PREVIEW: End of Summer Boulder Road Runner Virtual Series Wrap-up--Labor Day Week Challenge

September 12, 2020. The Boulder Road Runners organized a 3-race series for 60+ teams to cover the three major Summer Holidays, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. [See my posts on earlier races on May 28, June 9, July 12 and July 22.] There has been some attrition for the last round as some Clubs are heading into a Fall series or are busy with other races,  virtual or live. The teams participating this week are the Boulder Road Runners, Bowerman Track Club, Greater Lowell Road Runners, Greater Philadelphia Track Club, Shore Athletic Club, and a composite team, the Silverbacks, primarily from the Pacific Northwest. The window for racing is from September 4th through 12 Noon on September 13th. As with the Independence Day event, I have asked the organizers to hold all results until after my preview is posted. I examined the last set of rosters on September 11th; at the time of writing this preview, I have no knowledge on times run by any athlete.

Looking Forward to Race #3 in the BRR Summer 2020 Covid Virtual Series

With the traditional bookends of Memorial Day and Labor Day, this race puts an end to BRR's Covid Virtual Race Series. What are the teams building on? Here is a quick reprise. [Guidelines for Race #3 are given below the preview for the race.]

Memorial Day  

The Atlanta Track Club took the Men's Team honors at 88.00%, followed by Boulder at 83.22 and the Greater Lowell Road Runners at 82.42%. Just off the podium were Shore Athletic Club at 81.41 and Athletics Boulder at 78.98.

Women's Team honors went to Shore Athletic Club with a team average age grade score of 79.84%. Greater Lowell was not far behind at 78.23%.

Top 10 Men: The Individual podium consisted of Ken Youngers 63 17:30 93.52%, Tom McCormack 66 18:40 90.0%, and David Westenberg 62 18:32 87.59%. The next seven were: Martin Lascelles 85.90, Jeffery Dundas 85.84, and Kirk Larson 85.79, Doug Bell 84.86, Mike Anderson 84.84, John Hadcock 84.81, and Jack Pottle 84.02.

Top 5 Women: The Individual podium consisted of: Barbara Donelik 73 24:16 90.80%, Sally Reiley 60 22:38 81.89%, and Liane Pancoast 62 24:00 79.17%. he next two were: Susan Stirrat 75.27 and Julie Haynes 73.64.

Independence Day

In the Women's contest, the Boulder Road Runners, Greater Philadelphia Track Club and the Liberty Athletic Club joined the Memorial Day victors, the Shore AC, and 2nd place Greater Lowell. Shore AC 81.29 and Greater Lowell 79.43 went 1-2 again, with Liberty AC 75.45 slotting into third. They were followed by Greater Philly 73.86  and Boulder 72.89.  [5 scoring teams at 3 each= 15 scoring runners]

In the Men's competition, the Bowerman Track Club, Greater Philly and a composite team named the Silverbacks joined the fray. Greater Philly, at 84.73%, deposed Atlanta, at 82.46%, shunting them to third as Athletics Boulder, at 82.49%, took over 2nd place. They were followed by Boulder Road Runners 82.13, Greater Lowell 81.30, the Bowerman Track Club 79.89, Shore 78.11, and the Silverbacks 76.67. [8 scoring teams at 5 each = 40 scoring runners]

Top 5 Women: Barbara Donelik 73 24:39 89.18% and Sally Reiley 60 22:00 84.09% went 1-2 again, with, Alda Cossi 65 23:29 83.89%, new to the BRR series, closing out the podium. They were followed by Sandra Folzer 81.29 and Lynn Hermanson 80.91. 

Top 10 Men: Doug Winn 70 19:42 88.49% ran in the series for the first time and took top honors. Another newcomer, Nick Vetere 63 18:32 87.95%, edged the Memorial Day winner, Ken Youngers 18:33 87.87%, for 2nd place. They were followed by David Westenberg 87.61, Martin Lascelles 87.28, Dan King 86.50, Tim Conheady 86.17, Kirk Larson 85.46, David Longmuir 84.90, Mark Carver 83.88.

Altitude Adjustment Neither the Women's Individual nor the Team podium changed after the adjustment. The Men's podium saw the Boulder Road Runners surge to the top, with Greater Philly falling to 2nd, and the other mile high team, Athletics Boulder, slotting into third. The altitude adjustment elevated (pun intended) Paul Hughes, running at over 7,000 feet, to 1st in the team competition, 90.18%, and Dan King to 2nd at 89.53%, leaving Doug Winn in 3rd.

Preview of Labor Day Week Races

WOMEN

So far it has been the Shore AC winning both Memorial Day and Independence Day. In the initial contest they bested Greater Lowell. In the follow-up it was Shore and Greater Lowell going 1-2 again. The new teams to the contest, Liberty AC, Greater Philadelphia Track Club,and Boulder Road Runners, took 3rd through 5th in that order. The same five teams go at it again.

Shore AC comes in with the same roster but, from FB posts, I know that Susan Stirrat, who was Shore's 3rd runner in on Independence Day, has missed the month of August due to an injury. Lucky for Shore they have added Sue Patla 62 who ran a 26:46 5K last weekend. That age grades a little better than Stirrat's effort for Independence Day. So Shore should have no worries about their top 4 runners. Barbara Donelik should lead the way again, with Patla, Diane Rothman, Kim Hart and Katherine Packowski likely to run 2-3-4-5. And who knows, even with the lost time, Stirrat may find her way back into the mix. Even so, they have Greater Lowell and an improved Greater Philly team to contend with.

Greater Lowell is playing 'catch-up'! With the same roster as last time, they have their work cut out for them if they want to rise from 2nd to 1st. But they have a talented team; they only lost to Shore last time by less than 2 percentage points, 79.43 to 81.29. Sally Reiley, Liane Pancoast and Julie Haynes give them a solid 1-2-3. One or more of those three will need to improve their standing; Michelle Roche and Amanda Maffei provide important support should any of the top 3 fall back.

