3 X 10 IN EARLY APRIL—MASTERS RUNNERS IN DC, LOUISVILLE & SACRAMENTO

April 15 2018. The first weekend in April finds athletes running 10 Milers from coast to coast and in the middle. The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run (CB10) in Washington D.C., the Papa John’s 10 Miler (PJ10) in Louisville KY, and the Sactown 10 Miler (ST10) in Sacramento CA all take place on this weekend and attract thousands of runners in total.  The PJ10 was first up on Saturday, April 7th, with the CB10 and the S10 taking place the following day. Now in its 45^th year, the Cherry Blossom run is the granddaddy. Founded to provide a good race for Elite Runners prepping for the Boston Marathon, it now attracts Elite Runners who race it for the Prize Money, which comes from a variety of sources ranging from USATF Road Rating Circuit to RRCA as well as both Professional and American [only] Prize Money. It is also a large mass participation race, by far the largest of the three. This year the CB10 had over 16,000 finishers. The PJ10, now in its 18^th running, had just under 3000, probably fewer than normal because of the discouraging weather conditions; the ST10, in its 8^th year, had under a thousand although they, like the CB10 do aim to attract at least a handful of elite athletes and also attracted regional elite runners this year as the Pacific Association’s (USATF) 10 Mile Championship.

All three are potentially record eligible as they finish and start at the same elevation and the furthest distance between the start and finish in any of the races is less than a mile. The CB10 and the S10 are both advertised as flat and fast; the PJ10 is more challenging. Miles 1-3 and 6.5 to 9.5 are flat and fast. But there are both rolling and substantial hills in the 3-6.5 mile portion that winds through the scenic Iroquois Park, and there is an overpass to surmount with about 800 meters to go. Perhaps because records are unlikely on such a course, the PJ10 does not advertise its course as USATF certified while the other two do.

This year the weather gods did not smile on either the CB10 or the PJ10 although the DC race had marginally better weather. Sacramento enjoyed a very good weather day, clear with temperatures in the 50’s during the race, and mostly calm. The CB10 went off under partly cloudy skies, with temps in the mid-thirties but substantial winds of 10-14 mph, and only got to the upper thirties or low 40’s depending on which wave the runner was in and how fast they ran. Louisville enjoyed, and I use the term loosely, 30 degree temps and light snow, with 8-10 mph winds at the beginning of the race and two hours later the conditions were just the same; there was no warming. Luckily the roads had been warm the afternoon before so the only slippery conditions were encountered on that last overpass. So how did the Masters LDR athletes do?

CHERRY BLOSSOM 10 MILE RUN

The Masters race on the women’s side was decided early on. Perry Shoemaker, 46, the 2017 Masters 8K and 2013-2015 Masters 12K National Overall Champion, led the way. Going out in a 5:48 per mile pace, Shoemaker hit the 5 mile mark in 28:58 [gun] with a minute and a half lead on Jennifer Maranzano. But Maranzano had just as big a lead on her closest pursuer, Mimi Fallon, 52. Another half minute went by before Tucson Arizona’s Tia Accetta, 42, crossed the 5 mile mat, followed 43 seconds later by Erin Chamberlin, Lisa Reichman, Suzanne Himes, and Andrea Freeman. Shoemaker and Maranzano kept the pressure on the whole way with Shoemaker taking first in 58:56, a minute and 43 seconds ahead of Maranzano. Accetta closed gradually on Fallon and had pulled even when they crossed the 9 mile marker. From there Accetta was able to pull away to claim 3^rd by 17 seconds. Fallon was followed two minutes later by Himes and Freeman.

Perry Shoemaker 58:56     Jennifer Maranzano 1:00:39     Tia Accetta 1:04:54

[Note: Underlining name signifies Age Division winner.]

The Men’s race also included former Masters National Overall Champions, Mike Wardian, 43,in the 2014 12K Event and Bryan Glass, 44, in the 2013 15K Event in Tulsa. Wardian, last year’s 7 Marathons-7 Continents-7 Days Winner, went off at 5:20 pace keeping tight with Brock Butler, 40, and David Wertz.

Mike Wardian [front left] just past the 1 Mile Marker

Butler was able to surge before the 5 Mile mark to establish a 6 second gap as he crossed the mat in 26:34. Wardian and Wertz had nearly a minute on Aaron Church and Glass who were taking a more measured approach. Butler made the early break pay off as he grew his final margin to the better part of a minute. Wardian was able to pull away from Wertz in the 6^th mile as he enjoyed a 14 second gap by the 10K mark which grew to 22 seconds by the finish. Glass was able to pass and pull away from Church between miles 6 and 9 and gain some ground on Wertz. But Wertz held tough and nailed the third podium spot with over half a minute to spare. Church came in 5^th, less than half a minute back from Glass.

Brock Butler 53:07     Mike Wardian 53:54     David Wertz 54:16

[Note: Times above are gun time; times below are chip time.]

In terms of outstanding performances by age group, the 5 top runners in the Men’s Race overall came out of the 40-44 group and all had National Class [80%+] or International Class [85%+], age grades, with Wardian heading the list at 86.2% followed by Butler at 85.6, Glass at 85.4 and Wertz at 85.0. Church was not far behind at 83.3%. Shoemaker not only topped 80%, she was one of three runners to turn in a World Class time, above 90%. Her 91.3% was nearly matched by Jennifer Teppo, 59, of Vancouver WA, whose 1:09:16 merited a 90.8%, and was topped by Joan Samuelson’s 93.8%, for her 1:07:56 at age 60. Interestingly, there had been speculation that she might be shooting for Kathy Martin’s American Record of 1:05:27 but, according to usatf.tv commentators, Samuelson had nixed that ahead of time due to some issues with her knee during the run-up to the CB 10. Among the top finishers, Fallon’s time at age 52 earned an 88.3% while Maranzano’s was 87.6., both International Class, and Himes 81.2.

Top American Open Runners [including Emma Bates [72] Bethany Sachtleben [48] and Samantha Bluske [32] with Cherry Blossoms in background.

Other top performances were turned in by:

Kelly Brown 54 1:08:26 [86.1%] Anne Treadwell 50 1:09:10 [81.1] /Nina Caron 58 1:09:23.0 [89.4] Martha Merz 55 1:12:22.0 [82.5] /Amy Subar 62 1:16:23.0 [85.8] Sidney Letendre 63 1:18:07.0 [85.1] Jeanne Lapierre 61 1:18:17.0  [82.5] Catherine Baker 61 1:20:40.0 [80.1] /Geri Clifford 65 1:20:20.0 [85.1] Linda Jennings 65 1:21:55.0 [83.5] Dee Boeck  68 1:24:35.0 [84.5] Sue Humphries 68 1:25:26.0 [83.7] Diane Kukich 66 1:25:43.0 [81.0] / Nancy Avitabile 70 1:31:17.0 [80.8]

In addition to those underlined above, the following also won their Age Division:

Rosemary Schwartzbard 76 1:57:38.0

The oldest podium finisher was:

Heide Moebius 79 1:58:19.0

Top age-graded performances by Masters Men included:

Jason Tripp 45 58:21.0 [80.9] Noah Zaring 46 58:30.0 [81.4] Mick Brown 45 58:48.0 [80.3] Shane Streufert 46 59:03.0 [80.6] /Frank Perna 54 1:01:40.0 [82.7] Mario Zuniga 53 1:01:50.0 [81.8] Akintunde Morakinyo 54 1:03:24.0 [80.4] Thomas Jensen 54 1:03:28.0 [80.4] /Mark Neff 56 59:52.0 [86.7] Jim Zoldy 55 1:01:43.0 [83.4] David Haaga 56 1:03:26.0 [81.9] Stephen Crelli 58 1:03:47.0 [82.9] Steve Koch 57 1:05:26.0 [80.1]/ Stephen Chantry 63 1:04:51.0 [85.5] Marvin Pace 64 1:05:11.0 [85.9] David Andrews 61 1:06:55.0 [81.3] Bill Raabe 63 1:08:02.0 [81.5] Bob Deak 63 1:08:48.0 [80.6] /Alan Pemberton 65 1:09:41.0 [81.1] Terry McCluskey 69 1:11:06.0 [82.8] / Jim Noone 73 1:13:51.0 [83.6]

In addition to those underlined above, the following also won their Age Division:

Bill Sollers 78 1:39:20.0 /Carl Vansant 80 1:48:54.0

The oldest podium finisher was:

George Yannakakis 86 1:51:06.0

[Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Photo Credits--All from the Facebook post of 'Coach Kiprunning.'

