd was the Genesee Valley Harriers [NY], with 28 points over 4 events. No other teams in this division competed in more than 2 events.
None of the teams in this group competed in both of the first two events this year, so there are many ties. Athletics Boulder [CO] and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] took the titles, and the 100
points, in Boulder and Brea respectively to tie for the lead. Second place, and 90 GP points each, went to Cal Coast Track Club and Flatirons Running [CO] at Brea and Boulder respectively leaving them just off the lead in the Club GP, tied for third. Other teams in contention include:
5T. Boulder Striders and Cal Coast Track Club 80
7T. Club Ed Running [CA]and Revolution Running A [CO] 70
9T. Revolution Running C and Santa Barbara Running and Racing [CA] 60
Women's 60+: Last year the Genesee Valley Harrriers ran in 4 races and won them all to take first place. The Playmakers Elite/New Balance team [MI] took 2nd while competing in 4 races; the Impala Racing team had the third highest number of GP points but did not compete in the required 3 events to qualify for an award.
This year the Impala Racing Team won at Brea and Revolution Running [CO] took the crown in Boulder. They both have 100 points and share the lead.
Impala can compete in 2 events by just adding Club Cross (San Francisco) to their event list. If they add the 15K in Tulsa OK, they will be a formidable competitor without needing to travel to the East Coast. This year, the Boulder Road Runners A and Boulder Road Runners B [CO] took 2nd and 3rd respectively in Boulder to wind up in 3rd and 4th in the CGP standings, with 90 and 80 points. They, too, can compete in 3 events without traveling ot the east coast. So far no other W60+ teams have competed; that will change as the GP tour swings from Southern California eastward across the Continental Divide, over the mighty Mississippi, across the Appalachian range, landing in the quaint New England village of Dedham, about 15 miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
Women's 70+: Last year Playmakers Elite/New Balance [MI] competed in and won 5 events to dominate the division. They were the only team in this division to compete in the minimum required 2 events to qualify for an award. Perhaps there will be more competition this year.
A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] and the Boulder Road Runners [CO] took first place in Brea and Boulder respectively this year and share the lead, with 100 points each.
MEN
Men 40+: Last year the Atlanta Track Club took first over 5 events. The Cal Coast Track Club scored in 4 events to take 2nd. The Genesee Valley Harriers, scoring in 3 events, leap-frogged over four teams with more points but only two events, to take the third spot in the GP.
This year two teams competed in both events and they are tied for 1st. The Cal Coast Track Club A took first in Brea, winning on their home turf and nabbing 100 GP points. It was another story in the mile high environment of Boulder where they mustered a 4th place finish to add 70.
Santa Barbara Running and Racing was more even across altitudes, finishing 2nd at Brea and 3rd in the Rockies. They got 90 points for the second place finish and 80 for their third place finish to match Cal Coast's 170 points. The first and second place finishers at the USA XC Championships, the Boulder Running Company/Adidas stands in third, with 100 points --the result of winning in Boulder but not competing in Brea. Santa Barbara will no doubt compete in the Club Cross Championships in San Francisco. They can add a third event by competing in the 15K in Tulsa. Others in hot pursuit include:
4. Bowerman Track Club [OR] 90
5. A Snail's Pace Running Club A [CA] 80
6. Cal Coast Track Club B 70
7T. Beach City Runners [CA] and LRC Racing [NB] 60
9T. A Snail's Pace Running Club B and Flatirons Running [CO] 55
Men 50+: Last year the Playmakers Elite/New Balance team, the Genesee Valley Harriers, and the Atlanta Track Club all competed in either 5 or 6 events with Playmakers taking the title with 46 points, followed by Genesee with 40 and Atlanta with 39, making this the most tightly contested division.
This year the Cal Coast Track Club is the only club to have run in both events; as a result, they are in sole possession of first, with 100 points for the win at Brea and 80 points for their third place finish at Boulder. The Genessee Valley Harriers [NY] are in second, thanks to their win at Boulder, with 100 points - definitely a successful western trip for the guys from upstate New York. Athletics Boulder [CO] and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] are tied for third with 90 points each for second place at Boulder and Brea respectively. Others in contention include:
5. Club Ed Running A [CA] 80
6T. Colorado Racing Club and Santa Barbara Running and Racing [CA] 70
8T. Club Ed Running B and Playmaker's Elite/New Balance [60]
10T. LRC Racing [NB] and San Diego Track Club [CA] 55
Men 60+: In 2014, the Ann Arbor Track Club competed in 8 events, the most of any club in any division; they took 4 firsts and 4 seconds, giving them 48 points and the GP win. Their arch rivals, the Atlanta Track Club, raced in 6 events, amassing 42 points in their best 5 events.The Shore Athletic Club [NJ] competed in 4 events and finished third.
This year the Ann Arbor Track Club [MI] has taken 3rd place in both Boulder and Brea, to earn 160 points and the lead in this division.
The Boulder Road Runners B [CO] team took top honors at Boulder and the Cal Coast Track Club took top honors at Brea, leaving them tied for second place with 100 points each. Rounding out the top ten are:
4T. Boulder Road Runners A [CO] and Tamalpa Runners, Inc. [CA] 90
6T. Genesee Valley Harriers [NY] and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] 70
8T. Club Ed Running [CA] and Revolution Running [CO] 60
10. Cal Coast Track Club B [CA] 55
Men 70+: The Ann Arbor Track Club competed in 7 events, amassing 50 points in their best 5 events. The Atlanta Track Club compiled 30 points in 4 events for 2nd place, followed by the Shore AC with 26 points over 3 events.
This year the 1st place clubs in the Club GP competition for this age group are those who took first in Boulder and Brea, respectively, the Boulder Road Runners A team [CO] and the Tamalpa Runners, Inc. [CA], both with 100 points. Tied for third are the second place finishers at Boulder and Brea, the Atlanta Track Club [GA] and the Santa Barbara Athletic Association [CA], both with 90 points. The remaining contenders include:
5T. Boulder Road Runners B [CO] and West Valley Joggers and Striders [CA] 80
7T. Ann Arbor Track Club [MI] and the Shore Athletic Club [NJ] 70
Men 80+: Last year no teams competed in more than a single event. The Boulder Road Runners and the Syracuse Chargers Track Club tied for most points with 10 each.
This age group has only been contested at Boulder so far this year. The GP standings mirror the outcome of that race; the Boulder Road Runners A team is in first with 100 points, followed by their B team with 90 points.
That's it as of March 25 2015. Next update on the Club Grand Prix will come after the USATF 10K Championships on April 26th. Let's hope we see lots more East Coast and Midwest teams join the West Coast clubs in the race for the 2015 Club Grand Prix Championship.
http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/69f054f0-cd10-4cfd-a309-147bd518b593.pdf
The first two events in which runners and teams could score Grand Prix points were the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colorado and the 8K National Road Championships at Brea, California. Both races are in the books. As both were staged out west, the western teams are off to a strong start. With the next event being at Dedham, Massachusetts, things will even up a bit. But with two of the three cross country events out west, this will be the best opportunity in years for west coast runners and teams to earn awards. This year there will be a team competition in the half marathon but it does not count toward the Club GP Championship.
Scores from the best 5 team finishes are totaled for the Club Grand Prix standings; teams must compete in at least 3 events to qualify for an end-of-year award. The top ten teams win a certificate; the 2nd and 3rd place teams get a cash prize in addition; the winner gets a larger cash prize and a clubhouse banner. A west coast team can get 3 events by having competed in the Brea 8K and entering the Club XC in San Francisco, and then must have either traveled to Boulder for the USA XC championships or make the trip to Tulsa in October for the 15K. If they did all 4 then they would only need 1 transcontinental trip to get the maximum 5 events in. Many eastern teams are already planning on Club Cross in San Francisco. if they do that race then it should be easy enough to get 4 other races fit in among Dedham, Flint, Syracuse, Saratoga Springs and Alexandria.
In the end the teams with the best totals from their 5 best events will receive awards. The top ten teams (plus tying teams) qualify for awards.
Last Year's Top Three Teams and 2015 Team Standings as of March 25 :
WOMEN
Women 40+: Last year the Genesee Valley Harriers [NY] took the crown with the Athena Track Club [PA] in second. They were the only two teams with the requisite 3 events.
The Jane's Elite team [CA], which finished tied for fourth last year in terms of points scored, is off
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| The Jane's Women's Elite Racing Team at Brea CA on February 22nd 2015 [Facebook photo] |
to a fast start. Based in Southern California, they naturally competed in the Brea 8K but they also competed at Boulder. Last year they only competed at Brea and at Club Cross. They look certain to get in at least 3 events this year.The Colorado teams dominated the USA XC results but the Jane's were able to eke out a 4th place finish there for 70 points. Three weeks later, in Brea, they did even better, picking up 100 points for first place. Seventy points back with 100 points is the Boulder Mountain Warriors team [CO]. Tied for third with 90 points each is the Colorado Racing Club which finished 2nd in Boulder and Team Run Coach [CA], which finished 2nd in the Brea 8K. Other teams in contention include:
5T. Runners Roost Colorado and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] 80
7. Santa Barbara Running and Racing 70
8T. Athletics Boulder and Mountain West Track Club [MT] 60
10T. Cal Coast Track Club and Revolution Running [CO] 55
Women's 50+: Last year the Athena Track Club [PA] dominated this age group with 5 wins in five events. Finishing a strong 2nd was the Genesee Valley Harriers [NY], with 28 points over 4 events. No other teams in this division competed in more than 2 events.