Greater Philly looks to move up. They return their top two runners, Sandra Folzer and Kyra McGrath. They won't have Mary Fanelli-Lund whose score at 3600' feet of altitude helped, especially after thealtitude adjustment. But on paper they are stronger. They have added Cheryl Bellaire 61, who ran a 23:27 5K last September that age-grades at 79.82, which would make her Philly's #2 age-grader. 

Liberty AC will likely be short-footed, losing both Joan Butterton, recovering from a solo through-hike of the 270 mile Long Trail from Massachusetts to Canada, and Nora Mann, injured. Alda Cossi will likely lead the way again, but two of the other three runners, Drusilla Pratt-Otto, Anne Shreffler, and Karen Lein, will have to step up as Butterton was the second best age-grader for Liberty. 

What about the host team, the Boulder Road Runners? Lynn Hermanson, Nancy Antos, Catherine Groneman, and Sara Cohen return for Boulder. They have added three strong runners in Robyn Balsley, Lorraine Green, and Cindy Sutton. They will help with support but unless one of the four mentioned above run into trouble, neither of these newcomers, with the possible exception of Balsley, are likely to crack the top 4.

The Team Race should come out similar to July if all of the above runners come in as healthy as then, apart from the specific difficulties noted. If Donelik, Rothman, and Patla run as expected, Shore should take top honors again. The big difference should be that Greater Lowell and Greater Philly have a heck of a battle for 2nd. If all run at their best, Lowell should have just enough strength to beat Philly in a contest that could come down to hundredths of a percentage point! With Butterton out for Liberty, it appears that Boulder might be just strong enough to wrest 4th place from Liberty, even without any help from the altitude adjustment. With the altitude adjustment, Boulder should take 4th and Liberty 5th. The other three should still finish 1-2-3.

Shore Athletic Club   Greater Lowell Road Runners     Greater Philadelphia Track Club

The Individual Contest is likely to feature the same podium as in July. Donelik finished 4 percentage points ahead of Reiley, and Reiley was over a percentage point ahead of Cossi, with Folzer another two percentage points back. The lone newcomer who could crack onto the age-grading podium is Bellaire. But it would take a big effort; she would have to improve on her effort at last September's 5K by at least two full age-grading percentage points, a big ask! Once the altitude adjustment factors in, Lynn Hermanson's age grade score approaches that of the 3rd place finisher in July, Cossi. If Hermanson can improve on her July adjusted score by a half percentage point she is virtually tied with Cossi's July score.

Unadjusted: Barbara Donelik   Sally Reiley   Alda Cossi

Altitude Adjusted: Barbara Donelik   Sally Reiley   Lynn Hermanson

MEN

Teams

Of the teams that are still in the competition, Memorial Day saw the order of finish as Boulder Road Runners, Greater Lowell Road Runners, Shore Athletic Club, and Athletics Boulder. Independence Day saw a shake-up as the Greater Philadelphia Track Club, Athletics Boulder, and Boulder went 1-2-3, with Greater Lowell, the Bowerman Track Club, Shore, and a composite team, the Silverbacks, following in that order. Athletics Boulder is out of this September contest though.With the altitude adjustment, it was Boulder, Greater Philly and Athletics Boulder 1-2-3, followed by Lowell et al, none of whose scores changed. Will this week see a repeat of the July outcomes or has team strength changed?  

Greater Philly is not as strong; their #'s 1 and 5 runners from July, Nick Vetere and Chuck Shields are out this time. They have added Duncan Smith; unless he runs faster than suggested by his 23:54 in the Main Line 5K last year or at Club XC at Lehigh, where he clocked 39:49, he will add depth rathere than eeded top 5 speed. The three returning runners from their top 5 in July, Tim Conheady, Mark Carver, and Bob Reynolds are all strong runners. They will have to run their best to offset the loss of Vetere and Shields. Jeff Hayes, their #6 runner in July, only has to run a little faster to crack the 80% level in age-grading. That would help. But Tim Jones is likely to be in their top 5 as well; he will need to get well up into the 70% range for Philly to have a chance to repeat their July victory.

Boulder can expect a better age grade out of Roger Sayre as he has had another 2 months to recover fully and move up from being the #2 runner in July to his usual spot atop the Boulder team. Has anything else changed? They still do not have all of their big guns in the race but they look determined to take back the win before the altitude adjustment as well as after it. If Paul Hughes can run another top time, whether at 7,000 feet or if he comes down towards mile high, and if Sayre can surge up above 85% with an altitude adjustment around 87 or above, they will be in good shape. Doug Bell, who copped an impressive 84.86% age grade in the Memorial Day race but skipped the July 4th race, is back. Jack Pottle should be close to those three, and Adam Feerst not far behind Pottle. Mike Fronsoe, a nonresident member from Louisiana has been coping with injury and the aftermath of Hurricane Laura; they will miss his strong support. He is listed to compete but it will probably not be at his best. Should they need it, Jeff Barros, Benji Durden, and Jay Survil provide strong fall-back support.

Greater Lowell is loaded this time around; for the first race in this series, they are almost at full strength, lacking only John Barbour. With Mark Reeder, entered for the first time in this series, and Charlie Muse apparently back at full fitness, they are ready to contend for the win. Reeder ran 36:15 in the Lone Gull 10K last year and 36:45 in the 10K Masters Championship; splitting the difference to evaluate at 36:30 gives an age grade of 88.90%. He should lead the way although David Westenberg's 87.61% from the 4th of July is not far off. If Charlie Muse is fit enough to run around 38:00, as he was in summer 2019, that would bring in an 87.81%. John Hadcock has truggled a bit with some niggling injuries but should still be able to come in well above 80%; in JUly he collected an 82.96%. Glenn Stewart and Kevin Christie both came in a bit under 80% in July. Perhaps with extra inspiration from their teammates' drive for the victory they can crack 80. We shall see. Peter LaGoy, Bill Dumont and Peter Wasylak provide additional support if needed. 

Bowerman Track Club will be led again by Doug Winn who, in July, bested all runners in the unadjusted standings at 88.49%. He will be accompanied by the same crew as in July. Steve Kollars, Chuck Coats, Mark Stilson, and Richard Punches all graded in the upper 70's in July, and will be opushing to crack 80 this time around.