PAPA JOHN’S 10 MILE RUN

The terrain alone would make the times on this course much slower; the weather did not help any.

The Horn sounds to send the runners on their way! [Photo courtesy of WHAS11 Louisville KY]

Carrie Jewkes, 44, was looking for a much better result than in 2017 when she barely cracked the top 10 Masters. But she would have to get by Kyran Hoff, 45. Who finished 4^th last year, almost three minutes ahead of Jewkes. Those two went right to the front, but Jewkes had more staying power. She hit the 5 mile mark, in the midst off the hilly portion of the course, in 35:01 (gun), with a minute and a half edge on Hoff. It was another 17 seconds back to 57 year old Lynn Riedling, returning to the PJ10 for the first time since 2015. She gave away 8 seconds at the start to her two younger competitors so she had not lost much ground. It was another 40 seconds back to Rebecca Kleihegge, 41, who had a 7 second gap on Rachel Parella, 55. Jewkes added slightly to her margin, hitting the tape in 1:10:45 with a minute and 40 second edge on Hoff. A minute later Riedling came across the line in 3^rd. Kleighegge had not gained on her over the final 5 miles, finishing in 4^th, a minute back, with a 15 second margin on Parella.

Carrie Jewkes 1:10:45     Kyran Hoff 1:12:25     Lynn Riedling 1:13:28

Start of Papa John's 10 Miler- April 7 2018 [Photo Credit-FB post by 'The running turtle'

Bart Borghuis, 42, was looking for a repeat Masters win but had Jason Land, 40, to get past. Land, running in the Open category in 2017 had finished almost a minute ahead in 2017. And 47 year old Will Rivera, who finished only 4 seconds backfrom Borghuis in 2016, would also contend. It was Land and Rivera who went out hardest, but Land gradually pulled away. By the time they hit the 5 mile mat in the midst of the hills in Iroquois Park, Land had a half minute edge. It was a minute back to their main competitors, Bart Borghuis, 42, Rick Torres, 55, and Andy Meirose, 40, who crossed in that order, separated by only 15 seconds. Land and Rivera kept the pressure on all the way to the finish; Land could not pull away from Rivera but neither could Rivera close on Land. Land had a 40 second victory in the end, and Rivera was in second, with a 40 second margin on Borghuis who, to his credit, did gain slightly on Rivera over the final 5 miles. Meirose finished in 4^th twenty seconds back with Torres in 5^th.

Jason Land 59:07     Will Rivera 59:47     Bart Borghuis 1:01:34

[Note: Times above are gun time; times below are chip time.]

Image courtesy of Papa John's 10 Miler website at: www.papajohns10miler.com]

Only a handful of individuals were able to run National Class times on this tough course. Lynn Riedling, 57, clocked 1:13:18 for 3^rd place Masters but also nailed a 83.6% age grade. Rachel Parella,55, who took 2^nd in Riedling’s age division, ran 1:14:22 for a 80.3. Will Rivera, who finished 2nd among the Masters Men at the age of 47 earned an 80.3% and was topped by 55 year old Rick Torres, whose 1:02:48 netted him an 81.9 age grade.

In addition to those underlined above, the following also won their Age Division:

Andrea Gorce 54 1:15:06 /Suzanne Duvall 60 1:27:04 /Patricia Breehl 66 1:40:13 /Donna Robinson 70 1:43:06

Since this race tops the Age Divisions at 70+, I recognize the oldest finisher as:

MaryElizabeth Cutsinger 77 2:14:28

In addition to those underlined above, the following also won their Age Division:

Lowery Stallings 53 1:04:07 /Chuck Crowley 60 1:10:52 /David Sledge 67 1:19:29 /Paul Carlin 72 1:22:04

The oldest finisher was:

Glenn Leach 76 1:39:32

SACTOWN 10 MILE RUN

Given the course and the weather there should have been some fast times in Sacramento and there were. The course is USATF certified and is a Pacific Association Grand Prix race and has fewer than a thousand runners. No mention is made of gun vs. chip time so I assume the times posted are gun times.

New Masters Runner, Ramona Sanchez, 40, had 4 seasoned competitors to worry about. Jennifer Bayliss, 47, was looking to build on her win at the USAF XC Championships in Tallahassee FL in early February, and improve on her 3^rd place Masters finish last year. Molly Friel, dangerous at 50, cracked 2:44 and finished 4^th Masters in the December 2017 California International Marathon [CIM]. Jenny Hitchings, 54, finished 4^th Masters last year in the ST10 and would try to move up this year. Sanchez sped off and eventually pulled away from those three, hitting the 5 mile mat at the end of the first loop in 29:38 with a minute margin on Friel and another half minute on Bayliss. Hitchings played it a bit more conservatively but was still less than a minute back from Bayliss. The end of the 1^st loop told the story that would remain at the end of the 2^nd one. Sanchez came roaring home, just missing her personal goal of cracking an hour by a mere 8 seconds! A couple of minutes later, Friel brought it home for 2^nd place, followed less than a minute later by Bayliss who held off a fast closing Hitchings, only 12 seconds further back.

Ramona Sanchez 1:00:08     Molly Friel 1:02:06     Jennifer Bayliss 1:03:01

Chris Knorzer brought home the Masters win last year, finishing 18 seconds ahead of Jason Lee, also in the field this year. Others who would be expected to figure into the race included Gary Gellin who cracked a sub-34 minute 10K at the 2017 Marin Memorial Day race, Mark Hostetter who ran the Clarksburg Country Half Marathon in 1:17:20, Paul Smith, who ran 2:38:47 in the CIM last December and 56:06 in the Norcal John Frank Memorial 10 Miler in March, and Ben Turman who ran 1:16:18 in the Berkeley Half Marathon last November. Gellin went out hard and established a gap on the field. When they hit the 5 mile mark it was Gellin with a 12 second lead on a 3-runner chase pack of Knorzer. Smith and Turman, with Lee another 18 seconds back. Smith and Turner caught and then passed Gellin on the 2^nd loop; those two battled for 1^st the rest of the way with Smith winning out in the end by 7 seconds. Although Knorzer pushed hard, he could never close the gap to Gellin. In the end Gellin took 3^rd with a 9 second gap back to Knorzer who had 40 seconds on Hostetter in 5th.

Paul Smith 56:47     Ben Turman 56:54     Gary Gellin 57:17

Even though it had the fewest entries of the three 10 Milers, between the fast course, the favorable weather, and the turnout of strong runners, the ST10 had a number of noteworthy performances.