None of the teams in this group competed in both of the first two events this year, so there are many ties. Athletics Boulder [CO] and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] took the titles, and the 100
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| Athletics Boulder September 2014 [Facebook Photo] |
points, in Boulder and Brea respectively to tie for the lead. Second place, and 90 GP points each, went to Cal Coast Track Club and Flatirons Running [CO] at Brea and Boulder respectively leaving them just off the lead in the Club GP, tied for third. Other teams in contention include:
5T. Boulder Striders and Cal Coast Track Club 80
7T. Club Ed Running [CA]and Revolution Running A [CO] 70
9T. Revolution Running C and Santa Barbara Running and Racing [CA] 60
Women's 60+: Last year the Genesee Valley Harrriers ran in 4 races and won them all to take first place. The Playmakers Elite/New Balance team [MI] took 2nd while competing in 4 races; the Impala Racing team had the third highest number of GP points but did not compete in the required 3 events to qualify for an award.
This year the Impala Racing Team won at Brea and Revolution Running [CO] took the crown in Boulder. They both have 100 points and share the lead.
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| Revolution Running February 2015 [Facebook Photo] |
Impala can compete in 2 events by just adding Club Cross (San Francisco) to their event list. If they add the 15K in Tulsa OK, they will be a formidable competitor without needing to travel to the East Coast. This year, the Boulder Road Runners A and Boulder Road Runners B [CO] took 2nd and 3rd respectively in Boulder to wind up in 3rd and 4th in the CGP standings, with 90 and 80 points. They, too, can compete in 3 events without traveling ot the east coast. So far no other W60+ teams have competed; that will change as the GP tour swings from Southern California eastward across the Continental Divide, over the mighty Mississippi, across the Appalachian range, landing in the quaint New England village of Dedham, about 15 miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
Women's 70+: Last year Playmakers Elite/New Balance [MI] competed in and won 5 events to dominate the division. They were the only team in this division to compete in the minimum required 2 events to qualify for an award. Perhaps there will be more competition this year.
A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] and the Boulder Road Runners [CO] took first place in Brea and Boulder respectively this year and share the lead, with 100 points each.
MEN
Men 40+: Last year the Atlanta Track Club took first over 5 events. The Cal Coast Track Club scored in 4 events to take 2nd. The Genesee Valley Harriers, scoring in 3 events, leap-frogged over four teams with more points but only two events, to take the third spot in the GP.
This year two teams competed in both events and they are tied for 1st. The Cal Coast Track Club A took first in Brea, winning on their home turf and nabbing 100 GP points. It was another story in the mile high environment of Boulder where they mustered a 4th place finish to add 70.
Santa Barbara Running and Racing was more even across altitudes, finishing 2nd at Brea and 3rd in the Rockies. They got 90 points for the second place finish and 80 for their third place finish to match Cal Coast's 170 points. The first and second place finishers at the USA XC Championships, the Boulder Running Company/Adidas stands in third, with 100 points --the result of winning in Boulder but not competing in Brea. Santa Barbara will no doubt compete in the Club Cross Championships in San Francisco. They can add a third event by competing in the 15K in Tulsa. Others in hot pursuit include:
4. Bowerman Track Club [OR] 90
5. A Snail's Pace Running Club A [CA] 80
6. Cal Coast Track Club B 70
7T. Beach City Runners [CA] and LRC Racing [NB] 60
9T. A Snail's Pace Running Club B and Flatirons Running [CO] 55
Men 50+: Last year the Playmakers Elite/New Balance team, the Genesee Valley Harriers, and the Atlanta Track Club all competed in either 5 or 6 events with Playmakers taking the title with 46 points, followed by Genesee with 40 and Atlanta with 39, making this the most tightly contested division.
This year the Cal Coast Track Club is the only club to have run in both events; as a result, they are in sole possession of first, with 100 points for the win at Brea and 80 points for their third place finish at Boulder. The Genessee Valley Harriers [NY] are in second, thanks to their win at Boulder, with 100 points - definitely a successful western trip for the guys from upstate New York. Athletics Boulder [CO] and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] are tied for third with 90 points each for second place at Boulder and Brea respectively. Others in contention include:
5. Club Ed Running A [CA] 80
6T. Colorado Racing Club and Santa Barbara Running and Racing [CA] 70
8T. Club Ed Running B and Playmaker's Elite/New Balance [60]
10T. LRC Racing [NB] and San Diego Track Club [CA] 55
Men 60+: In 2014, the Ann Arbor Track Club competed in 8 events, the most of any club in any division; they took 4 firsts and 4 seconds, giving them 48 points and the GP win. Their arch rivals, the Atlanta Track Club, raced in 6 events, amassing 42 points in their best 5 events.The Shore Athletic Club [NJ] competed in 4 events and finished third.
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| The Ann Arbor Track Club December 2014 [Facebook Photo] |
The Boulder Road Runners B [CO] team took top honors at Boulder and the Cal Coast Track Club took top honors at Brea, leaving them tied for second place with 100 points each. Rounding out the top ten are:
4T. Boulder Road Runners A [CO] and Tamalpa Runners, Inc. [CA] 90
6T. Genesee Valley Harriers [NY] and A Snail's Pace Running Club [CA] 70
8T. Club Ed Running [CA] and Revolution Running [CO] 60
10. Cal Coast Track Club B [CA] 55
Men 70+: The Ann Arbor Track Club competed in 7 events, amassing 50 points in their best 5 events. The Atlanta Track Club compiled 30 points in 4 events for 2nd place, followed by the Shore AC with 26 points over 3 events.
This year the 1st place clubs in the Club GP competition for this age group are those who took first in Boulder and Brea, respectively, the Boulder Road Runners A team [CO] and the Tamalpa Runners, Inc. [CA], both with 100 points. Tied for third are the second place finishers at Boulder and Brea, the Atlanta Track Club [GA] and the Santa Barbara Athletic Association [CA], both with 90 points. The remaining contenders include:
5T. Boulder Road Runners B [CO] and West Valley Joggers and Striders [CA] 80
7T. Ann Arbor Track Club [MI] and the Shore Athletic Club [NJ] 70
Men 80+: Last year no teams competed in more than a single event. The Boulder Road Runners and the Syracuse Chargers Track Club tied for most points with 10 each.
This age group has only been contested at Boulder so far this year. The GP standings mirror the outcome of that race; the Boulder Road Runners A team is in first with 100 points, followed by their B team with 90 points.
That's it as of March 25 2015. Next update on the Club Grand Prix will come after the USATF 10K Championships on April 26th. Let's hope we see lots more East Coast and Midwest teams join the West Coast clubs in the race for the 2015 Club Grand Prix Championship.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Gate River Run 2015- My Experience as a Masters Competitor
March 17 2015. It is a USATF Open Championship, not a USATF Masters Championship, but I ran the Gate River Run on Saturday, March 14, 2015 as a prep race for the Boston Marathon a month from now.
Road Trip. I made it as a road trip, taking it easy on the way down from Indianapolis, Indiana to Jacksonville, Florida--2.5 days down and a bit harder on the way back-1.5 days. Kind of fun driving through Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and then Florida, seeing the varied terrain and the gradually changing flora. In Georgia I started to notice redbuds in flower peeking out from between the forest along the roadsides. They aren't usually in bloom in Indiana until the 1st or 2nd week in April. Other blooming trees were visible at a Georgia rest area:
Pre-Race. So what was the pre-race like? It is pretty well organized. It is easy to find the race site which is where you pick up your pre-race packet. The Fairgrounds is right next to Everbank Field (home of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team). Actually it did take a little navigating to get into the area so if you're going for the first time, it would be a good precaution to drive there the day before the race at least. Once you are there and parked, just follow the crowds streaming into the fairgrounds to pick up packets.
It can be pretty hectic in there. it was easy to get to the packet pick-up, just inside the entry area. The pleasant person there handed me a nice gym bag with the bib inside. If you are not the most observant person, me for example, you might not have noticed the boxes of safety pins along the table to your right and you might have picked up your bib and packet assuming there were pins inside. Then I was directed to the t-shirt area. When I picked the t-shirt up, I asked the person there if there were safety pins included in the packet with the bib. She said, 'Yes, sure they are." But I should have gone back and checked; I learned later you had to pick them up and place them in your gym bag. So that was an extra trip back later in the day. On the plus side, I became more and more familiar with the route to the race. :)
The morning of the race I left plenty of time, leaving the hotel at 6:10 am for what was supposed to be a 20 minute drive to the site. The race starts at 8:30 am. I figured it would be even faster at that time of day. Was I ever wrong, and glad I had allowed for extra time. Things started to go wrong when I ran into the tail end of a line of stopped cars at a drawbridge. It took a l-o-o-o-ng time for some boat to get through. I suppose 6:30 am is a good time to be going out into the ocean for fishing?! And then once I got within a half mile of the stadium, it was very slow. By the time I was in my parking spot it was about 7:10, so about an hour instead of 20 minutes. But everyone was parked around the stadium so it is very convenient in that one can use one's own car as a staging area. I usually switch shoes and socks about a half hour before race time Except for that, it was all very organized and easy. I parked the car and walked over to the corral area, found that I could walk into the Wave 1 area and drink a cup of water. There were also lots of portolets and a bag check. I could also take a nice picture of the starting area and send it out over FB.