Shore AC has corrected something that just seemed wrong earlier in this series. How can there be an M60+ team without Reno Stirrat listed? Stirrat has struggled this summer but appears to be mostly out of rehab and into serious training again. It seems unlikely he can run up to his usual pace, but he is likely to factor in the team contest at least. If we think of Stirrat's normal as being around 19:00, perhaps he can run around 20:00? If so, he grades at 83.67. That may be too much too soon but a score in the very low 80's seems plausible. If so, Stirrat would score in the neighborhood of Shore's top 3 in July. Those three are John Kilduff, David Huse, and Kevin Dollard who graded at 82.90%, 81.19%, and 80.97%. Shore has 11 runners on their roster; they are the only team with the possibility of having an 'A' and a 'B' team this week. Scott Linnell was the 4th runner in last time at 75.46% but this time may not be needed for the top 5. If Harold Nolan runs a fast mile, as seems likely, Linnell can be one of the anchors of a Shore 'B' team. Nolan is more of a track than a road runner. I presume he is entered because the mile is allowed for this third race. When he was 70, Nolan ran 6:07 in the USATF Masters Road Mile Championships at the 2017 HAP Crim Festival in Flint. Using the 2020 MLDR age-grading calculator, that would grade at 83.51. He would need to run 6:22 at age 73 to match that. A 6:29 in the Indoor Mile at the USATF Indoor Championships in March 2019 suggests a 6:22 might be a stretch. But a score in the low 80's for Nolan seems attainable. A 6:34 would get him an 81%.Shore has added two other runners to their roster, Michael Mooney and Spider Rossiter. Mooney ran his 5K's last summer in around 20:45. He was 63 then for an age grade of 78.55%. But he also ran 5:40 in a couple of road miles; those age grade at 84.35%. As the allowable downhill drop is 2% for the Mile, it seems likely Mooney could choose that event. If so, he might score an age grade in the low to mid 80's. Rossiter, in 2017, ran 5K's in the low to mid 22's, at age 66. Those age graded at about 75% so he will likely wind up on the 'B' team. Others who competed in July include Paul Deykerhoff, James Wright, and Mike Washakowski; if they score in the upper 60's to low 70's as they did in July, they will also contribute to the 'B' team.

The Silverbacks will be attempting to move up a notch past Bowerman but has the same crew that finished 3 percentage points behind Bowerman in July. David Longmuir will likely lead the way again. He turned in an 84.90% in July and will look to raise that a bit this time. Les Sharpe also cracked 80%, with Russ Otani just under. If  Otani could also crack 80, that would help their cause.  80. David Anderson came in just over 70%. If Jim McGill can move up from the upper 60's to low 70's, that would also help. Patrick Dwyerprovided solid support as 6th runner in on July 4th. 

Bowerman and the Silverbacks do not appear to be in the hunt for the podium; unless someone drastically improves or has run into injury or other problems, the Silverbacks will compete hard and wind up in 5th, with Bowerman comfortably ahead in 4th. Bowerman finished almost 5 percentage points behind Greater Philly in July. With Philly lacking both Vetere and Shields, they will be hard pressed to stay ahead of Bowerman. If one or two of the Bowerman runners can raise their performance, they are virtually even with the Philly team that is showing up for this Labor Day challenge. Shore should be right in the mix with Philly and Bowerman for the final podium position. If Kilduff, Huse, and Dollard run in th elow 80's as they did in July and two of the three additions, Stirrat, Mooney, and Nolan, can also scor ein the low 80's they will probably outdistance both Philly and Bowerman to take the final podium spot. Boulder and Greater Lowell will be lining up toe to toe and driving stride for stride after the win. If all run up to their potential, they should both average around 85 pct. points. If Sayre is fully recovered and can muster something like an 87% (without adjustment), with Hughes turning in another stellar 90, and Bell posts around 85 or above, they will push Lowell for the unadjusted win. Lowell appears to have just enough though. If Reeder can grade around 89, and Westenberg and Muse can both top 87, all they need for the unadjusted win should be for Hadcock to match his 83% from July and for Stewart (or Christie) to come in near 80%. So Lowell is my pick for the unadjusted win, with Boulder a very close 2nd, Shore third, Philly 4th, followed by Bowerman and Silverbacks. For the altitude adjusted win, Boulder definitely has the edge for the win, followed by Lowell, Shore, Philly, Bowerman and Silverbacks.

Unadjusted: Greater Lowell Road Runners   Boulder Road Runners   Shore Athletic Club

Altitude Adjusted: Boulder Road Runners   Greater Lowell Road Runners   Shore Athletic Club 

Individuals

Mark Reeder's entry and Roger Sayre returning to full strength makes the Individual contest a bit less certain. Those two are close to the July winner, Doug Winn, on age-grading terms. I give Reeder a slight edge over Winn, and both a slight edge over Sayre when he is competing at altitude without an adjustment. Doug Bell has battled Doug Winn often over the years but again, with Bell at altitude, Winn has the edge. Charlie Muse and/or David Westenberg could also factor in for the podium battle.

With the altitude adjustment, it looks like Sayre, Hughes and Reeder in that order; Winn and Bell most likely battle for 4th and 5th, with Winn slightly favored.

No adjustment: Mark Reeder   Doug Winn   Roger Sayre

Altitude adjusted: Roger Sayre   Paul Hughes   Mark Reeder

Check back in a few days for the recap of this, the final race in the Boulder Road Runners' Summer Holiday Virtual Race Series.

Guidelines for Race # 3

The paragraphs below are adapted from the BRR Official Guidelines [dated 8/30/2020] distributed to Team Representatives by Roger Sayre .

1. Distances: Men's teams select from 1 Mile, 5K, or 10K. Women's teams select from those three or an 8K. Runners can run any of the distances and may run them multiple times. In the end the runner must select the one race and time they wish to submit. Each runner's time is age graded and the team score is based on the age-grade percentage of the team members.

2. Validation of Virtual Race time: Each individual submits a screenshot of their GPS watch or GPS/Strava link to their race course and shares it with their Team Representative for validation purposes. 