Among the overall leaders, Friel and Hitchings both turned in World Class performances with Friel netting a 90.4% and Hitchings racking up a 93.2—Yeehah! Bayliss at 86.01 had an international class time while Sanchez had 84.9. Joanie Siegler, 60, also turned in a World Class run with a 1:10:21 for a 90.6 age grade.

Runners headed for the finish line at the State Capitol in 2017 

Other top performances were turned in by:

Midori Sperandeo 51 1:06:48 [88.2] /Pam Runquist 54 1:07:25 [87.4] /Janet Smith 57 1:13:33 [83.3] /Jill Miller-Robinett 63 1:18:43 [84.4] /Sharlet Gilbert 67 1:21:27 [86.45] /Jo Ann Hall 76 1:36:06 [84.7]

In addition to those underlined above, the following also won their Age Division: Dilyn Radakovitz 71 1:51:29

There was a tie for oldest podium finisher: Hall (see above) and Carolyn Slavich 76 1:49:23

The 2^nd through 4^th Masters Runners overall had International Class times: Ben Turman 85.1, Gary Gellin 85.2, and Chris Knorzer 85.0. Mark Hostetter earned an 81.2 age grade.

Other top performances included:

John Hill 50 59:21 [83.0] /Cliff Lentz 53 59:45 [84.6] /Ernie Felix 52 1:01:24 [81.6] /Mark Murray 55 1:01:53 [83.1] /Antonio Arreola 58 1:03:24 [83.4] /Jacob Nur 62 1:01:26 [89.37] /Brian Davis 62 1:05:55 [83.3] /Terry Baucom 61 1:06:03 [82.3] /John Hirschberger 66 1:11:05 [80.3]

In addition to those underlined above, the following also won their Age Division:

Gene French 71 1:22:26 /Robert Ward 76 1:56:54

The oldest podium finisher was: Robert Ward (see above).
[Both photos for Sactown 10 from the Sactown 10 Miler website at:https://runsra.org/sactown-run/]

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Three classic early spring 10 milers are now in the books. Masters Runners in DC and Louisville will be hoping for better weather next year, and those in Sacramento will happily take a repeat of 2018 weather. There were great races and terrific examples of endurance and persistence in each race.

My 2018 Papa Johns 10 Miler in the Books--Recap and Impressions

April 7 2018.
Pre-Race. The weather was as forecasted, 30 degrees and snow showers, but somehow when you emerge from your lodging in the dim light of 6:15 am and see your car covered with an inch of snow, it hits home--Yikes!--One more day of clearing snow off the windshield--and then running a 10 Mile Race--hmmm. It's a good thing I was prepared. I had even stopped at a Salvation Army store the day before and picked up a cheap but warm hooded sweat shirt to wear for the lead-up to the race. I can keep my warmth until a minute to go when I can discard it to the side; Race staff will typically pick those up and donate to a local homeless shelter so it works well all round. I had also decided to wear racing mitts after going bare-knuckled in my previous 3 freezing runs over the last 5 months. I'd had enough of hands feeling like 'meat hooks' at the end of the race.

The race starts near Papa John's Cardinal Football stadium at the University of Louisville and finishes right outside the stadium.

A Shot of the Papa John's 10 Miler Finish Line area--Finishing Chute is in Middle background of Picture right up next to the Stadium with Runners Finishing from the right of Photo [Photo courtesy of Papa John's 10 Miler Web Site-2017 Photos]

That makes for easy and plentiful parking about a half mile from the start. Warm-up went well and I stepped to the line feeling confident; the weather was not great but it could be worse. It did not appear the roads would be slick and the snow showers and cloud cover meant hydration was not much of an issue. At that point a friendly local runner in the 65-69 division engaged me in conversation. When he learned my age he generously told me who my main local competition would be. But as I am from Indianapolis, I do not know the locals. I thanked him nonetheless. Amazing how friendly and helpful runners are to each other! Time to line up for the start--But I made a 'rookie mistake', forgetting to get my watch set for the start, and then the horn went off and it was too late.

2018 Start--I am in the 2nd row in the yellow knit hat just to right of center [Photo courtesy of WHAS11 Louisville KY]

My Race. I don't actually run by the watch much but I typically use it to check pace from time to time. In this case I had heard they would have digital clocks at each mile so I was not worried. My plan was to go out at a comfortable pace and hope that would turn out to be somewhere between 7:30 to7:45 per mile. You can imagine how pleased I was when I passed the 2 mile clock and it read 15:02. But then when I passed the 3 mile timer in 22:14, some doubts crept in. I was pretty sure I had not sped up from mile 2 to mile 3 so that meant one of the two was not at the true mile marker. I hoped the 22:14 was correct; two fellows near me had said we went through the one mile mark (which I had missed) in 7:08 or so. A reasonable slowing after that could easily lead to a 22:14 at the 3 mile. [Hindsight makes me think the 2 mile clock was more likely the correct one though, and it fits better with the mile markers on the official course map. And perhaps the two runners with the 7:08  had started a good 15 -20 seconds behind me and were working their way up towards the front?]

The first 3 miles are relatively flat and then we are at the Iroqouis Park entry and get a quick little step up into the park. After a bit of flat followed by a gradual slight uphill we hit the first real hill and it is here I start to feel my lack of long distance pace conditioning. Around a couple of bends and there is the 4 mile clock which reads 35:30--What?! Now I am convinced that at least this clock is in the wrong spot, a fear confirmed when the clock at 5 miles reads 40:57. There is no way I am throwing in a 5:27 mile in the middle of a 10 Mile race even if there was a pretty generous downhill in that portion; there was also a modest uphill! So now I start to doubt all of the clocks. And, of course hope that this clock at 5 miles that shows me now over 8 minutes per mile pace is not accurate---or I will have to finish pretty strong! Of course I know that the last 3.5 miles is almost all flat or slightly downhill until a final overpass with about a half mile to go so a strong finish is not out of the question. To be frank, the clocks I saw at 6 and 7 miles and the finish line did tell a consistent story with mile 5 at least. Shortly after we passed mile 5 we had a downhill and then the last long, winding uphill.

One of the Hills we ran up in Iroquois Park--Beautiful, even without the Fall Foliage pictured here [Photo Credit: Flickr?Dana McMahan]

Once we crested that it would be all down or flat until the final overpass, a comforting thought. Unfortunately the clock at 6 miles, after we had begun the descent out of the park showed that last uphill had me losing more time to the 8 minute pace I desperately wanted to beat. Oh well--I would just have to hope I could finish strong. 

But then heading toward the 7 mile mark, I felt a pain I had been worrying about in the back of my mind. It was not the left hamstring issue I have been struggling with for the past couple of years; it was a sharp, shooting pain between the shin and the ankle on my right leg. I had had a few minor incidents previously. At the Orange County Half Marathon last May where I won the National 70-74 Championship, I was almost brought up short just 400 meters from the finish line with the same sharp pain. Then I altered my stride a bit and after about 50-60 meters, the pain went away and I finished fine. At the 15K National Championship in Tulsa last October I had a similar problem except it hit shortly after we passed the 10K mark and lasted longer, perhaps the better part of a mile. Again after altering my stride I was eventually able to run out of it; the problem weighed on my mind but did not prevent me from finishing well. It is a bit scary because it is a very sharp pain when you land on the right foot; it makes you want to stop immediately to avoid further injury. But of course I do not want to stop, so I try to find a gait that will let me continue. I tried that in this race but was, in general, less successful than in the recent past. It was off and on for at least two miles and I needed to try some pretty extreme inefficient strides to keep the pain away, but it would only last for a few hundred meters at most and then the pain would be back, sometimes very bad sometimes not so very bad. A couple of times I was within a stride of giving up and walking, but I always found a gait that would 'work' just before that. So it was a rather slow miles 8 and 9 with occasional spurts where I could increase my turnover without pain although, as noted, that never lasted more than a couple of hundred meters at a time, when the shooting pain came back. I tried to focus on getting the left leg to grab more territory and have a better turnover as I suspect this ankle/shin problem is partly due to asymmetry of stride acquired during the long months of the left hamstring issue. But I could not keep it up. At times I would run with a very slow and awkward stride to avoid the pain.