I also thought to take a picture of the cool sunrise.
With in/out privileges I went back to the car and started my warm ups (jogging and stretching). Then I switched into my racing shoes and new pair of socks and returned to the corral. There were more runners now but enough room to continue warming up and even work in some pretty good stride-outs. I was on the lookout for some Atlanta Track Club guys I knew but did not spot any. I did spot a Masters age runner from Shore AC, whose first name (read off his bib) was Wallace. We chatted briefly, wished each other good luck, and returned to warm-ups. At 8 am we were invited to move from the corral onto the road. All very orderly and still plenty of room to feel comfortable for stretching, although a little tight for jogging and certainly too close for stride-outs. [But anyone who needed to do stride-outs could go back into the corral area.] There was no problem of moving up within the corral toward the front, at least not until 8:20 or so. Chip timing of course so most were assuming that people would reasonably self-seed, but it did not make a huge difference.
Conditions. Before the race I was concerned when I read that the relative humidity would be between 98 and 100%, at the same time the temps would be in the upper 60's during the race. So I went online and learned that humidity is definitely considered a factor to contend with. One should be more conscious of hydration because it is harder for the sweat to evaporate off your body and have a cooling effect. But I also went to the National Weather Service's site for Heat Index and learned that having 66 degrees and 99% humidity results in a heat index of 67 degrees, so not really much effect. That level of Heat Index didn't even earn a 'Caution' about the danger of a heat disorder due to strenuous outdoor activity. And it did not feel oppressive or odd. A year earlier I had run a half marathon in Melbourne Florida with similar temperature and humidity readings. But there had also been fog so all of the runners were absolutely drenched. It must have been like running through a cloud. It was as if water droplets were in the air but, unlike if it had been raining, they were just there, not falling. But nothing like that today. Still, I resolved to be more careful about taking water than usual.
The Race. Eighteen months ago in fall of 2013 I had run 1:01:35 but that was pre-injury. Knowing I was not at peak fitness, still recovering from an upper hamstring injury, I did not even push to the front of the Wave 1 group. My goal was to try to run close to a 7:00 per mile pace. I had run an 8K three weeks earlier averaging 6:50 per mile so a 7:05 to 7:10 pace was what I was thinking for the first part of the race which is pretty flat. If I could stay in that range, I could at least break the 69-year old's record for the Gate River Run which was a tick or two under 1:07; that would be about a 7:10 pace.
Here's a Speedy Banana [from their FB page] picture of my wave [1] starting. I am in about the 10th-12th row back, probably obscured by the cannon smoke or the green Gate River banner. I ran past the starting line with the 'Present By Chase' banner to my immediate right.
The race was on and quickly I found myself easing into a comfortable pace that I hoped was close to 7 minutes per mile. As I looked around, though, I realized this was a group I don't always race with. There was one young fellow who definitely had a sizable spare tire around his middle and other runners who seemed a little gangly and uneven in their pace. But I needed to run easily and this seemed to be the right pace today. Somehow I missed the mile and 2 mile markers, being in the midst of a bunch of runners. We went over the first bridge, which is a relatively quick up and down compared to the Hart Bridge between miles 7.5 and 8.5. Coming off the bridge we were funneled through a narrow lane to the left of the main road and, despite a little closeness, everything went okay.
This is what it looked like coming off the first bridge--for those in later waves--glad it wasn't this crowded where I was running! :)
Eventually we hit the 5K mark and I was brought up short by my time, 22:40 by my watch. A quick rough calculation said that was about a minute slower than 7 minute pace and 60 secs divided by 3 was 20...so I knew I was running closer to 7:20 than 7:10 pace.
Could I speed up a bit? Maybe. I started looking ahead about 50-75 yards or so to pick out runners who looked like they were maybe slowing some, to see if I could pick them off. I also said I should try to speed up a bit when a runner passed me to see if I could stick with them for a bit. In any case I was moving up in the field overall but doubted I was really accelerating much. Pretty soon we turned off a main street into a Park area and I could see a water station up ahead. I had picked up a drink at a couple of these but wasn't sure if I would this time. I wasn't sweating overly much so maybe could have skipped it. We were about 36 minutes in so I figured around 4.5 to 5 miles in. So there would be plenty more water stops. But when I saw a young man on the left side, eagerly holding out a cup towards the end of the line, I made a sudden decision to go for a grab. I had slowed slightly to pick up the cup and was raising it to my mouth when all of a sudden I felt this arm in my back and heard an '"A-a-a-a-gh!" Someone had plowed into me, I took one more stride forward with my right foot and then my left, thinking I might be able to maintain momentum and right myself but no luck, down I went sprawling on the pavement. Luckily I took the main weight of the fall with my palms, which were pretty bloody, but no chin or head impact...so scraped palms and right forearm and a surface pain on the right side of my chest...but nothing more--scrape yourself up off the pavement and get running. I never saw who it was and no one ever apologized, but several young runners (and at my age almost everyone is a young runner) around me asked, "Are you alright, sir?" Very respectful, but I was not feeling particularly sociable and hope I did not have too much opf a snarl on my answer--"Not alright but I can run, thanks!"
Of course the other thing I was worried about was my upper right hamstring. In early November I had recovered back to 90% from my first upper hamstring tear, but I ripped it again at at a national cross country championship race. It was only about a hundred yards from the finish so somehow was able to finish that and help my team to the age group championship. Now I was worried that I would have trouble with that upper hamstring from this fall. It was certainly sore now in a way it hadn't been a few minutes before. I knew I hadn't torn it-you don't miss that searing pain. But I was worried if the pain got worse I might have to stop. Luckily it did not. I know I lost about ten seconds just from the incident itself as I looked ahead to the group of runners who had been right ahead of me. They were now 50 yards or so ahead of me. The tightness in my upper hamstring probably reduced the effectiveness of my stride, not sure by how much. I was probably grabbing less real estate with each stride now.
We headed out onto a wide street, Atlantic Avenue, and after a bit on there swung to the left to go onto smaller streets through another residential area. I passed the 10K mark in about 46:30 so had clearly slowed down-no chance at a record. I was now in 'hang on' mode. My 2nd 5K, a quick calculation told me, was about a minute under 8 minute pace--so around 7:40 per mile. Soon after that an old guy with white hair went past me and I wondered what his age group was. A little after that another old guy with white hair under a cap went by. I knew the age group prizes went 5 deep so had originally figured that was pretty much a sure thing. Now I was worried I might not even get one of those.
Now we were approaching the Hart Bridge--just grind it out I kept telling myself--remember it's all downhill on the other side. With my somewhat shortened stride it seemed to take forever to get up, but eventually the slope decreased and leveled out and I could feel my stride lengthening. I wasn't going to kill the last mile but I figured I was maybe running at sub-7 for the steeper parts, around 7 where it was starting to level out and not too much over 7 for the last flat quarter mile to the finish...Later I learned that was about right. They timed everyone's last mile with the prize to the top 2 fastest mile times in each age group getting a pair of Skecher's shoes. My last mile time, I learned later, was 7:03. And as things went this day, just out of the money. The guy who won the age group did 6:24, and the 2nd place finisher hit 6:35; I ran it about ten seconds faster than each of the 3rd-5th place finishers. Overall time--1:10:48 by the gun but about 1:10:40 by my watch (which I later verified as being the same as the official chip time). I had run 4-5 minutes slower than I had originally hoped for but I was very glad to be done.
We got a bottle of water right away and our nifty top ten finisher's caps--at least I wouldn't go home with nothing to show for it! Oh, and a finisher's medal that was very substantial. Because the race is so huge, you have to walk over to the Fairgounds on the other side of the stadium for refreshments, about a quarter mile from the finishing area. There they had all the water, chocolate milk, bananas and muffins you could possibly want--no bagels & no cookies but plenty of the 4 things I mentioned. Maybe there were oranges too--I can't quite remember. I do remember one of the aid stations had oranges...which I did not pick up. I remember telling myself that was a mistake and if I saw more up ahead I should grab one. And, of course, never saw oranges at any other aid stations.
Well that was it. After tanking up on the chocolate milk, bananas and muffins, I headed back to my hotel for a quick shower and was back on the road. That evening I looked for results and they had some posted. I verified my time and, according to what was posted at the time it looked like I had snuck into the top 5 in my age group with a 5th place finish. Unfortunately those must have been preliminary results because when I checked again a day later I found that I had actually finished 6th, 3 seconds out of 5th place. They must have updated their results and found some error. I guess the second old guy who passed me in around mile 7 or so was the 5th place guy.So five age group prizes and I finished 6th out of 178 old guys; two prizes for the fastest last mile, and I was 3rd. It was that kind of day.
Oh well, at least I know the race if I decide to come back next year, and I have the incentive of redemption. Add it to my list: Alexandria Virginia, New Haven CT, Jacksonville FL. It's a good race course although certainly no pancake. The Hart Bridge is tough, but not a killer. The humidity probably didn't help but it wasn't the worst conditions I've run in for heat and humidity; both the Stratton Faxon 20K in New Haven in early September 2013 and the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Melbourne FL in February 2014, were worse. So despite the scrape and the humidity and disappointments, if I can regain the fitness I had before these upper hamstring issues, I will definitely come back with more lofty aims!