3. Distances of races held on the track should be measured by counting laps (12.5 for 5K and 25 for 10K). Note that the 1 mile on a 400 meter track is 4 laps plus 9.3 meters. Runners must also submit their GPS information for time validation (note: we recognize that GPS on a track is not accurate, but the lap information provides confirmation). That is, GPS provides the time and the number of laps provides the distance with the GPS providing a rough confirmation of distance run. 

4. Team Scoring Requirements: No more than three of the scoring team members from men’s teams can run the 5K. That means that at least two of the five scoring team members must run either a 1 mile or 10K. Likewise, only two of the three women’s team scorers can post a 5K time, the third scorer must run a 1 mile, 8K or 10K.

5. Participant Quaifications: Participants should be a current or former, but recent, i.e., 2018-2020, member of USA Track & Field (USATF) and a current member of the USATF-registered member club organization they are serving on. Consistent with USATF rules, age grading would be based on the age of the individual on their chosen race day with no age increment applied, e.g., 66.0. If they had not already completed one for the Fourth of July Weekend event, individuals need to read, agree to terms and conditions of, and submit the online Participant Waiver form, which should be completed prior to the start of the racing period. The waiver can also be found at https://boulderroadrunners.org/masters-teams-2020-virtual-race-series/

6. Courses: The virtual races can be run on any surface, including a track. Roads, bike paths or gravel trails are recommended, if practical. Courses can have variability, but drop in elevation between start line and finish line should be less than 50 feet (16 meters) for 1 mile; 83 feet for 5K (5 m/km) and 165 feet for 10K (also 5 m/km). Courses can be point-to-point, with no maximum distance criteria other than the race distance itself. Times will be age graded using the road race calculator (see “Scoring” section below).

7. Altitude Conversion: Runners racing at an elevation above 3,500 feet will have their finishing time converted to a sea level equivalent based on NCAA altitude adjustment standards. Rankings will reflect both converted times and non-converted.
The adjustment for 5K/10K at 3501-4228 [Bend, OR] is about 1.6/2%; for 4229-4849 [Greeley CO] about 2.6/3.1%; on up to about 3/3.7% at 5270-5398 [Denver CO]; rising to 4.7/5.6% at 6449-6935 [Flagstaff AZ]. Adjustments for the 1 Mile are about 80% as large as the adjustments for the 5K. For example, the 5K adjustment for Denver is 3%; for the 1 mile it is 2.5%.

8. Team Composition: Teams may be composed of five or more individuals. The top five age graded individuals score. If there are 10 individuals competing, the second group of age grade finishers will be considered the B team. 

9. Covid-19 Considerations: Safe racing practices and local social distancing regulations should be followed to best avoid transmission of COVID-19. For this reason, we still recommend that there is social distancing, e.g., spacing at least 6 feet apart, and not drafting. Runners are responsible for their own health and safety and should take all necessary measures to limit exposure to potentially infected participants and non-participants on the course. Individuals should select the time, place and terrain for their races accordingly to minimize unnecessary exposure or the risk of injury. Team Representatives may also want to consult USATF guidance about COVID-19 at usatf.org/covid19.

Pacing or group running is allowed for this event if permitted by local guidelines, e.g. gathering of 10 or more runners and running in a group is allowed in this event if local guidelines allow it. In addition, using a race time from a live road or track race scheduled within the September 4 to September 13 time frame is also allowed, if such an event can be found. 

10. Scoring: Based on USATF age grading standards. Team size is unlimited. For teams composed of 5 individuals the average of age grade scores for all finishers represents the team score. The next set of 5 individuals to finish from the same team will be designated the B team and scored the same way. For the Fourth of July Weekend races, only the first three women will be scored for the smaller women’s teams. The latest version (2020) of the following online age grading calculator will be used to calculate age grade scoring: http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/mldrroad20.html. Note that track times will be age graded using the road race calculator. The teams will be ranked by adding highest combined age grade scores. Individuals in the 70-79 age group may drop down to the 60-69 age group, but only the top age grading participant in the more senior age group will be scored in the top five team finishers.

11. Race Results: Results for the Labor Day Weekend Virtual Races will be posted as soon as possible after the racing period. Teams and individuals that participated in all three virtual race events, i.e., those held during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day Weekends race periods, will be included in a separate set of cumulative rankings which consolidate the team and individual results for all the events.

12. Fees: There are no registration fees or other costs associated with virtual racing sponsored by the Boulder Road Runner’s M60+ team

Although the guidelines make references to USATF membership and USATF's age-grading calculator for road racing, these virtual race events are not directly affiliated with USATF in any way.

New M60 World Record in the Mile on the Track and Masters ‘Road Mile’ Records 2013-2019 Demystified

September 1, 2020. 

Dan King has been turning heads this summer with his newfound devotion to the Mile Run, whether on the road or on the track. He won the Virtual Brooklyn Mile outright, based on VDOT, earlier in the summer. Then he began his assault on the American and World records for 60-64 in the Mile Run on the track. Before his attempts, the M60 American Record was held by Masters Legend, Nolan Shaheed, at 4:53.01, at Portland OR, in 2012. The M60 World record was held by a 'Kiwi', Tony McManus, who ran 4:51.85, at Timaru NZ, also in 2012. King came up short at the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville, TN on August 15th. He ran 4:57.27 in the Masters Mile where a pacer and a much younger Masters runner were well out front most of the way and King was leading a second group. Two weeks later, at the South Carolina Trackfest, King, as the only entrant in the Masters Mile, had two pacers to give him his best shot at a record. The pacers did a good job; King rose to the occasion, clocking a sterling 4:49.08 to smash both American and World records. Records may be made to be broken but King will always have the distinction of being the first man over 60 to break 4:50 in the Mile Run! What an accomplishment!