Eventually I got past mile 8 and then past mile 9 and then I could see the turn for the overpass--less than a mile to go! At that point I heard another set of words I would worry about for an overpass--Helpful spectators were calling out: "Watch out runners; there is ice on the overpass!" I figured at least the shin/ankle problem would go away running uphill, which it did and luckily the ice did not prove too problematic, although the surface was definitely slippery, and required a careful stride up over the top. I worried about the downside of the overpass but there was no ice on that side and I again tried picking up the pace on the down slope, although worried about my other problem. But that stayed in remission until I rounded the corner and was back on the flat. Then it flared up again briefly for about 20 meters but I was able to accelerate out of it and continue at a fairly good clip into the Finish Line--What a relief! My time was 1:22:04, not at all what I was hoping for. I had assumed I would run a 1:18 or better and had dreams of 1:16 or maybe even 1:15. And, to be frank, event though this leg problem definitely slowed me down it is hard to think it made much more than a couple of minutes difference.

When I checked at the timing table after the race, I learned that I was the first of 5 in the 70-74 division. Others would no doubt finish, but it would be unlikely that anyone starting far back would be in the top group. [That was confirmed later when I learned I was 1st of 19]

So I got the win and the $50 Papa John's gift certificate that goes to the Age Division winner--Hurrah--Time to smell the pizza!

Takeaways:
The Race: The Papa John's Pizza 10 Mile Run is a well organized race. The course is challenging but fair. If you are looking to run a record or a PR it is certainly not guaranteed by the course; you will have to earn it. It is essentially out and back so should be record eligible. But it is not usatf certified so if you want to set an American Record, it is best to pick another course. Several people announced on the PA System that this was the first Ten Miler with snow. So weather is typically warmer. The only problem I noticed was the inaccurate placing of perhaps two of the digital clocks. The 3 mile clock was probably a little too close, perhaps 100 to 150 meters, to the start and the 4 mile clock was definitely too far away, off by as much as a quarter mile. The rest told a consistent story.

Personal: It is a great privilege to be healthy and running road races at the age of 72. I am very grateful. Because I participate in National Championships, I also know how tough it is to be competitive at that level. If I am registering disappointment, it is in knowing how much farther I have to go to be competitive again and, to be frank, the worry about the shin/ankle problem.*  But a win is always great, especially so when one encounters issues during the race!

* A week after the race, my Physical Therapy guy tells me I am overworking my anterior tibialis on my right leg. He has prescribed some exercises which will reduce the likelihood of future occurrences. But it is partly related to the asymmetry between right and left legs which came in while rehabbing the left hamstring. Part of the correction is to focus more on symmetry in training and races and make sure that the left leg is doing its full share, especially on downhills. The good news is that it is not structural but muscular and hence subject to correction with a combination of massage, exercise, and running gait/posture/L-R symmetry.

'Running Prof' Heading to Papa John’s 10 Miler

April 3 2018. Last year in February I went on two trips south for 15K races to break up the winter training; this year I was in Physical Therapy where I was getting some dry needling and other treatment for a high hamstring injury that was cutting into my efficiency late in 2017. My PT guy, Brad, cut me loose in early March and said, “Go run hard and if anything acts up again, come on back and we’ll get you sorted.” So here I am after only 3 and a half weeks training, heading for Louisville and a 10 Mile Run on the7th of April.
[If you are coming back for an update, please scroll down to bottom; otherwise read on.]

And they are off for the Papa John's 10 Mile Run! [Photo Credit-Papa John's 10 Miler]

I was able to run reasonably effectively in the USATF Masters 8K Championship in Virginia Beach on St. Patrick’s Day, the 17^th of March. I ran 36:35 (net), a little over a minute slower than last year when I took 2^nd in the Age Division, but not too bad everything considered. The competition was a little stiffer this year.  That time would have gotten me 6^th last year; this year it got me 8^th. But this year I had the satisfaction of being part of a team, the Ann Arbor 70 and up, with Doug Goodhue and David Cohen. We were able to wind up on the podium in the 70 and up division. So will I be ready for a 10 Miler? I have been able to do some decent interval workouts—8x400 meters in 93-97 seconds, for example, and I have done two long runs of 10+ miles. What I have not done is (race) pace work over 5-6 miles. So we will have to see how I last. I should at least break 1:20 but getting down to 1:15 or under may be too much of a challenge with the short prep time.

So why Papa John’s? Partly it is timing; it should help to set me up for a good 10K national Masters  championship race in late April and the Half Marathon Championship in early June.  But it is also a major regional race. Around since 2001, it is in its 18^th year. Plus Papa John’s was our ‘go to’ carry out meal when my kids wanted pizza in the 2000’s! And did I mention that Indy icon (and Denver, I know, and probably Tennessee too) Peyton Manning, has been associated with them? And it is only a two hour drive from Indy. Might I earn an Award too?

The Commemorative Finishers Medal! [Photo Credit-Papa John's 10 Miler]

They give Age Division awards in the form of Papa John’s Gift Certs…up to $50 for first, but dropping off to $25 and then $15. First place would be nice—maybe I could treat family and friends? What has been the recent experience? The race is enough of a regional attraction that it takes a sub-50 minute effort to win the Overall Men’s 1^st prize, but, unlike the Crim 10 miler in Michigan later in the summer, it does not typically take a sub-48 to win it. That goes for the Age Division contests as well, although, as always, it does depend on who happens to show up. I was able to run 1:11:35 at the Double Bridge 15K in Pensacola last February. If I could run that well again it would be age grade equivalent to a 1:17 to 1:18 depending on whether you build in the average year to year deterioration of about a minute suggested by age-grading tables. I like to think that defines the frontier but if you are operating within the frontier, when rehabbing injuries for example, one can approach or even better the previous year’s time.

That looks like it might stand up fairly well in the Papa John’s race. In 2017 the winning 70-74 time was 1:22+; the year before was 1:26+. So I am starting to smell the pizza! Of course that’s risky thinking—you never know when someone unexpectedly targets a given race! But what about the course? If it is a killer course, maybe that will slow me down some? They post a map and describe the course as: “The Papa John's 10 Miler is known for its fast, rolling course and the winding hill in Iroquois Park.” That all sounds good although I wonder a bit about that ‘winding hill.’ No elevation chart is supplied. For now I will take that as a positive overall, but I will try to drive that hill in the park the day before.

The other thing that could get in the way is the weather. The long-range forecast has varied from day to day.  Over the weekend, the advance forecast for Saturday, April 7^th at the start time of 8 am was for 43 degrees and rainy—not my favorite and that might affect the time, especially if the roads are at all slippery. But it should affect everyone, so chances for 1^st are not diminished. And there is always the chance that the weather moves through more slowly and we get the Friday forecast instead, of partly cloudy and 40 degrees. Looking for a good race!