In the meantime I have to focus on the Boston Marathon. But I know the Utica Boilermaker is another 15K course of some fame--may try that this summer if my fitness continues to improve and it fits in.
Road Trip. I made it as a road trip, taking it easy on the way down from Indianapolis, Indiana to Jacksonville, Florida--2.5 days down and a bit harder on the way back-1.5 days. Kind of fun driving through Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and then Florida, seeing the varied terrain and the gradually changing flora. In Georgia I started to notice redbuds in flower peeking out from between the forest along the roadsides. They aren't usually in bloom in Indiana until the 1st or 2nd week in April. Other blooming trees were visible at a Georgia rest area:
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| Blooming tress in central Georgia |
Pre-Race. So what was the pre-race like? It is pretty well organized. It is easy to find the race site which is where you pick up your pre-race packet. The Fairgrounds is right next to Everbank Field (home of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team). Actually it did take a little navigating to get into the area so if you're going for the first time, it would be a good precaution to drive there the day before the race at least. Once you are there and parked, just follow the crowds streaming into the fairgrounds to pick up packets.
It can be pretty hectic in there. it was easy to get to the packet pick-up, just inside the entry area. The pleasant person there handed me a nice gym bag with the bib inside. If you are not the most observant person, me for example, you might not have noticed the boxes of safety pins along the table to your right and you might have picked up your bib and packet assuming there were pins inside. Then I was directed to the t-shirt area. When I picked the t-shirt up, I asked the person there if there were safety pins included in the packet with the bib. She said, 'Yes, sure they are." But I should have gone back and checked; I learned later you had to pick them up and place them in your gym bag. So that was an extra trip back later in the day. On the plus side, I became more and more familiar with the route to the race. :)
The morning of the race I left plenty of time, leaving the hotel at 6:10 am for what was supposed to be a 20 minute drive to the site. The race starts at 8:30 am. I figured it would be even faster at that time of day. Was I ever wrong, and glad I had allowed for extra time. Things started to go wrong when I ran into the tail end of a line of stopped cars at a drawbridge. It took a l-o-o-o-ng time for some boat to get through. I suppose 6:30 am is a good time to be going out into the ocean for fishing?! And then once I got within a half mile of the stadium, it was very slow. By the time I was in my parking spot it was about 7:10, so about an hour instead of 20 minutes. But everyone was parked around the stadium so it is very convenient in that one can use one's own car as a staging area. I usually switch shoes and socks about a half hour before race time Except for that, it was all very organized and easy. I parked the car and walked over to the corral area, found that I could walk into the Wave 1 area and drink a cup of water. There were also lots of portolets and a bag check. I could also take a nice picture of the starting area and send it out over FB.
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| Starting area for the Gate River Run 2015. The yellow area was where the runners in the Open Elite Championship congregated before the start. The area right behind that, in blue, is where Wave 1 (my group) congregated. |
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| Sunrise viewed from the Wave 1 Pre-Race Corral |
Conditions. Before the race I was concerned when I read that the relative humidity would be between 98 and 100%, at the same time the temps would be in the upper 60's during the race. So I went online and learned that humidity is definitely considered a factor to contend with. One should be more conscious of hydration because it is harder for the sweat to evaporate off your body and have a cooling effect. But I also went to the National Weather Service's site for Heat Index and learned that having 66 degrees and 99% humidity results in a heat index of 67 degrees, so not really much effect. That level of Heat Index didn't even earn a 'Caution' about the danger of a heat disorder due to strenuous outdoor activity. And it did not feel oppressive or odd. A year earlier I had run a half marathon in Melbourne Florida with similar temperature and humidity readings. But there had also been fog so all of the runners were absolutely drenched. It must have been like running through a cloud. It was as if water droplets were in the air but, unlike if it had been raining, they were just there, not falling. But nothing like that today. Still, I resolved to be more careful about taking water than usual.
The Race. Eighteen months ago in fall of 2013 I had run 1:01:35 but that was pre-injury. Knowing I was not at peak fitness, still recovering from an upper hamstring injury, I did not even push to the front of the Wave 1 group. My goal was to try to run close to a 7:00 per mile pace. I had run an 8K three weeks earlier averaging 6:50 per mile so a 7:05 to 7:10 pace was what I was thinking for the first part of the race which is pretty flat. If I could stay in that range, I could at least break the 69-year old's record for the Gate River Run which was a tick or two under 1:07; that would be about a 7:10 pace.
Here's a Speedy Banana [from their FB page] picture of my wave [1] starting. I am in about the 10th-12th row back, probably obscured by the cannon smoke or the green Gate River banner. I ran past the starting line with the 'Present By Chase' banner to my immediate right.
The race was on and quickly I found myself easing into a comfortable pace that I hoped was close to 7 minutes per mile. As I looked around, though, I realized this was a group I don't always race with. There was one young fellow who definitely had a sizable spare tire around his middle and other runners who seemed a little gangly and uneven in their pace. But I needed to run easily and this seemed to be the right pace today. Somehow I missed the mile and 2 mile markers, being in the midst of a bunch of runners. We went over the first bridge, which is a relatively quick up and down compared to the Hart Bridge between miles 7.5 and 8.5. Coming off the bridge we were funneled through a narrow lane to the left of the main road and, despite a little closeness, everything went okay.
This is what it looked like coming off the first bridge--for those in later waves--glad it wasn't this crowded where I was running! :)
Eventually we hit the 5K mark and I was brought up short by my time, 22:40 by my watch. A quick rough calculation said that was about a minute slower than 7 minute pace and 60 secs divided by 3 was 20...so I knew I was running closer to 7:20 than 7:10 pace.
Could I speed up a bit? Maybe. I started looking ahead about 50-75 yards or so to pick out runners who looked like they were maybe slowing some, to see if I could pick them off. I also said I should try to speed up a bit when a runner passed me to see if I could stick with them for a bit. In any case I was moving up in the field overall but doubted I was really accelerating much. Pretty soon we turned off a main street into a Park area and I could see a water station up ahead. I had picked up a drink at a couple of these but wasn't sure if I would this time. I wasn't sweating overly much so maybe could have skipped it. We were about 36 minutes in so I figured around 4.5 to 5 miles in. So there would be plenty more water stops. But when I saw a young man on the left side, eagerly holding out a cup towards the end of the line, I made a sudden decision to go for a grab. I had slowed slightly to pick up the cup and was raising it to my mouth when all of a sudden I felt this arm in my back and heard an '"A-a-a-a-gh!" Someone had plowed into me, I took one more stride forward with my right foot and then my left, thinking I might be able to maintain momentum and right myself but no luck, down I went sprawling on the pavement. Luckily I took the main weight of the fall with my palms, which were pretty bloody, but no chin or head impact...so scraped palms and right forearm and a surface pain on the right side of my chest...but nothing more--scrape yourself up off the pavement and get running. I never saw who it was and no one ever apologized, but several young runners (and at my age almost everyone is a young runner) around me asked, "Are you alright, sir?" Very respectful, but I was not feeling particularly sociable and hope I did not have too much opf a snarl on my answer--"Not alright but I can run, thanks!"
Of course the other thing I was worried about was my upper right hamstring. In early November I had recovered back to 90% from my first upper hamstring tear, but I ripped it again at at a national cross country championship race. It was only about a hundred yards from the finish so somehow was able to finish that and help my team to the age group championship. Now I was worried that I would have trouble with that upper hamstring from this fall. It was certainly sore now in a way it hadn't been a few minutes before. I knew I hadn't torn it-you don't miss that searing pain. But I was worried if the pain got worse I might have to stop. Luckily it did not. I know I lost about ten seconds just from the incident itself as I looked ahead to the group of runners who had been right ahead of me. They were now 50 yards or so ahead of me. The tightness in my upper hamstring probably reduced the effectiveness of my stride, not sure by how much. I was probably grabbing less real estate with each stride now.
We headed out onto a wide street, Atlantic Avenue, and after a bit on there swung to the left to go onto smaller streets through another residential area. I passed the 10K mark in about 46:30 so had clearly slowed down-no chance at a record. I was now in 'hang on' mode. My 2nd 5K, a quick calculation told me, was about a minute under 8 minute pace--so around 7:40 per mile. Soon after that an old guy with white hair went past me and I wondered what his age group was. A little after that another old guy with white hair under a cap went by. I knew the age group prizes went 5 deep so had originally figured that was pretty much a sure thing. Now I was worried I might not even get one of those.
Now we were approaching the Hart Bridge--just grind it out I kept telling myself--remember it's all downhill on the other side. With my somewhat shortened stride it seemed to take forever to get up, but eventually the slope decreased and leveled out and I could feel my stride lengthening. I wasn't going to kill the last mile but I figured I was maybe running at sub-7 for the steeper parts, around 7 where it was starting to level out and not too much over 7 for the last flat quarter mile to the finish...Later I learned that was about right. They timed everyone's last mile with the prize to the top 2 fastest mile times in each age group getting a pair of Skecher's shoes. My last mile time, I learned later, was 7:03. And as things went this day, just out of the money. The guy who won the age group did 6:24, and the 2nd place finisher hit 6:35; I ran it about ten seconds faster than each of the 3rd-5th place finishers. Overall time--1:10:48 by the gun but about 1:10:40 by my watch (which I later verified as being the same as the official chip time). I had run 4-5 minutes slower than I had originally hoped for but I was very glad to be done.