Dan King after running the top VDOT time in the Virtual Brooklyn Mile (after the close-up shot of the GPS watch, and with Covid-Mask at the ready!) [photo by Bruce Kirschner]

Dan King sprinting for the Finish Line at the MCDC Mile-So fast he is a blur! [My amateur attempt to save a snapshot from a Youtube video of the race at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELQQxAq7dy0&t=366s]

ROAD MILE RECORDS

Last year at the end of August we were celebrating tremendous accomplishments at the 2019 USATF Masters ‘Road Mile’ Championships in Flint, MI. Like everything else for the past 5 and a half months, the HAP Crim Festival of Races went virtual this year so there was no 2020 Masters Mile Championship. The Mile Run has been a premier event on the track in the US for a long time. Prior to the establishment of the 1500 Meters as the approved distance for international competitions including the World and Olympic Games, the Mile Run was a fixture on the track. The Mile has been making a comeback in the US, in part due to promotion by ‘Bring Back the Mile.’ https://bringbackthemile.com/ There are featured races at both Outdoor and Indoor Tracks. The Fifth Avenue Mile is the longest standing Mile outside a track stadium but ‘Road Miles’ too have been proliferating in recent years.

Technical Background. The first USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship was hosted by Pittsburgh’s Liberty Mile in 2013. There were some terrific performances, but none were US records. The Mile had never been approved as a records-eligible road race, so they would just remain as course records or US bests, or so it seemed at the time. However, USATF began to work on getting the distance recognized for Masters Records. Once it would be approved, then the times would have to be vetted through the usual Records procedure. Many runners are not aware of the specifics that need to be checked for a fast time to become a record. This is more complicated for Road Racing than for Track and Field. For a race on the track to become a record, it must be at a USATF Championship [or a specified international competition]. For those meets, there are no issues of course measurement or timing. Typically it is known within seconds whether a US record has been set, although it may take a few minutes to confirm it. [Note-After posting this article, Gary Patton set me straight that TF records can also be set at non-USATF Championship meets. They then need to qualify in a similar way to that noted below for Road Races. USATF sanction is a requirement.] The world of road racing is not so simple.

USATF does not require that road race records be set at a USATF Championship but allows records to be set at other road events if they meet USATF requirements. The event must be USATF sanctioned and the course USATF certified and record eligible. The Race Director must fill out a short form that provides basic information about the race, certifies that the timing system used for the race conforms to USATF standards, and that the course was run as certified. Both the Race Director and the Race Referee have portions to verify and sign. Sometimes a city will have a construction project that requires the race to alter its course slightly. Any alteration would require a re-measurement and re-certification. The course must be run true on the day of the race; there can be no incidents that require or allow an unplanned rerouting of runners. The 2019 Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run had to announce, after the fact, that the course was a hundred meters or so short of Ten Miles due to a set-up error [because of construction] leading to an early 180-degree turn-around. That negated an American Record set by the winning runner in the Open category. Times run at USATF Masters Championships are now automatically record-eligible subject to the Referee’s assurance that the course was run as certified and that the timing system was appropriate and recorded the correct time for the race.

What makes a Certified course record-eligible? It should not be downhill (much), nor should it be possible that runners would have the wind at their backs for (too) much of the race distance. Specifically the course must not drop by more than one meter per kilometer, and the start to finish separation must be less than half of the complete distance. Many of the faster road mile courses are straight shots. Point-to-point courses are not eligible due to the separation requirement. And, of course, many of the straight-shot courses are also slightly downhill. If the drop on a mile course is more than about 1.6 meters from start to finish it would not be eligible anyway. An example is the Fifth Avenue Mile, arguably the most prestigious of the Road Mile Championships. Many runners turn in fast times there, but they cannot become American Records.

Once the Records Committee is made aware of a potentially record-setting time, the athlete’s name, time, distance, race, and location are entered into a Race Committee spreadsheet as ‘pending.’ The Chair of the Records Committee presents the slate of pending records to the appropriate USATF Committee at the next USATF Annual Meeting, along with a recommendation for ratification, deferral, or denial. Men’s and Women’s Open Records go to the Men’s LDR and Women’s LDR Committees; Masters Records go to the Masters LDR Committee. Typical reasons for deferral include things like paperwork incomplete or not filed, or course verification required. Even on a certified course, the Road Racing Technical Council may indicate that a re-measurement should be done if a record is to be approved. Reasons for denial are typically things like: the race was unsanctioned; repeated course verification attempts failed; or application incomplete/not filed and the normal 5-year time limit expired.

When a new distance becomes record-eligible, it may take a while for the record-processing engine to be up and humming. That was the case with the Masters Mile records. The first appearance for the Masters 1 Mile Run in the Records Committee spreadsheets for MLDR did not happen until spring 2018. Before that, any notion of a record was just that, notional, or folkloric, or ‘word of mouth.’ The clock on the 5-year time limit presumably did not start until spring, 2018. This, unfortunately, led to considerable confusion about exactly what the ‘Record’ was at the time of the 2014 through 2018 Masters 1 Mile Championship races. Delays in getting the paperwork from the 2013 races extended the confusion to 2019.

Evolution of Masters Mile Records from 2013 to 2019

Pittsburgh 2013 The first Masters Road Mile Championship was held in 2013, hosted by Pittsburgh’s Liberty Mile. That course was different than the current course in Pittsburgh, certified in 2019, but I understand the 2013 course was broadly similar. It was quite flat on wide streets, like the 5^th Avenue Mile in NYC but, unlike that course, it runs straight for almost a half mile and then cuts over a block and heads back to the finish. It is essentially flat and has just the one 180-degree turn. It has 5% separation and no drop; it is record eligible. A number of Masters athletes showed up at the top of their game, ready to roll. [I will give 2014 MTF Age-Grade percentages with the Mile times as a reference point. That allows all times below to be graded on a single standard. Age Grading for the MLDR Mile was not formally introduced until the most recent revision this year. A new set of age-grading tables specifically for the Road Mile, were beta-tested on the 2017-2019 Masters Championships, so differ with what I list here for those events. Net times are permitted for Masters Records whenever gun time and net time differ; I report net times below. For the fastest runners, they may also be gun times.]

With Magdalena Lewy-Boulet and Sonja Friend-Uhl both entered in Women’s 40-44, everyone knew it would be a shootout. Those two, along with Madrea Hyman, a Jamaican Olympian in the 1500 meters and 3000 Meters Steeplechase, separated early from the field.  Lewy-Boulet, a Polish-born American citizen, outlasted the other two for an incredible 4:50 91.62% to 4:53 92.63%, for Friend-Uhl,  to 4:55 90.07%, for Hyman, finish. Wow!  