Ha! By Monday the start time weather forecast had changed to 31 degrees and cloudy with no precipitation and wind under 10 mph, the best forecast yet. Unfortunately by today the temperature forecast was still down just below freezing but now they are saying snow showers again, like they did last week, and double digit winds—no fun! As always we will run with whatever we get, as long as it is not dangerous weather.

It is not looking like a great day for fast times, especially if the footing is at all questionable. To match the age grade I achieved at Virginia Beach with a 36:35 8K would take a 1:15:51 ten miler, just over 7:30 per mile pace. As noted above, the equivalent of my Double Bridge Run 15K 1:11:35 last year would be 1:17 to 1:18, depending on whether one adds the minute for being a year older. The equivalent of running a 1:10:36 15K as I did at Tulsa just after my 72^nd birthday would be about 1:16. 

My finish at the Tulsa Run-USATF 15K Masters Championship Run last October 2017 under similar conditions to the forecast for this Saturday in Louisville [Photo courtesy of the Tulsa Sports Commission]

It looks like going out at a 7:45 per mile pace for the first 5 miles should be reasonable and then see if I can pick it up over the last 5 miles. But will I be reasonable? We will find out!
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4/5/2018 9 pm update--Looks like we might luck out with the weather--latest forecast is for 32 degrees and 10 mph, but cloudy to partly cloudy during the race--That's better than snow or rain which has been plentiful recently and is in the forecast for the week after the race. Bundle up and try to tuck in with a small pack, when feasible, or at least share the load, on the last 4 miles heading into the wind and the finish line.

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Got my Elite Bib # today-- 

             YOUR PAPA JOHN'S 10-MILER BIB NUMBER IS:

                                                  50

USATF Masters LDR Statement on Masters 8K Championship Start

Mary Rosado, Chair of USATF Masters LDR, issued the following statement today [April 2 2018]:

" For those of you who reached out to me concerning the start of the 8k race,  I have spoken with the race management and we will work to insure that the masters have their own start and corral next year.   I have also reached out to the affected athletes and have assured them that we will assist them in any way possible."

Fierce Competition at the USATF Masters 8K Road Championship

03/24/2018. VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA – Hosted by the Shamrock Marathon’s Towne Bank 8K, the Championship Race went off at 7:45 AM on St. Patrick’s Day.  Sunny skies and freezing temperatures, but little wind, greeted the USATF Masters 8K Championship athletes, perfect for some great competition!

Age Division Championships.

40-44.

Heather Webster was focused on trying to win the Overall race and crossed the 2 mile mat in 12:33 with an 18 second lead on her closest 40-44 rival, Jessica Riggs.  Riggs, in turn, had at least half a minute over the rest of the field. Those two came in 1-2. Jeanette Boyd, Murphee Hayes, and Tammie Robie were locked in a battle for the final podium spot. Robie’s chip did not register at the 2 mile mat but Hayes crossed in 13:38, just 2 seconds ahead of Boyd. Boyd eventually got past Hayes and held a 6 second margin at the finish line, taking 4^th in 34:41. Robie claimed the 3^rd spot in 34:23.

Heather Webster 31:24     Jessica Riggs 32:41     Tammie Robie 34:23

David Angell and Giovanni Pipia crossed the 2 mile mark together in 10:14, with Mark Tompkins 2 seconds back and Sam Teigen another 8 seconds back, with over half a minute on the rest of the field. Angell held strong against Pipia, claiming the division win by 7 seconds. Pipia, in turn, had 19 seconds on Teigen who powered past Tompkins to claim the final division podium position with almost half a minute to spare.

David Angell 25:39     Giovanni Pipia 25:46     Sam Teigen 26:05

45-49 Michelle Brangan left little to chance in this group, starting out smartly and crossing the 2 mile mat in 12:45 with almost a minute lead on Melissa Senall. Christine Hill was closer to Senall, only 16 seconds back. All of those gaps grew as they raced up the Boardwalk and onto Atlantic Avenue. By the time they hit the finish line Brangan had first place with almost two minutes to spare and Senall had a comfortable 50 seconds on Hill.

Michelle Brangan 32:30     Melissa Senall 34:26     Christine Hill 35:16

Philippe Rolly was contesting the overall race and it left him in good shape for the division win. His 2 mile split of 10:15 gave him a ten second lead over Jonathan Frieder. Frieder, who has been running especially strong on the roads over the last year, had 11 seconds on Musa Gwanzura. Gwanzura, not currently a US Citizen, was running a strong race despite not being eligible for any awards. The desire to take place in a competitive race must have attracted him. That left Volker Burkowski, Brent Fields, and Keith Schumann in the hunt for 3^rd place. Schumann crossed the 2 mile mat in 10:58 with a 15 second lead on Burkowski and Fields. But Burkowski and Fields had left more in the tank and were able to pass Schumann on the Boardwalk. Fields eventually pulled away from Burkowski and established a healthy gap which grew to over a half minute by the time he reached the finish line. Brad Slavens, who went down in a huge pileup just after the gun went off, lost some skin off his nose and bumped an elbow and a knee but finished 8^th nonetheless.

Philippe Rolly 25:57     Jonathan Frieder26:09     Brent Fields 27:36

50-54.

The top two runners in this division, Marisa Sutera Strange and Michelle Simonaitis, finished 1-2 overall so naturally they took 1-2 in the division as well. Although there were many strong runners in the division, Suzanne La Burt was the only one able to stay within two minutes of Simonaitis; that was good enough for the Bronze medal. Laura DeLea was 28 seconds behind La Burt at the 2 mile mark and only lost another 8 seconds the rest of the way. But her 34 second lead over Karyl Sargent at the 2 mile mark evaporated most of the way as Sargent came across the line in 5^th only 5 seconds back.

Marisa Sutera Strange 30:40     Michelle Simonaitis 31:20     Suzanne La Burt 32:44

The Greater Springfield Harriers train was chugging in this division as Kent Lemme passed the 2 mile mark in 1^st place at 10:38; his teammate, Mark Hixson was 12 seconds back in 2^nd. It was over a half minute back to the foursome trying to keep pace. Dale Flanders was closest at 11:32. He had 9 seconds on Gregory Dawson, with Mario Zuniga and Thomas Schumann hot on his heels. Lemme, Hixson, and Flanders were all able to stretch the gap back to the closest follower, netting them 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd respectively. In the battle for 4th place honors, Schumann was able to leave Zuniga behind and catch Dawson. Schumann had just enough to beat Dawson to the finish line with 2 seconds to spare!

Kent Lemme 26:43     Mark Hixson 27:08     Dale Flanders 28:51

55-59.

Doreen McCoubrie was in contention for the Overall podium and she cracked the 2 mile mark in 12:33. It was over a minute before her teammate, Mary Swan crossed the mat and another 435 seconds before Karla Havens crossed the mat, a single second ahead of Kerry Monahan Gaughan. Gaughan was able to get past Havens but not by much, as in the end she took 3^rd with a margin of only 4 seconds!

Doreen McCoubrie 31:39     Mary Swan 33:49     Kerry Monahan Gaughan 35:53

I heard that Nat Larson had tweaked his hamstring the week before and wondered if that would hamper him; if so, the answer is ‘not much!’ The Age-Grading winner and holder of the American 55-59 record for the 8K since last November, left little to chance. Running with his 50-54 teammate, Mark Hixson, Larson was able to build a 30 second lead over Gary Leaman and Tim Ensign who crossed the 2 mile mat within two seconds of each other. Derrick Staley was only 9 seconds back. Despite his best efforts, Staley could not close on that pair and had to settle for 4^th. Leaman was able to pull away and stretch his margin over Ensign to 30 seconds by the end of the race. Larson won it by over a minute and a half.