We got a bottle of water right away and our nifty top ten finisher's caps--at least I wouldn't go home with nothing to show for it! Oh, and a finisher's medal that was very substantial. Because the race is so huge, you have to walk over to the Fairgounds on the other side of the stadium for refreshments, about a quarter mile from the finishing area. There they had all the water, chocolate milk, bananas and muffins you could possibly want--no bagels & no cookies but plenty of the 4 things I mentioned. Maybe there were oranges too--I can't quite remember. I do remember one of the aid stations had oranges...which I did not pick up. I remember telling myself that was a mistake and if I saw more up ahead I should grab one. And, of course, never saw oranges at any other aid stations.
Well that was it. After tanking up on the chocolate milk, bananas and muffins, I headed back to my hotel for a quick shower and was back on the road. That evening I looked for results and they had some posted. I verified my time and, according to what was posted at the time it looked like I had snuck into the top 5 in my age group with a 5th place finish. Unfortunately those must have been preliminary results because when I checked again a day later I found that I had actually finished 6th, 3 seconds out of 5th place. They must have updated their results and found some error. I guess the second old guy who passed me in around mile 7 or so was the 5th place guy.So five age group prizes and I finished 6th out of 178 old guys; two prizes for the fastest last mile, and I was 3rd. It was that kind of day.
Oh well, at least I know the race if I decide to come back next year, and I have the incentive of redemption. Add it to my list: Alexandria Virginia, New Haven CT, Jacksonville FL. It's a good race course although certainly no pancake. The Hart Bridge is tough, but not a killer. The humidity probably didn't help but it wasn't the worst conditions I've run in for heat and humidity; both the Stratton Faxon 20K in New Haven in early September 2013 and the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Melbourne FL in February 2014, were worse. So despite the scrape and the humidity and disappointments, if I can regain the fitness I had before these upper hamstring issues, I will definitely come back with more lofty aims!
In the meantime I have to focus on the Boston Marathon. But I know the Utica Boilermaker is another 15K course of some fame--may try that this summer if my fitness continues to improve and it fits in.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Is Jared Ward a Favorite to Make the Olympic Marathon Men's Team Next Year?
March 17 2015. With his impressive, intelligent race this past Sunday in the Los Angeles Marathon, Jared Ward placed himself firmly into consideration as one of the favorites to make the Olympic Marathon Men's team next year. It is not only his thrilling victory and strongly negative splits that makes him such a strong candidate. It is the progression. From an initial Marathon in Chicago that was not that impressive, he moved up to run a very strong second in the 2014 USATF National Marathon Championship in the Twin Cities last October. His time was 2:14 but that is known as a tough course.
To win the 2015 USATF National Championship five months later on an easier course, but with much hotter conditions, marks him as a strong and flexible runner who can adjust to different circumstances. Under the tutelage of his coach, Ed Eyestone, Ward is developing nicely.
Until the last few months the members of the 2012 men's team, Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, and Abdi Abdirahman, were generally considered the favorites. But Meb is the only one of those three with strong races in the last couple of years. We cannot count Ryan Hall out, despite another disappointing performance in L.A. Clearly he knows how to train hard and run a fast marathon. You do not run a sub 2:05 marathon at Boston by accident. Still, recent interviews suggest that he may not be as driven as other contenders. That is probably better for a fulfilling life, but it may not be the right attitude to punch a ticket to the Olympics.
So let's move Ward into that circle of favorites. But do not forget Tyler Pennel, who chose to run at the 15K National Championship in Jacksonville the day before the LA Marathon.
Pennel had a spectacular debut marathon at last year's USATF Marathon Championship in October 2014. His time of 2:13:32 does not look spectacular, but the Twin Cities course is known to be challenging. Unlike Chicago, people do not go there to run a fast time. And it was his debut. And who did he beat by 28 seconds? Jared Ward finished second. So we must put Pennel in the mix as well. It should be fascinating to watch how things develop over the next 11 months...and to see if other contenders emerge.
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| Jared Ward, Provo Utah, capturing the USATF Marathon Title in Los Angeles March 15 2015 |
Until the last few months the members of the 2012 men's team, Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, and Abdi Abdirahman, were generally considered the favorites. But Meb is the only one of those three with strong races in the last couple of years. We cannot count Ryan Hall out, despite another disappointing performance in L.A. Clearly he knows how to train hard and run a fast marathon. You do not run a sub 2:05 marathon at Boston by accident. Still, recent interviews suggest that he may not be as driven as other contenders. That is probably better for a fulfilling life, but it may not be the right attitude to punch a ticket to the Olympics.
So let's move Ward into that circle of favorites. But do not forget Tyler Pennel, who chose to run at the 15K National Championship in Jacksonville the day before the LA Marathon.
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| Tyler Pennel, heading uphill toward the finish line at the 2014 USATF Marathon Championship in the Twin Cities, with Jared Ward in the background. |
Pennel had a spectacular debut marathon at last year's USATF Marathon Championship in October 2014. His time of 2:13:32 does not look spectacular, but the Twin Cities course is known to be challenging. Unlike Chicago, people do not go there to run a fast time. And it was his debut. And who did he beat by 28 seconds? Jared Ward finished second. So we must put Pennel in the mix as well. It should be fascinating to watch how things develop over the next 11 months...and to see if other contenders emerge.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Recap of USATF Masters 8 KM Championship at Brea CA on February 22 2015
February 24 2015. We came to Southern California for warmth and sunshine and those of us from parts of the country with cold, snow, and ice were not disappointed. Race day was almost perfect for running. We had been told to expect drizzle or possibly even a light rain. But we lucked out; it did rain later in the day but during the race it was partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid to upper 50's. And for a bit of the race it was sunny enough that a number of runners wished they had worn sunglasses.
One rules footnote. This was the first race to experiment with the new freedom allowed by a rule change adopted at the 2014 USATF Annual Meeting. The Local Organizing Committee [LOC] opted to use net time (chip time) to determine place finishes rather than the traditional gun time. The LOC felt the start was too restricted in width to allow a reasonably fair and safe gun start to all, so opted for chip timing.
It was a very eventful day! There was one record-breaking performance, by Christine Kennedy; a number of very close 1-2 finishes; rising stars; and some veteran elite runners coming back all the way from their injuries. There was $7000 in prize money at stake for the individual overall, age group and age grading winners, not to mention another $3500 for team prizes.
American Record. It was no surprise. Christine Kennedy (Los Gatos CA) ran 31:10 here last year as a 59 year old and has indicated her intent to go after as many records as possible this year. She is also focusing on becoming the first woman 60 years or over to break 3 hours in the marathon; that will reduce the number of opportunities for record-breaking competitions. So she had best take advantage of every chance she gets. She started her season off perfectly with a 31:27 time, breaking Kathryn Martin's (Northport NY) record. Martin lowered the record twice last year, to 32:34 in August and then to 32:20 in November. Now the record goes to Kennedy.
[Note: All times reported in this recap are based on preliminary results provided by Time Management; these are not yet official.]
WOMEN
Overall Race. At the start I thought this was a race between former Olympic triathlete, Julie Ertel (Irvine CA), third place finisher from last year and Tania Fischer (Santa Monica CA), coming off of 2 strong cross country results at Club Cross Country in Bethlehem PA in December and USA Cross Country Championships at Boulder CO in early February. I thought the outcome at Club Cross where Fischer beat Cassandra Henkiel (Austin TX) by a half minute meant Henkiel would be unlikely to challenge. I did think Sharon Lemberger (Menlo Park CA) might be a wild card. In the end, Henkiel was the big surprise, shooting to victory and claiming the $300 1st prize by over 15 seconds in 29:17. Lemberger just nipped Fischer for 2nd place by a single second. [Henkiel, Lemberger, Fischer].
Women's 40-44. Henkiel and Lemberger were 1-2. Fischer is in the 45-49 age group so 3rd place went to Ertel in 29:53. [Henkiel, Lemberger, Ertel]
Women's 45-49. This was an all-California affair as Fischer took the age group crown, with Molly Friel [Fresno CA] zipping across the line 14 seconds later in 29:47. Cindy Abrami [Santa Barbara CA], pegged as a contender, did not disappoint as she made the podium with a 30:40 time.
[Fischer, Friel, Abrami]
Women's 50-54. This was a group where I was grasping at straws in my preview, only identifying one of the final podium performers. Kathleen Phair [Seal Beach CA] took a productive break from seal watching and sped across the finish line in 32:29 to capture 1st place. Trailing her by about 20 seconds was Louise Davis [Irvine CA]. Mary Thane [Missoula MT] broke up the California monopoly as she zipped into the Brea Mall finishing area 9 seconds back with a nifty 32:57.
[Phair, Davis, Thane]
Women's 55-59. Last year Debbie Lee (Trabuco Canyon CA) finished a half minute ahead of Suzanne Morris [Long Beach CA], to take 2nd behind Christine Kennedy [Los Gatos CA]. This year, with Kennedy moving up to the next age group, the 55-59 crown was at stake. Morris left no doubt this year, running a minute and a half faster than in 2014, taking 1st place by a wide margin, in 32:24. Whether Lee just had an off day or had injuries, she slowed relative to last year and left the door open for Meredith Mills (Aptos CA) to take 2nd place in 34:06.