Magdalena Lewy-Boulet winning the 2011 Falmouth Road Race [Photo:

Creator: Christine Hochkeppel | Credit: AP]

Sonja Friend-Uhl posted a 17:47 in winning the Women's 45-49 Division and finishing 3rd Overall at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

 

Alisa Harvey had her eye out for Terry Ballou in 45-49 but was able to prevail 5:17 90.85% to 5:22 87.30%, another impressive duel! Doreen McCoubrie, known more for long distances as a Masters athlete, showed why she has ‘always loved the Mile.’ She split Harvey and Ballou in a magical 5:18 95.22% to take the 50-54 title by 15 seconds over her Athena teammate, Lorraine Jasper. Less than half a minute later, Kathy Martin sped across the finish line to take the 60-64 crown in 5:44 101.05%!

Kathy Martin sets a new W65 American 5K Record at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

 

Perhaps even more amazing, she was only 4 seconds ahead of her 60-64 rival, Sabra Harvey 104.51%! What a 1-2 punch in that division! Leslie Chaplin split those two to take 55-59 in 5:45 92.52%. Ruth Thelen captured 65-69 in 7:10 90.16%. No one over 70 competed in the Women's race.

The Men’s race had its duels as well. Nicholas Berra held off Philippe Rolly 4:28 90.60% to 4:31 86.90% in M40.  

Nick Berra after breaking the M45 World Record for the 800 Meters at 1:56.10 [Photo from The Sentinel www.cumberlink.com]

 

Birgir Ohlsson, a Swedish born athlete with an 800-meter best of 1:47.09 and a 1500 meter best of 3:44.96, took the M45 title in 4:34 89.27%, ten seconds ahead of Mike Nier, 4:44 88.20%. Nier edged Chuck Novak by a single second! David Noyes, Alan Wells, and Mark Wycoff faced off in M50, with Wells pulling away from Wyckoff and Noyes to take the honors in a tight race, 4:40 90.89% to 4:45 89.30% to 4:46 91.19%. Bud Coates, Tom Dever, and Brian Pilcher locked horns in M55. Pilcher, known more in 2013 for his prowess from 5K to the Half Marathon, won the USATF Masters Athlete of the Year Award in 2013. Dever took first in 4:50 92.21%, with Coates second in 4:53 91.26% and Pilcher third in 4:57 90.03%. Tim McMullen, 60, and Peter Mullin, 62, came down to the wire in M60 with just inches separating them, McMullen taking the win in 5:19 86.77% to 5:20 88.03%! Gary Patton, the renowned Track middle distance runner, paced off Terry McCluskey and kicked hard at the finish to claim the M65 title, 5:22 91.55% to 5:26 88.77%.  

Gary Patton wins the M70 Title at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

 

Doug Goodhue won the M70 contest by almost a minute, clocking a nifty 5:45 89.25%! Gehrett Smith won the M80 in 8:03 75.09%. Louis Lodovico, at age 89, took the M85 crown in 10:11 80.41%.

All those winners at the first USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship, who were US citizens, became 'folklore record holders'. Word of mouth carried news of their prowess but there was no formal document attesting to a status as record holder.

Flint 2014 The Championship moved to Flint, Michigan where the HAP Crim Festival of Races hosted the Championships as part of their Michigan Mile. Their signature 10-Mile Race was Saturday morning, preceded on Friday evening by the 1 Mile Race. The first three years, the course was arguably tougher than in the last three. It started, as did the 2017 race, on Kearsley, but instead of continuing  on across the river, it took a left turn into the U Michigan-Flint campus for a flat stretch before emerging just before the ¾ mile mark for an uphill 200 meters or so, followed by a left turn onto a flat, followed by a slope down to the finish. Even with the dip at the end, the course finished 4 meters higher than it started.

Whether tougher or not, some fine times were turned in at the 2014 Championships. Most memorable were the 6:08 100.38% turned in by Sabra Harvey, now in the Women’s 65-69 division. 

Sabra Harvey winning the Women's 65-69 5K Title in 20:44 at the 2017 USATF Masters 5K Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

 

Cora Hill, 71, was the first 70-74 winner among the women, clocking 9:08 74.42% to edge Ellen Nitz, 74, for the win by a mere 6 seconds! The star on the Men’s side was Tom McCormack, 60, who finished in the top ten, clocking a 5:03 91.35%! 

Tom McCormack claims the M60 title, by a wide margin, at the 2014 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Carmel, IN [Photo Credit: Andy Martin, Exclamation! Services]

 

Strong, age-division-winning performances were turned in by runners like McCoubrie, Thelen, Patton, and Goodhue, but none matched their Pittsburgh time.

Flint 2015 Over the same course in 2015 there were two new contenders. Ellen Nitz aged up to the 75-79 category establishing the first potential record in that class at 9:28 77.17%. 

 

Ellen Nitz, first USATF Masters Champion in the Women's 75-79 division, clocking 9:28 at the 2015 USATF Masters (Road) Mile Championships [Photo courtesy of RunMichigan.com]

On the Men’s side, Gregory Mitchell, Jerome Vermeulen, and John Gardiner came down to the wire in a bunch with Mitchell just holding off Vermeulen and Gardiner 4:29-4:30-4:31. 

Greg Mitchell 155, Jerome Vermeulen 178, and John Gardiner 132 dashing to the finish line at the 2015 USATF Masters (Road) Mile Championships [Photo courtesy of RunMichigan.com]

 

Mitchell was a second slower than Berra’s time from 2013, but Vermeulen moved to the top of the M45 leader board. Goodhue, now 73, ran a fine 5:55 but did not match his Pittsburgh time. Harlan Van Blaricum clocked the first M75 Mile time at 8:20 65.40%.

Flint 2016 The only improved time from previous years came in the Men's 75-79 division. Sandy Scott ran 6:51 81.00%. Marisa Sutera Strange, 53, ran a 5:27 in the Women’s 50-54 race, only 9 seconds slower than McCoubrie’s 5:18 in Pittsburgh, and finishing 2nd overall to Tammy Nowik.  