Nat Larson 26:51     Gary Leaman 28:25     Tim Ensign 28:56

60-64.

Jill Miller-Robinett  and Cathy Utzschneider went to different Cross Country Championships this past winter. Miller-Robinett got the division win at Club XC in Lexington and Cathy Utzschneider got the Cross Country win in Tallahassee. Who would rule the roads? Thw first 2 miles went to Utzschneider as she crossed the mat in 14:31 with a 13 second lead on Miller-Robinett. Despite her best efforts, Miller-Robinett saw Utzschneider pull gradually away as they raced up the Boardwalk. In the end the margin was over half a minute, with Miller-Robinett comfortably ahead of the third place finisher. Joanna Harper and Betsy Miller went across the 2 mile timing mat in tandem at 15:11. In the end, though, Miller was able to pull away from Harper to enjoy the bronze medal position with a 14 second margin. Cynthia Williams, who also went down in the mass pileup right after the gun went off, managed to finish 5^th, running with a fractured elbow. That shows how tough she is!

Cathy Utzschneider 36:13     Jill Miller-Robinett 36:46     Betsy Miller 37:43

The Men’s 60-64 division was loaded and they did not disappoint, as the top 4 all cracked 29:00. Joe Sheeran took the XC crown at Lexington with a huge win. But Roger Sayre who was still in 55-59 at the time had a better age grade in the 10K race. Ken Youngers finished well back from Sheeran but he has been improving each race. The final piece of the puzzle was Hall-of-Famer, Brian Pilcher, who broke the 5KAmerican Record and has pending marks in distances form the Half Marathon to the Marathon in 2016, missed the rest of 2017 after coming within 5 seconds of the American 8K record here. But would he be ready to rock with this crew? As I observed in my preview, when Pilcher has come back from injuries, he has usually needed a race or two before he is back at his peak. Sheeran took it out hardest as he had done at Club XC; ‘take no prisoners’ seems to be Sheeran’s operational mode. Unlike at Club Xc though this time he had company just a few strides back. The digital clock flashed 11:18 when Sheeran flew past and it was only 11:22 when Sayre crossed the mat, with Pilcher and Youngers right on his heels! Up the Boardwalk they pelted with Sayre gradually reeling in and passing Sheeran. Pilcher and Youngers could not make the move with Sayre, concentrating on their own battle for the final podium spot. In the end Sayre took the win with 9 seconds on Sheeran who had 20 seconds on his pursuers. Sayre had to get within 3 seconds of the American Record to secure the win! Pilcher was able to pull away for a 5 second margin over Youngers—Some race!

Roger Sayre 28:12     Joe Sheeran 28:21     Brian Pilcher 28:40

65-69.  Now that Team Red Lizard is contesting the Grand Prix with the Impala Racing, GVH and others, this division is often one of the toughest. Jo Anne Rowland, of the Impalas, is still trying to get back to the fitness she enjoyed in 2016 when she ran 38:13 on a much tougher 8K course in Brea. Until then, the Red Lizard’s 1-2 punch of Suzanne Ray and Jeanette Groesz will be tough to beat. Ray went out fast, crossing the mat in 14:31 with a half minute lead on her teammate, Groesz. Rowland was the better part of a minute back with her teammate, Donna Chan, trying to keep pace 13 seconds back. The gaps all grew bigger as the runners sped up the Boardwalk, with Ray victorious in the end in 36:17. A minute later and Groesz was across the line in 2^nd, with Rowland claiming the Bronze medal two minutes later, and Chan 16 seconds back.

Suzanne Ray 36:17     Jeanette Groesz 37:13     Jo Anne Rowland 39:31

Last year this division went off pretty much as expected with Tom Bernhard, Peter Mullin and Doug Bell going 1-2-3.  With Mullin absent this year, it looked like Bernhard and Bell should be 1-2 with a question mark over 3^rd between Bell’s teammate, Chuck Smead, Syracuse’s James Foster, and Atlanta’s Kirk Larson. Larson has been running better than ever recently but Foster has had his number since Syracuse last fall. And Smead is always tough. I saw that Gene Dykes, the great marathoner, was in the field but figured he was just in for a little light speed work, as a tune-up for Boston. Hah! Shows what I know! But he lined up well back, apoarently, as he took 6 seconds to cross the start, reinforcing the idea that he was just in it for fun. Just like last year, Bernhard and Bell did not disappoint. Bernhard went off like a rocket, covering the first two miles in 12:07, with Bell only about 20 seconds back. Still, it looked like Bernhard was back close to the form he showed in late 2016 when he broke the Men’s 65-69 5K American Record. Things were quite a bit tighter the year before. Ten seconds behind Bell came his teammate, Smead, and, what’s this—Dykes—only 5 seconds behind Smead?! Ten seconds later Larson was across the mat with a ten second lead on his recent nemesis, Foster. No one was going to catch Bernhard today as he kicked up the Boardwalk a good bit faster than his 2017 pace. But it did not take long for Dykes to pass Smead and draw a bead on Bell. I am not sure where it took place but by the final margin I guess that Dykes passed Bell before turning back over to Atlantic Avenue. Bernhard zipped across the finish line almost half a minute faster than last year and with a comfortable lead over Dykes. Dykes. in turn, had a comfortable lead over Bell who kept his teammate, Smead, in the rearview mirror with nearly a 20 second gap. Larson outlasted Foster to take 5^th but raced to within 3 seconds of Smead. We also welcomed back Terry McCluskey, who has been absent from the Championships for a few years after being one of the top guns 4 years ago. He turns 70 this summer and is gearing up for his new age group. His time, a tad slower than some might have expected, was due, in part, to a good deed I learned about after the race. A fallen runner (see next division) mentioned that Terry had taken time out of his own race to help him to the side of the race course where the thousands of runners coming in the mass participation race, would not trample him. Terry would not want me to mention this, but I will take a chance of getting on his ‘list’.

Tom Bernhard 30:12     Gene Dykes 30:54     Doug Bell 31:46

70-74. Last year Kathleen Jefferson took this division in a little under 46 minutes and Suzanne Gibson took well over an hour to finish. I am not sure what happened last year but Gibson was certainly determined to improve on her showing last year. She clocked 18:40 at the 2 mile mark with almost 30 seconds on Barbara Biasi who was in 2^nd. Jefferson came across the mat 40 seconds later and it seemed she would not be enjoying as good a race as she had in 2017. But she did have a comfortable lead over Judith Robertson for the final spot on the podium. Gibson powered all the way to the finish, claiming first in 46:38 and earning redemption for the fiasco of 2017. Biasi came across a minute later in 2^nd and then Jefferson claimed third with 6 minutes to spare, happy to be on the podium again!

Suzanne Gibson 46:38     Barbara Biasi 47:36     Kathleen Jefferson 49:28

This division looked like a replay of last fall’s races with Bill Dunn coming down from altitude to challenge Dave Glass and the GVH tandem of Tony Gingello and Jim May. That got knocked into a cocked hat when two runners next to Dunn got tangled, bumped into him hard and he went down along with several others. The others who went down were luckier than Dunn who wound up with a fractured hip. Despite trying, he could not get up to continue; McCluskey and race officials helped him to the side of the course; his race was over. [I learned subsequently about the hip and that Dunn’s impressive bone density, due to so many years of running, meant the doctors did without a hip replacement, otherwise standard for 70 year olds, and put a couple of screws in to hold it together. Still it will be 6-8 weeks of rehab before he can even think about running again—tough luck!] Without Dunn in the field, things unfolded similarly to the end fo last year. Glass got out fastest, hitting the 2 mile mark in 13:34, with Gingello 9 seconds back and his teammate, May another 3 seconds back. Eleven seconds back was relative newcomer, Ray Eck, a newly recruited teammate of Dunn’s on the Boulder Road Runners. Glass’s good start was indicative of better fitness at present as he stretched his lead over Gingello to 24 seconds by the finish line. Gingello was able to keep May 10 seconds back. Eck had May in his sights but could not reel him in as he finished 6 seconds behind in 4^th.