[Morris, Mills, Lee]
Women's 60-64. Kennedy took this age group by the widest of margins, in her record-breaking 31:27.It is not easy running in the same age group as a legend in the making, but Honor Fetherston [also Los Gatos CA] joined her neighbor and took second smartly in 35:29. Sandy Robbins-Sydner [Apple Valley CA] took third. [Kennedy, Fetherston, Robbins-Sydner]
Women's 65-69. No big surprises here. JoAnne Rowland [Concord CA] was favored to win handily and she did, finishing in 38:57. Three and a half minutes later, Irene Herman [San Francisco] claimed 2nd. Bunny McDowell [Middletown NJ] made her trip from the East Coast count for more than a break from the winter weather, finishing 4 minutes later to take the 3rd place medal.
[Rowland, Herman, McDowell]
Women's 70-74. Norma Thomas [Moreno Valley CA] defended her 2014 title with ease, waltzing across the finish line in 43:35. That was a fine time, especially considering the lack of competitors to push her. [Thomas]
Women's 75-79. Pat Herr [Mission Viejo CA] and Dorothy Strand [Orange CA] both ran for the local running club (and store), A Snail's Pace. We salute them; it is great to have another age group contested. In this case, Herr was able to pull away and establish a winning gap of 2 minutes, winning the group in 57:42. [Herr, Strand]
MEN
Overall. In Boulder Colorado at the USA Masters Cross Country Championships on February 7th, Jacques Sallberg [Pasadena CA] upset favorite, Greg Mitchell [McMinnville OR], by hanging with the lead pack for the first 8 miles or so and then surging away from Mitchell over the last kilometer. Based on that race, I predicted a tight finish this time, only 2 weeks later. I could hardly have been more mistaken. Mitchell clearly came with a mission and a focus. If he could not be King of the Mountains this year, he would at least be King of the Coast. Mitchell made sure it would not come down to a finishing kick, opening up a gap over the field and winning by over a minute in 24:27. Forty minutes faster than last year, Mitchell was cooking along at a 4:55 pace (yahoo!) on a challenging course--no pancakes here. Mitchell got the 1st place medal and the $300 prize. Although Sallberg could not pull in a second win in two tries at national masters championships this year, he defended his second place on the podium, holding off John Gardiner [Rancho Santa Margarita CA] by a mere 5 seconds! Gardiner, too, bested his 2014 time, although only by ten seconds, in 25:53. And he needed all ten seconds; it was a rush to the finish line with Andrew Duncan [Las Vegas NV] netting the same time and Jaime Heilpern [San Francisco CA] finishing 1 second back in 25:54. What a dash! It was sweet revenge for Gardiner as last year it was Heilpern edging Gardiner off the podium. No doubt this rivalry will be played out over the years!
[Mitchell, Sallberg, Gardiner]
Men 40-44. The top 3 overall finishers were all from the yougest age group this year; hence they take these age group prizes as well. [Mitchell, Sallberg, Gardiner]
Men 45-49. Denied the overall podium by a fraction of a second and a second respectively, Duncan and Heilpern took 1-2 in this age group, with Carl Combs [Cheney WA] 13 seconds back in 3rd. And although they finished just off the 45-49 podium, it is noteworthy that Rusty Snow [Santa Barbara CA] and Rob Arsenault [Riverside CA]had a killer race over the last half mile or so, stride for stride until Snow was able to edge Arsenault at the tape by a second in gun time and a fraction of a second in net time. [Duncan, Heilpern, Combs]
Men 50-54. This was billed as Francis Burdett [Worcester MA], the man of the hour after his victory in Boulder 2 weeks earlier, vs. Pete Magill [South Pasadena CA], the legendary runner and journalist. Magill could not keep up with Burdett in Boulder but has historically raced relatively poorly at altitude. So it looked like a real showdown. Unfortunately we will have to wait for a sea level sequel to this rivalry. Magill's training took a hit when he developed an upper respiratory infection after coming back from Boulder. That left his race fitness questionable and certainly with the whole season left in front of him, Magill did not want to take a chance with his health turning sour. It was our loss but it did not seem to bother Burdett who flew around the course, nearly matching last year's winning time and taking first place in 26:50, twenty-two seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher, David Olds [Los Angeles CA], with 3rd place finisher, Ricardo Maldonado [Scottsdale AZ] another 9 seconds back.
[Burdett, Olds, Maldonado]
Men 55-59. This was the race so many were waiting for. Which Brian Pilcher [Ross CA] would appear, the one who was recovering from an injury in the fall of 2014, the runner who made mincemeat out of the Kaiser Permanente Half on February 1st, or the runner who struggled to a 2nd place age group finish at Bolder, perhaps because of the altitude? The answer screamed out to us..."Pilcher is all the way b-a-a-a-ck!" Not only did he beat a very tough 55-59 field, he had the best performance (Age Grading) by a male across all of the age groups. Last year John Loftus [Laguna Beach CA] toasted the competition in 27:54; Pilcher beat that time by a half minute! Joe Sheeran [Ellensburg WA], and Pilcher's chief rival, also came in ahead of last year's winning time in 27:40. Disappointing for him, no doubt, but a terrific effort! And it was less than a half minute more back to Adam Weiner [San Diego CA] who claimed the last spot on the podium.
[Pilcher, Sheeran, Weiner]
Men 60-64. Another killer age group, arguably the toughest at these championships. Last year Peter Mullin [Houston TX] won this age group in 29:39; that time would not even have gotten him onto the podium this year. Certainly it was the closest battle for 1st in these championships. Tom McCormack [Jonesborough TN], the record breaking Irish expatriate, led the race all the way, thinking that he had generated a gap over his pursuer, Rick Becker [Selah WA]. After all, that was the story the last time they met at Alexandria, Virginia at the .US National 12K Championship. But Becker had pursued his training with vigor in the interim and came with a mission and a plan. He would keep McCormack in sight for the whole race, pull close over the last half mile and then try to sprint past him. It worked like a charm, as McCormack was caught unawares and had no time to respond. Becker took the crown by a fraction of a second! This is a rivalry we will be watching the rest of this year and probably for many years to come. Both may enter the 10K championships at Dedham. If so, everyone will be waiting to see how it unfolds! And that was just the 1-2 race. Although the race for the third spot on the podium was not quite as close, it was still a heck of a battle. Tom Bernhard [Castro Valley CA] gradually pulled away from Dale Campbell [Huntington Beach CA], who was doing double duty as Race Director and competitor. Last year, Bernhard had his first injury-free race in a while; this year he could train full out, and it showed as he improved his time by more than a minute and a half, to take 3rd in 29:10. All three of these gentlemen had world class performances (> 90% AG).
[Becker, McCormack, Bernhard]
Men 65-69. Last year Lloyd Hansen [Salt Lake City UT] won this age group by over a minute but there was a new addition this year. Ignacio Jimenez [Goleta CA] ran 17 seconds faster than Hansen last year but was in the 55-59 age group. Now he is in the 60-64 group. But the two of them finished neck and neck in the USA Masters Cross Country Championships in Boulder so there was certainly uncertainty about how the race would come out. In the event, it was very tight for the first 4 kilometers but then there is a long hill and on that hill, a gap appeared, as Jimenez pulled away. Hansen was not able to respond on the hill but hoped that he could close the gap once the course peaked and turned down again. Alas it was a forlorn hope; depsite his best efforts the gap did not shrink and Jimenez won the race by 24 seconds. Hansen claimed second in 31:24 and a minute later Donald Porteous [Alameda CA] came across the line to take third.
[Jimenez, Hansen, Porteous]
Men 70-74. I was anticipating a terrific duel between Doug Goodhue [Milford MI] and Jan Frisby [Grand Junction CO]. Goodhue has had things pretty much his way in this age group and in his previous age groups. He has been Runner of the Year in his age group for the last nine years. He has been hoping for more competitive races and it looked like he would get his wish. Frisby, who was a dominant runner in his 50's and extremely strong through his 60's, when healthy and injury free, appeared to be back on track. He appeared in a few races at the end of 2014 but entered the year as a question mark. He changed the question mark to a 'period', or maybe even an exclamation point, in the USA Cross Country Championships when he won the age group in a fine time.
Still this would be the first meeting of the year between Frisby and Goodhue. Surely sparks would fly as they lit out over the pavement? What I had not realized is that Goodhue was coming in with a bit of a knee issue. Things were okay at the start but during the race, Goodhue's knee acted up and he did the sensible thing by dropping from the race. Better to ensure that you can run another day. But with Goodhue out, Frisby could waltz home and he did. But his time was excellent and perhaps he was thinking all along that Goodhue might be closing in on him. In any case, Frisby came home first in 32:24, winning his 2nd national championship of 2015, with a winning margin of 46 seconds. Len Goldman [Oakland CA], the perpetually strong runner from the Bay area, took second by an even wider margin. Hans Schmid [Greenbrae CA], who usually runs ultra marathons, found enough speed to claim the third spot on the podium.
[Frisby, Goldman, Schmid]
Men 75-79. Joe Razo [Alhambra CA], who won this age group last year was entered but was not able to run. That left things wide open for three newcomers. Neal Chappell [Stateline NV] won the race in a fine time of 38:59, essentially the same as Razo's winning time last year. Had he been able to show up they would have had a heck of a race. Roland Cormier [Jackson NJ] claimed 2nd a minute and a half back. The third spot on the podium was claimed a minute later when David Norlander [Los Altos CA] sped across the line.