Marisa Sutera Strange and Melissa Gacek far left in red try, unsuccessfully to chase down Tammy Nowik at the 2016 USATF Masters (Road) Mile Championships [Photo courtesy of Carter Sherline, Frog Prince Studios]

 

Ellen Nitz in 75-79 did not match her 9:28 from 2015. John Gardiner’s winning time of 4:31 88.89% was 4 seconds slower than Berra’s 2013 time. 

John Gardiner wins the 2016 USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI

 

Nat Larson, in his last year in the 50-54 division, clocked a 4:50 90.69%, but that was ten seconds behind Wells’s Pittsburgh time. Vermeulen was a few seconds slower than his 2015 time.

In July of 2016, Jennifer Bayliss ran a 5:21 in the Women's 45-49 division at the San Rafael Mile. Although not faster than Alisa Harvey's 5:17 at Pittsburgh, that time was not a ratified record. Melody-Anne Schultz ran 8:24 in the 70-74 division, the first potential record time in that division among women.

Flint 2017 Flint revised their course due to construction on the UM-Flint campus, continuing down Kearsley, across the river and then back to the old finish line just down from the Farmer's Market, but from the opposite direction. The Finish was now only 0.7 meters higher than the Start.

Sabra Harvey, 68, was back with a 6:06, lowering her 65-69 best by two seconds! 

Sabra Harvey 68 keeps pace with Lynn Cooke right, lime green kit and Erin LaRusso left, white singlet in the early going; the fast start helped Harvey to run the fastest Road Mile time so far for Women's 65-69 at the 2017 USATF Masters Championships in Flint [Photo courtesy of New Balance Tampa Facebook post]

 

Dianne Anderson, 71, lowered the 70-74 mark by over half a minute to 8:35 79.18%. Renee Tolan pulled away from Melissa Gacek and Alice Kassens to take the 40-44 win in 5:24 83.77%.  

Renee Tolan puts the hammer down to close out the Overall Win at the 2017 USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI

 

Alisa Harvey, now in the 50-54 division, finished 4th overall and claimed the division win in 5:36 90.12%. Lorraine Jasper took 1st in 55-59, with a 5:50 91.20%, 11 seconds ahead of Lynn Cooke. 

The late Jim Askew, 81, lowered Smith's 80-84 mark by 19 seconds with a fine 7:44.  

 

The late Jim Askew clocking the fastest Road Mile yet for Men 80-84 at the 2017 USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI

Doug Goodhue, now 75, won 75-79 in 6:17 86.74%, lowering Scott's 2016 time by over half a minute!

Doug Goodhue drives for the Finish Line with Total Intensity, setting a new fastest time for Men 75-79 at the 2017 USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI

 

Nat Larson's winning time in 55-59 was 4:49 91.76%, lowering Dever's Pittsburgh mark by a second.

Nat Larson maintains focus all the way to the finish, clocking 4:49, the fastest Road Mile time yet in 55-59, at the 2017 USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI

 

 Kevin Castille took the 45-49 title and the record in 4:24 92.65%, six seconds faster than Vermeulen's 2016 time. Castille led Christian Cushing-Murray, who finished 2nd in the division in 4:49. John Gardiner outlasted David Angell 4:37 87.65% to 4:39 in 40-44. Todd Straka clocked 4:48 to win 50-54.  

Todd Straka left and John Gardiner right racing stride for stride at the 1200 meter mark of the 2017 USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI [Photo courtesy of Melissa Gacek]

 

Thomas Dever, now 60, was back and pulled away from a highly competitive field to take the title in the 60-64 in 5:19 8.77%. He was chased by Ken Youngers 5:23 86.44%, Kyle Hubbart 5:25 85.91%, Dan Spale 5:28 85.12% and Michael Young 5:30 83.88%. Tom Bernhard claimed the M65 title just 5 seconds off of Patton's Pittsburgh time. Harold Nolan came in seven seconds ahead of your reporter, taking 70-74 in 6:07!

Those races were in August. By the time they ran next in August 2018, the Race Committee had a preliminary list of pending records together.  But, at this point, there were no ratified records so everything was still up for grabs. No one knew for sure that the 2013 records would be ratified nor, for that matter, any of the ensuing faster times. Until there is a ratified record, all winning times could, potentially, be an American Record.

Flint 2018 After the previous year's race, the Race Director, Andy Younger, was talking to a few runners who suggested reversing the race course could lead to faster times. He took their advice; the 2018 race started at the Farmer's Market and ended with an uphill sprint to just past the Kearsley and Wallenberg intersection. It now had an acceptable 0.62 meter drop, instead of a rise, and flowed a little better, especially over the last 300 meters.

Jeannie Rice, later to be the 2019 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, made her first appearance at a USATF Championship in Flint that year, winning 70-74 in 6:37 100.98%, lowering Anderson's 2017 mark by nearly two minutes!  

Jeannie Rice clocked 6:37 to win the Women's 70-74 title at the 2018 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship and set the American Record as ratified at the 2018 USATF Annual Meeting [Photo courtesy of Carter Sherline, Frog Prince Studios]

 

Doreen McCoubrie, now in 55-59, captured that crown in 5:33 97.18%, lowering Chaplin's 2013 mark by 12 seconds! 

 

Doreen McCoubrie holds her lead against a trio of pursuers as she clocks a new American Road Mile Record for Women 55-59, finishing 3rd Overall at the 2018 USATF Annual Meeting [Photo courtesy of Carter Sherline, Frog Prince Studios]

Tami Graf, 82, turned in the first octogenarian time at 11:31 73.33%.  

Tami Graf clocks the fastest Road Mile time yet for Women's 80-84, 11:31, at the USATF Masters Road Mile Overall Championship at the Crim Festival of Races in Flint MI [Photo courtesy of Carter Sherline, Frog Prince studios]

 

 

Molly Watcke won the race overall out of the 45-49 division. Her 5:24 88.89% was only 7 seconds behind Harvey's 2013 effort. Melissa Gacek reversed the 2017 outcome, taking 40-44 in 5:32 81.75%, 5 seconds ahead of Tammy Nowik. Amy Fakterowitz won 50-54 in 5:51 85.19%, Mary Richards 60-64 in 6:50 88.71%, and Cynthia Lucking 65-69 in 7:29 82.27%, and Catherine Radle captured the 75-79 title in 10:15 71.27%.