Dave Glass 34:38     Tony Gingello 35:02     Jim May 35:18

75-79 Madeline Bost anticipated a challenge from a local runner, Judy Stewart who came in ahead of her in 2017. But it turned out Stewart was an injury DNS and Bost waltzed to her 2^nd win of the year, running within 6 seconds of her own 2017 time.

Madeline Bost 1:04:56.

The anticipated battle between relative newcomer, Robert Hendrick and the legendary Doug Goodhue, winner of 9 consecutive Runner of the Year Awards in his 60’s and 70’s, will have to wait until Dedham. Goodhue is still rehabbing and is making progress but is not up to his usual fitness. Hendrick took his 2^nd 75-79 division win of the year in as many tries. Goodhue, although still in rehab, ran for the team and also came in 2^nd in the age group. Tony Fiory held all others at bay to take 3^rd two minutes behind Goodhue, the ‘Silver Bullet.’ Ed Bligh finished another minute or so back in 4^th.

Robert Hendrick 36:00     Doug Goodhue 38:23     Tony Fiory 42:48

80-84. In his first year in the 80 and over division, the well-known local runner, Tom Markley, had no trouble winning in 43:57, a fine time. Alan Rider was happy to finish in second, a considerable ways back.

Tom Markley 43:57     Alan Rider 1:25:28

What a terrific set of individual races, and then there were the team contests.

Team Championships

40 and up

Last year the Atlanta Track Club took the title in a close duel with the Willow street AC. Willow Street was led by Jake Stookey’s 26:31, however, and he had fitness issues toward the end of 2017 that made such a time this year doubtful.  Atlanta brought the same team as last year with one exception, Giovanni Pipia replacing Kristian Blaich. As Pipia and Blaich finished within 5 seconds of each other at Club XC that seemed like a pretty even swap. Two new teams were in the hunt. Garden State TC-New Balance had finished well behind Atlanta at Club XC but Atlanta had both Blaich and Pipia running; here it would just be Pipia. And Jonathan Frieder seems to do better on the roads than on the XC course; that could also make a difference. The real wild card was the brand new Roanoke Valley Elite team that David Angell pulled together for this race. With Angell up front, their total time could well be in the mix. As it turned out, Garden State was missing one of their key runners, Elliott Frieder, Jonathan’s twin. But that did not impede them much. Sam Teigen and J Frieder ran tight through the first 2 miles in 10:24 and 10:25. No other team had their first two runners come through in under 22. That gave them a big lead and a huge margin for their third runner, Gary Leaman, from the 50-54 division. The first runner for Roanoke, Atlanta and the Colonial Road Runners, Mark Tompkins, crossed the 2 mile mat within two seconds. The next runner was Colonial’s Keith Schumann, 15 seconds ahead of Atlanta’s Brent Fields who had 8 seconds on Garden state’s 3^rd runner and 18 seconds on Roanoke’s 2^nd runner, Paul Lenkowski. At that point things looked good for Colonial and not so good for Roanoke. But remember that the team score is the sum total of times for the first 3 runners on each team. Roanoke’s other runner, James Holbrook, was only 2 seconds behind Lenkowski. It was 27 seconds back to Atlanta’s Brad Slavens, who went down in the pileup and got up running with a bloody nose and less skin. And 35 seconds back to Colonial’s Jason Miller. That gave Garden State a lead of a minute on the field. But the other 3 were close. Roanoke had 4 seconds on Colonial and 9 seconds on Atlanta—every second would count! By the end Garden State had stretched their lead to almost a minute and a half. Roanoke came next as Angell gave them the great #1 score and Holbrook actually passed Lenkowski but both were still within 12 seconds of one another, with Lenkowski finishing well ahead of the 3^rd runner on the other teams.  Atlanta was only 5 seconds back in 3rd-wow that is close! Atlanta was able to outpace Colonial by over a minute as each of their 3 runners outraced his counterpart.

Garden State TC New Balance 1:20:39     Roanoke Valley Elite 1:23:03     Atlanta TC 1:23:08

Garden State TC Celebrating the 40+ Team Win After the Race at the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships [L to R: Gary Leaman, Christopher Rinaldi, Sam Teigen, Joseph hegge, Jonathan Frieder] (FB post)

The Genesee Valley Harriers, the Colonial Road Runners, and the Shore AC contested this division. But in truth the teams were largely in non-competing groups. The 3 GVH athletes, Heather Webster, Melissa Senall, and Murphee Hayes, came in ahead of all of the Shore AC runners and all but one of the Colonial runners. 

[FB post-GVH]

Each of the Colonial runners, Jessica Riggs, Susan Hagel, and Jeanette Primich, came in well ahead of their Shore aC counterparts. In order to field a 40+ team, Shore AC asked Susan Stirrat to drop down from her 60-64 division and for Leslie Nowicki to drop down from her 50 to 54 division to join Christine Hill. They were good sports and helped Shore AC to gather the Grand Prix points and a podium finish! GVH took the title by over ten minutes and Colonial bested Shore by almost 7 minutes.

GVH1:40:37     Colonial RR 1:53:42     Shore AC 2:00:40

50 and up

The Athena TC dominated this race, despite the strong teams entered. With Marisa Sutera Strange and Doreen McCoubrie taking 1-2 across all teams, and their teammate, Mary Swan finishing within 2 minutes of McCoubrie, they enjoyed a nearly 6 minute margin of victory over a strong Clifton RR club. 

The Athena Track Club 50+ Team Celebrating their Win at the Awards ceremony at the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships [L to R: Julie Pangburn, Marisa Sutera Strange, Doreen McCoubrie, Mary Swan] (FB post)

The Clifton team in turn had more than 7 minutes on their closest rival as Suzanne la Burt, Laura DeLea, and Kerry Monahan Gaughan each finished well ahead of their counterpart on the other teams. 

Laura DeLea heading for the finish line to help her Clifton Road Runner team to the Silver Medals in the 50+ Team Competition at the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships (Photo Credit-The Virginia Pilot)

It was much tighter for 3^rd, however, as GVH and Impala were more closely matched. GVH’s Tracey Vannatta had only 17 seconds on Impala’s Gina Edwards at the 2 mile mark. GVH’s Kathy Hayden who ran 32 and change here last year was nursing an injury and taking it relatively easy. When both GVH’s other runner, Colleen Magnussen, and Hayden came across ahead of both the #2 and #3 runners  of the Impalas, things were looking good. Hayden actually felt better during the race and after trailing her teammate, Magnussen,  by 19 seconds at the 2 mile mark, picked up the pace and finished comfortably ahead at the end. And GVH enjoyed a podium finish with 1:05 to spare.