[Chappell, Cormier, Norlander]
Men 80-84. Bob Rice [Long Beach CA] was unchallenged but ran a fine time anyway, winning in 48:06, averaging under 10 minutes per mile. [Rice]
Men 85-89. One of the biggest cheers of the day at the awards ceremony was for Gunnar Linde [Venice CA], the sole competitor in this age group and the oldest athlete in the race. Despite his 86 years, Linde cracked the one hour barrier, stepping along at better than 12 minutes per mile to take the title.
AGE GRADING
[100% = 'Fastest possible time'; 90%+ = 'World Class'; 80% + = National Class]
Women
1st ($500). Christine Kennedy [Los Gatos CA]....age 60....31:27....AG = 97.30%
2nd ($400). Suzanne Morris [Long Beach CA]...age 57...32:24...AG=90.90%
3rd ($350). Tania Fischer [Santa Monics CA]...age 48...29:33...AG=89.57%
4th ($300). Molly Friel [Fresno CA]...age 47...29:47...AG = 87.86%
5th ($200). Kathleen Phair [Seal Beach CA]...age 54...32:29...AG = 87.38%
Men
1st. ($500). Brian Pilcher [Ross CA]...age 58...27:24...AG = 93.43%
2nd. ($400). Tom McCormack [Jonesborough TN]...age 61...28:20...AG=92.82%
3rd. ($350). Rick Becker [Selah WA]...age 60...28:19...AG=92.05%
4th. ($300). Joe Sheeran [Ellensburg WA]...age 57...27:38...AG = 91.86%
5th. ($200). Tom Bernhard [Castro Valley CA]...age 63...29:10...AG = 91.77%]
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| Getting organized before the race in the team tents at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 [photo: Thuc Tran] |
It was a very eventful day! There was one record-breaking performance, by Christine Kennedy; a number of very close 1-2 finishes; rising stars; and some veteran elite runners coming back all the way from their injuries. There was $7000 in prize money at stake for the individual overall, age group and age grading winners, not to mention another $3500 for team prizes.
American Record. It was no surprise. Christine Kennedy (Los Gatos CA) ran 31:10 here last year as a 59 year old and has indicated her intent to go after as many records as possible this year. She is also focusing on becoming the first woman 60 years or over to break 3 hours in the marathon; that will reduce the number of opportunities for record-breaking competitions. So she had best take advantage of every chance she gets. She started her season off perfectly with a 31:27 time, breaking Kathryn Martin's (Northport NY) record. Martin lowered the record twice last year, to 32:34 in August and then to 32:20 in November. Now the record goes to Kennedy.
[Note: All times reported in this recap are based on preliminary results provided by Time Management; these are not yet official.]
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| Christine Kennedy, being congratulated at the Awards Ceremony on her New American Record by Don Lein, USATF Masters LDR Chair. At the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 [photo: Thuc Tran] |
WOMEN
Overall Race. At the start I thought this was a race between former Olympic triathlete, Julie Ertel (Irvine CA), third place finisher from last year and Tania Fischer (Santa Monica CA), coming off of 2 strong cross country results at Club Cross Country in Bethlehem PA in December and USA Cross Country Championships at Boulder CO in early February. I thought the outcome at Club Cross where Fischer beat Cassandra Henkiel (Austin TX) by a half minute meant Henkiel would be unlikely to challenge. I did think Sharon Lemberger (Menlo Park CA) might be a wild card. In the end, Henkiel was the big surprise, shooting to victory and claiming the $300 1st prize by over 15 seconds in 29:17. Lemberger just nipped Fischer for 2nd place by a single second. [Henkiel, Lemberger, Fischer].
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| Cassandra Henkiel (L), Overall Masters Winner at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 .[photo: Thuc Tran] |
Women's 40-44. Henkiel and Lemberger were 1-2. Fischer is in the 45-49 age group so 3rd place went to Ertel in 29:53. [Henkiel, Lemberger, Ertel]
Women's 45-49. This was an all-California affair as Fischer took the age group crown, with Molly Friel [Fresno CA] zipping across the line 14 seconds later in 29:47. Cindy Abrami [Santa Barbara CA], pegged as a contender, did not disappoint as she made the podium with a 30:40 time.
[Fischer, Friel, Abrami]
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| Tania Fischer (L}, 3rd place overall Masters and 1st in 45-49 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
Women's 50-54. This was a group where I was grasping at straws in my preview, only identifying one of the final podium performers. Kathleen Phair [Seal Beach CA] took a productive break from seal watching and sped across the finish line in 32:29 to capture 1st place. Trailing her by about 20 seconds was Louise Davis [Irvine CA]. Mary Thane [Missoula MT] broke up the California monopoly as she zipped into the Brea Mall finishing area 9 seconds back with a nifty 32:57.
[Phair, Davis, Thane]
Women's 55-59. Last year Debbie Lee (Trabuco Canyon CA) finished a half minute ahead of Suzanne Morris [Long Beach CA], to take 2nd behind Christine Kennedy [Los Gatos CA]. This year, with Kennedy moving up to the next age group, the 55-59 crown was at stake. Morris left no doubt this year, running a minute and a half faster than in 2014, taking 1st place by a wide margin, in 32:24. Whether Lee just had an off day or had injuries, she slowed relative to last year and left the door open for Meredith Mills (Aptos CA) to take 2nd place in 34:06.
[Morris, Mills, Lee]
Women's 60-64. Kennedy took this age group by the widest of margins, in her record-breaking 31:27.It is not easy running in the same age group as a legend in the making, but Honor Fetherston [also Los Gatos CA] joined her neighbor and took second smartly in 35:29. Sandy Robbins-Sydner [Apple Valley CA] took third. [Kennedy, Fetherston, Robbins-Sydner]
Women's 65-69. No big surprises here. JoAnne Rowland [Concord CA] was favored to win handily and she did, finishing in 38:57. Three and a half minutes later, Irene Herman [San Francisco] claimed 2nd. Bunny McDowell [Middletown NJ] made her trip from the East Coast count for more than a break from the winter weather, finishing 4 minutes later to take the 3rd place medal.
[Rowland, Herman, McDowell]
Women's 70-74. Norma Thomas [Moreno Valley CA] defended her 2014 title with ease, waltzing across the finish line in 43:35. That was a fine time, especially considering the lack of competitors to push her. [Thomas]
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| Pat Herr (L), Norma Thomas (C) and Dorothy Strand (R) and their winning medals, all affiliated with A Snail's Pace Running Club at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
Women's 75-79. Pat Herr [Mission Viejo CA] and Dorothy Strand [Orange CA] both ran for the local running club (and store), A Snail's Pace. We salute them; it is great to have another age group contested. In this case, Herr was able to pull away and establish a winning gap of 2 minutes, winning the group in 57:42. [Herr, Strand]
MEN
Overall. In Boulder Colorado at the USA Masters Cross Country Championships on February 7th, Jacques Sallberg [Pasadena CA] upset favorite, Greg Mitchell [McMinnville OR], by hanging with the lead pack for the first 8 miles or so and then surging away from Mitchell over the last kilometer. Based on that race, I predicted a tight finish this time, only 2 weeks later. I could hardly have been more mistaken. Mitchell clearly came with a mission and a focus. If he could not be King of the Mountains this year, he would at least be King of the Coast. Mitchell made sure it would not come down to a finishing kick, opening up a gap over the field and winning by over a minute in 24:27. Forty minutes faster than last year, Mitchell was cooking along at a 4:55 pace (yahoo!) on a challenging course--no pancakes here. Mitchell got the 1st place medal and the $300 prize. Although Sallberg could not pull in a second win in two tries at national masters championships this year, he defended his second place on the podium, holding off John Gardiner [Rancho Santa Margarita CA] by a mere 5 seconds! Gardiner, too, bested his 2014 time, although only by ten seconds, in 25:53. And he needed all ten seconds; it was a rush to the finish line with Andrew Duncan [Las Vegas NV] netting the same time and Jaime Heilpern [San Francisco CA] finishing 1 second back in 25:54. What a dash! It was sweet revenge for Gardiner as last year it was Heilpern edging Gardiner off the podium. No doubt this rivalry will be played out over the years!
[Mitchell, Sallberg, Gardiner]
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| Jacques Sallberg (L), Greg Mitchell (C), and John Gardiner (R), with their medals, the Overall Masters Race Podium at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
Men 45-49. Denied the overall podium by a fraction of a second and a second respectively, Duncan and Heilpern took 1-2 in this age group, with Carl Combs [Cheney WA] 13 seconds back in 3rd. And although they finished just off the 45-49 podium, it is noteworthy that Rusty Snow [Santa Barbara CA] and Rob Arsenault [Riverside CA]had a killer race over the last half mile or so, stride for stride until Snow was able to edge Arsenault at the tape by a second in gun time and a fraction of a second in net time. [Duncan, Heilpern, Combs]
Men 50-54. This was billed as Francis Burdett [Worcester MA], the man of the hour after his victory in Boulder 2 weeks earlier, vs. Pete Magill [South Pasadena CA], the legendary runner and journalist. Magill could not keep up with Burdett in Boulder but has historically raced relatively poorly at altitude. So it looked like a real showdown. Unfortunately we will have to wait for a sea level sequel to this rivalry. Magill's training took a hit when he developed an upper respiratory infection after coming back from Boulder. That left his race fitness questionable and certainly with the whole season left in front of him, Magill did not want to take a chance with his health turning sour. It was our loss but it did not seem to bother Burdett who flew around the course, nearly matching last year's winning time and taking first place in 26:50, twenty-two seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher, David Olds [Los Angeles CA], with 3rd place finisher, Ricardo Maldonado [Scottsdale AZ] another 9 seconds back.
[Burdett, Olds, Maldonado]
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| Francis Burdett (L), David Olds (C), and Ricardo Maldonado (R) with their medals in the 50-54 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
[Pilcher, Sheeran, Weiner]
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| Adam Weiner (L), Joe Sheeran (C), and Brian Pilcher (R) with their medals for the 55-59 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
Men 60-64. Another killer age group, arguably the toughest at these championships. Last year Peter Mullin [Houston TX] won this age group in 29:39; that time would not even have gotten him onto the podium this year. Certainly it was the closest battle for 1st in these championships. Tom McCormack [Jonesborough TN], the record breaking Irish expatriate, led the race all the way, thinking that he had generated a gap over his pursuer, Rick Becker [Selah WA]. After all, that was the story the last time they met at Alexandria, Virginia at the .US National 12K Championship. But Becker had pursued his training with vigor in the interim and came with a mission and a plan. He would keep McCormack in sight for the whole race, pull close over the last half mile and then try to sprint past him. It worked like a charm, as McCormack was caught unawares and had no time to respond. Becker took the crown by a fraction of a second! This is a rivalry we will be watching the rest of this year and probably for many years to come. Both may enter the 10K championships at Dedham. If so, everyone will be waiting to see how it unfolds! And that was just the 1-2 race. Although the race for the third spot on the podium was not quite as close, it was still a heck of a battle. Tom Bernhard [Castro Valley CA] gradually pulled away from Dale Campbell [Huntington Beach CA], who was doing double duty as Race Director and competitor. Last year, Bernhard had his first injury-free race in a while; this year he could train full out, and it showed as he improved his time by more than a minute and a half, to take 3rd in 29:10. All three of these gentlemen had world class performances (> 90% AG).
[Becker, McCormack, Bernhard]
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| Rick Becker (L) and Tom McCormack (R) with their medals for the 60-64 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
[Jimenez, Hansen, Porteous]
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| Donald Porteous (L), Ignacio Jimenez (C), and Lloyd Hansen (R), with their medals from the 65-69 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
Still this would be the first meeting of the year between Frisby and Goodhue. Surely sparks would fly as they lit out over the pavement? What I had not realized is that Goodhue was coming in with a bit of a knee issue. Things were okay at the start but during the race, Goodhue's knee acted up and he did the sensible thing by dropping from the race. Better to ensure that you can run another day. But with Goodhue out, Frisby could waltz home and he did. But his time was excellent and perhaps he was thinking all along that Goodhue might be closing in on him. In any case, Frisby came home first in 32:24, winning his 2nd national championship of 2015, with a winning margin of 46 seconds. Len Goldman [Oakland CA], the perpetually strong runner from the Bay area, took second by an even wider margin. Hans Schmid [Greenbrae CA], who usually runs ultra marathons, found enough speed to claim the third spot on the podium.
[Frisby, Goldman, Schmid]
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| Len Goldman (L), Jan Frisby (C), and Hans Schmid (R) with their medals from the 70-74 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
[Chappell, Cormier, Norlander]
Men 80-84. Bob Rice [Long Beach CA] was unchallenged but ran a fine time anyway, winning in 48:06, averaging under 10 minutes per mile. [Rice]
Men 85-89. One of the biggest cheers of the day at the awards ceremony was for Gunnar Linde [Venice CA], the sole competitor in this age group and the oldest athlete in the race. Despite his 86 years, Linde cracked the one hour barrier, stepping along at better than 12 minutes per mile to take the title.
AGE GRADING
[100% = 'Fastest possible time'; 90%+ = 'World Class'; 80% + = National Class]
Women
1st ($500). Christine Kennedy [Los Gatos CA]....age 60....31:27....AG = 97.30%
2nd ($400). Suzanne Morris [Long Beach CA]...age 57...32:24...AG=90.90%
3rd ($350). Tania Fischer [Santa Monics CA]...age 48...29:33...AG=89.57%
4th ($300). Molly Friel [Fresno CA]...age 47...29:47...AG = 87.86%
5th ($200). Kathleen Phair [Seal Beach CA]...age 54...32:29...AG = 87.38%
Men
1st. ($500). Brian Pilcher [Ross CA]...age 58...27:24...AG = 93.43%
2nd. ($400). Tom McCormack [Jonesborough TN]...age 61...28:20...AG=92.82%
3rd. ($350). Rick Becker [Selah WA]...age 60...28:19...AG=92.05%
4th. ($300). Joe Sheeran [Ellensburg WA]...age 57...27:38...AG = 91.86%
5th. ($200). Tom Bernhard [Castro Valley CA]...age 63...29:10...AG = 91.77%]
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| Brian Pilcher (L) and Chris Kennedy (C), top age grading performances at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran] |
Monday, February 23, 2015
A Letter from Brea-A Personal Recap
Hi, all
This is a personal reflection on today, February 22 2015, at the USATF 8K Masters Championship race in Brea, California. For my usual detailed recap, check back in a few days.
If you are a strong Masters runner, I urge you to put this race on your calendar for next year, February 28, 2016.
Last year I ran 32:12 and finished 2nd in my age group. This year I ran 34:05 and finished off the podium. So why am I extremely happy? Many reasons--
This is a personal reflection on today, February 22 2015, at the USATF 8K Masters Championship race in Brea, California. For my usual detailed recap, check back in a few days.
If you are a strong Masters runner, I urge you to put this race on your calendar for next year, February 28, 2016.
Last year I ran 32:12 and finished 2nd in my age group. This year I ran 34:05 and finished off the podium. So why am I extremely happy? Many reasons--
- At race time it was about 60 degrees under partly cloudy skies rather than single digits (positive or negative) with much snow.
- I've been battling a hamstring injury since last August. I made progress up through early November when I ripped it again. Physical therapy sessions, lots of exercises at the gym and a new, adaptive approach to training runs later, I finally figured I could try another race. Based on my workouts, I figured I could break 37 minutes and hoped that I might break 35 (roughly 7 minutes per mile). So the 34:05 exceeded my expectations and realized my hopes. It shows me that I am making slow but steady progress and, with reasonable luck and perseverance, should be able to run a reasonable race at the Gate River Run in 3 weeks time and, I hope, at the Boston Marathon, in a couple of months.
- My wife and daughter accompanied me and we all enjoyed the break from the winter [see 1st bullet]
- They awarded performance medals for everyone who age graded at 80% or better that are just like the usual USATF medal on the front and on the back it says, "Elite/Age-Grade/Performance/80%+/Regional Class" or "...85%+/National Class" or "...90%+/World Class"--See me showing off my classy medal below.
Nifty Age-Grade Performance Medal Awarded at Brea 8K --at the Award Ceremony - This is a new development that came as a suggestion from the Athlete's Advisory Committee; it was enthusiastically adopted by the Executive Committee. This is a great incentive for really strong runners who happen to be in an age group with three or more virtually unbeatable elite runners at the top...and almost all of the age groups seem to be stacked these days--very competitive! It's also great for those runners who might be coming back from injury and not quite up to their game who want to get in a fitness check and if they run a good race, get recognized for that achievement. The goal is to have these performance medals at every USATF Masters LDR event from now on.
- I picked up some Individual Grand Prix points. This is another change from years past; if you finish the race you are guaranteed at least 5 points to count toward the Individual Grand Prix contest, and if you finish in the top ten, you get at least 55 points.
- [See-- http://www.usatf.org/Resources-for---/Masters/LDR/Individual-Grand-Prix.aspx]
- It was great to be part of a race with so many top performances and strong rivalries--an American Record was set and there were a lot of races determined by just a few seconds between 1st and 2nd. Come back to see my recap in a few days.
- It's a great field; the SoCal and Pacific Association runners and teams turn out for this and a fair number of runners come from across the country. There were 280 Masters runners who toed the line today!
- It's a real pleasure to see my racing buddies and hear their stories--from Atlanta to Grand Junction, Colorado to Salt Lake City to Ann Arbor to East Tennessee--The camaraderie of these amazing athletes is what makes USATF racing so special.
- Did I mention that the race is really well run and that the course, although no pancake, has a nice rhythm to it so the times are still pretty good. There's one steep, short hill in the first half mile that doesn't cause much of a problem, and a somewhat longer hill just before the 3 mile mark that is a bit more of a challenge. But you have the reward of a long downhill shortly after you crest the hill.
- And there is a very extensive food court after the race--Yes they have water and bananas, but they also have coffee, subway sandwiches, pizza, burgers, cake, cookies and yes, even mac and cheese...not to mention tacos and pasta!
- This was the second year of a three year contract. It is not guaranteed that the hosts will submit a bid for another 3-year contract. So that's an added reason to come next year. It's either your last chance or it's a chance to increase the registration by so much that the USATF SoCal has no choice but to negotiate another contract with USATF to host the national 8K championship.
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