Athena TC 1:36:08     Clifton RR 1:41:57     GVH 1:49:27

The Greater Springfield Harriers blew this one wide open as their threesome of Kent Lemme, Nat Larson, and Mark Hixson all finished over two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. It was much closer between GVH and Colonial for 2^nd and 3^rd. GVH’s Dale Flanders got out strong, maybe in part because his usual running buddy, Mike Nier, had to skip the race for a family function. Flanders crossed the 2 mile mat with a 9 second margin on his Colonial rival, Gregory Dawson. GVH’s Tim Riccardi sped across the mat 28 seconds later with a 16 second lead on Colonial’s #2, Kevin White. But Colonial’s #3, Paul Pelletier, made it tighter as he was only 5 seconds behind his teammate. John Van Kerkhove came across 17 seconds later for GVH. Van Kerkhove won the 55-59 title here last year in 29 and change but has struggled with injuries since last summer. Flanders was able to stretch his lead over Dawson to over half a minute by the finish but both White and Pelletier were able to catch Riccardi despite his efforts. That sewed up the 2nd spot for Colonial, with GVH holding down 3^rd. GSH is running very impressively right now; they only brought their top 3 but that was plenty!

Greater Springfield Harriers 1:20:42     Colonial Road Runners 1:31:40     GVH 1:33:21

60 and up

A tough division, it would be the Atlanta TC, the Boulder Road Runners, and the Cal Coast TC duking it out for the podium positions. Shore AC, with their strong trio of Reno Stirrat, Kevin Dollard, and Scott Linnell, gave all they had but could not get within 4 minutes fo the top squads. They were able to put 4 minutes between themselves and the rest of the field but finishing 4^th is not even close to bringing the same satisfaction as a podium spot. Roger Sayre got Boulder off to a great start when he flashed across the timing mat in 11:20 but had only 3 seconds on Atlanta’s Ken Youngers. Forty-two seconds later Cal Coast’s Steve Brumwell came across followed 11 and 12 seconds later by the Atlanta #2 and 3 at that point, Phil Richey and Mike Anderson. But Cal Coast’s #2 and 3, John Holcomb and Brian Nelson trailed them by only a second or two. It was 8 seconds more before Doug Bell, Boulder’s #2 came across and another 11 seconds back to Chuck Smead, their #3 runner at that point. At the 2 mile mark Atlanta had 29 seconds on Boulder because Youngers was sticking close to Sayre and Richey and Anderson were running a tight 2-3. Cal Coast having a tight trio with only 14 seconds between #1 and #3 enabled them to stay within 17 seconds of Boulder despite the 40 second margin that Sayre was able to give Boulder. By the end Sayre was able to give Boulder a 30 second lead over Youngers but that was not enough as both Anderson, now #2 and Richey #3 were able to claw back over a minute each on Boulder’s #2 and 3. 

Mike Anderson warming up before the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships where he helped his Atlanta TC team win the 60+ trophy for 1st place (FB post)

Boulder’s George Braun was one of the big surprises as he moved from being Boulder’s #4 to their #2 by the end, just passing his teammate, Bell. As every second counts in the team competition, I bet Bell was delighted to see Braun come up on him at the finish line. Cal Coast’s order changed too as in the end it was Nelson, Holcomb and Brumwell in that order and only ten seconds apart, just ahead of Atlanta’s Anderson. That wasn’t enough to catch Atlanta and it was not quite enough to catch Boulder who enjoyed the 2^nd place finish and their 17 second margin over Cal Coast.

The Atlanta Track Club 60+ Team Celebrating their Win at the Awards ceremony at the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships [L to R: Kirk Larson, Ken Youngers, Mike Anderson, Phil Richey, Jerry Learned] (FB post)

I am not mentioning the important #4 and higher runners on teams as they are not counted directly in the score. But I have to mention Cal Coast’s Keith Witthauer. A sub-31 8K runner in recent years, he was diagnosed with cancer last year and is competing for his team now, while undergoing chemo treatments. That is one of so many inspiring stories we hear about in Masters running!

Atlanta TC 1:30:46     Boulder RR 1:31:42     Cal Coast TC 1:31:59

Team Red Lizard dominated the division as Suzanne Ray, Jeanette Groesz and Betsy Miller all came in ahead of everyone else except the Impala Racing Team’s #1, Jill Miller-Robinett. They stretched the 2 minute lead they had at the 2 mile mark to nearly 5 minutes by the end of the race for a comfortable first place finish. 

The Team Red Lizard 60+ Team Celebrating their Win at the Awards ceremony at the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships [L to R: Jeanette Groesz, Joanne Harper, Suzanne Ray, Betsy Miller] (FB post)

The Impala team was pressed by Atlanta and GVH but each of the Impala runners, Miller-Robinett, Jo Anne Rowland and Donna Chan, were able to come across the finish line ahead of their counterpart on the other two teams. The Impalas had a minute on Atlanta at the 2 mile mark and grew that to over two minutes by the finish. Only 25 seconds separated Atlanta and GVH at the 2 mile mark but Atlanta’s #1, 2 and 3, Cynthia Williams, Cindy Lucking, and Margaret Taylor were able to best their rivals on GVH, Sharon Moore, Cheryl Guth, and Cindy Ingalls, and secure 3^rd place with 2 minutes to spare.

Team Red Lizard  1:51:13     Impala Racing Team 1:56:04     Atlanta TC 1:58:21

70 and up

The Colonial Road Runners entered the only team in this division, consisting of scoring runners Suzanne Gibson, Barbara Biasi, and Kathleen Jefferson.  They enjoyed their 1^st place finish, the plaque and gold team medals

Colonial Road Runners 2:23:42

When Bill Dunn, of the Boulder Road Runners went down in the pile-up and could not continue, that ended any hope Boulder had of pushing GVH for the team win. With Tony Gingello and Jim May finishing in 2^nd and 3^rd behind Atlanta’s Dave Glass, only ten seconds apart, that laid a strong base for GVH. And their compadre, Keith Yeates, was only a minute back. GVH got the team win with over 4 minutes to spare. 

The Victorious GVH 70+ Team at the Awards Ceremony for the 2018 USATF National Masters 8K Championships [L to R:Jim Glinsky, Jim May, Tony Gingello, Keith Yeates, Liam Finnigan] (FB post)

Ray Eck moved up to #1 for Boulder when Dunn went down injured, and finished within 6 seconds of May but Yeates was able to come in ahead of #’s 2 and 3 for Boulder, Elliott Henry and Richard Kutzner. It is a shame Dunn was not able to compete due to the accidental injury; he would have had to win the division and break 34 minutes for Boulder to have won, a tall, but not impossible order. Unfortunately we will never know how the race would have come out. Even without Dunn, Boulder was strong enough to deny Ann Arbor the 2^nd place finish by 3 and a half minutes. Only two weeks out of Physical Therapy and dry needling, I had lost too much conditioning since November to run close to Glass and Gingello, as I had at the 10K and 5K last year. My teammate and current #2 Ann Arbor runner, Doug Goodhue, is also coming out of rehab. David Cohen, who prefers his races to be of marathon length, had his usual strong performance and actually achieved an 8K PR. That gave Ann Arbor TC the 3^rd place finish over Atlanta TC with 6 minutes to spare.

GVH 1:46:39     Boulder RR 1:50:57     Ann Arbor TC 1:54:37

GVH celebrates their successful 8K National Masters Championship races!--Where else? At the Beach! [FB post]

Next up on the Masters Grand Prix circuit is the USATF Masters 10K Championship at Dedham MA on April 29^th. This is likely to be the largest field of any of our road races this year and the competition is amazing. The Masters Championship competitors start off 2-3 minutes ahead of the rest of the field. The course has rolling hills but many fast times have been run there in recent years. Do not miss it!