The times by Rice, McCoubrie, and Graf were all potentially records. We learned after the fact that some good times out of the Men's race could not be considered for records because of a glitch in the timing system. The Finish Line camera and the Finish Line mat are supposed to be synchronized so that the time on the screen matches the time recorded and showing up on the timing device. The timer did not synchronize the devices so when the gun sounded, one system started but the other did not. Once the timer recognized the problem, the 2nd system was started manually. The result was a few seconds difference in the two times. As a result, two athletes, Roger Sayre in 60-64 and Lloyd Hansen in 70-74, were feted for running faster times than in years previously but the paperwork could not be filed for them to be considered in the running for a record. The Referee, Bill Quinlisk, noted the irony that these timing problems are rare, yet this was the second time Hansen had a potential record time wiped out by a timing malfunction. At the 2015 USATF Masters 12K in Alexandria VA, the timing mat at the start failed to pick up Hansen's chip. He had no net time; they had to go by his gun time which was 1 second off the record. As noted above, net time is allowed for in Masters Road Records.

Roger Sayre outran Ken Youngers to claim the 60-64 win in 5:14 88.15%, the fastest time posted since 2013. 

Roger Sayre gunning the engine all the way to the finish as he clocks a sterling 5:14 at the 2018 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship in Flint MI [Photo courtesy of Carter Sherline, Frog Prince studios]

 

Lloyd Hansen outpaced his teammate, Terry McCluskey, to win the 70-74 division in 6:02 84.01%, also the fastest time recorded since 2013. 

 

Lloyd Hansen closes out his 6:02 Road Mile victory in M70 at the 2018 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship in Flint MI [Photo courtesy of Carter Sherline, Frog Prince studios]

Other winners included Alan Black 40-44 in 4:41 86.41%, Charles Novak 50-54 in 4:46 88.99%, Alan Wells 55-59 in 4:57 89.29%, Peter Mullin 65-69 5:50 84.23%, Doug Goodhue 75-79 6:23 86.92%, and C. Christopher Rush, 82, in 8:41 73.34%.

Four months before the Championships, Mike Fremont, 96, ran 13:56 at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines, IA; that was the first potential record time performed in the M95 age division. Three months before the Championships, Jill Miller-Robinett, 62, ran 6:33 at the Devil Mountain Mile of Truth in Danville, CA. A month after the Championships, Sonja Friend-Uhl, 47, ran 5:07 at the Navy Mile in Washington, D.C. Neville Davey, 43, ran 4:22, also at the Mile of Truth in Danville, CA.  

Neville Davey left matches strides with Greg Mitchell in the 2016 USATF Masters 8K Championships in Brea CA [Photo Credit: Portland Running Company FB post]

 

Both the Mile of Truth and the Navy Mile were USATF certified, sanctioned, and record-eligible races. 

In December of 2018, the initial set of record times were presented to the Masters LDR Committee. None of the 2013 records were quite ready. The paperwork had been submitted but the Road Race Technical Council determined that the course had to be re-certified for record purposes; they would be listed as 'pending' but have to wait until the following year to appear as records. 

The 1 Mile Record Book read as below in late December 2018, with the ratified records listed first, in black print, with pending in blue, and 'pending or ratified, but superseded by a ratified record' in purple. Times run at a non Championship event, have that event indicated following the time.:

WOMEN 40-44 Renee Tolan 5:24 2017 Magdalena Lewy-Boulet 4:50 2013   45-49   Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:07 Navy Mile 2018 Jennifer Bayliss 5:21 San Rafael Mile 2016 50-54 Marisa Sutera Strange 5:27 2016 Doreen McCoubrie 5:18 2013 Alisa Harvey 5:36 2017  55-59 Doreen McCoubrie 5:33 2018 Leslie Chaplin 5:45 2013 Lorraine Jasper 5:50 2017 60-64 Jill Miller-Robinett 6:33 Devil Mountain Mile of Truth 2018 Kathy Martin 5:44 2013 Sabra Harvey 5:48 2013 Jill Miller-Robinett 6:40 2016 Mary Richards 6:35 2017  65-69 Sabra Harvey 6:06 2017 70-74 Jeannie Rice 6:37 2018 Melody-Anne Schultz 8:24 San Rafael Mile 2016 Ruth Thelen 8:11 2016 75-79 Ellen Nitz 9:46 2016  80-84 Tami Graf 11:31 2018

MEN 40-44 John Gardiner 4:31 2016 Neville Davey 4:22 Devil Mountain Mile of Truth 2018 Nicholas Berra 4:28 2013 45-49 Kevin Castille 4:24 2017 50-54 Todd Straka 4:48 2017 Alan Wells 4:40 2013 55-59 Nat Larson 4:49 2017 60-64 Thomas Dever 5:18 2017 Tom McCormack 5:03 2013 65-69 Tom Bernhard 5:18 2016 70-74 Gary Patton 6:07 2016 Harold Nolan 6:07 2017 Doug Goodhue 5:43 2013 75-79 Doug Goodhue 6:17 2017 80-84 Jim Askew 7:44 2017 85-89 Louis Lodovico 10:11 2013 95-99 Mike Fremont 13:56 2018

The names and times listed above in black, bold print were the ratified times and hence the American Records at the time of the 2019 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships. Because the timing problems in the 2017 Men's Championship race were not well known and because many of the 'folklore' records from 2013 were now listed as 'pending', there was confusion about what was a record and what was not. Nonetheless, the athletes ran their best. Their time had to be faster than the current record, not the pending one, to be announced as having broken the American Record. Unfortunately it appears there were again timing problems. One of the announced times at the close of the race was slightly faster than the times submitted to the Records Committee. The times I list below were reported as Official Results, but the up to-date Records list for 2019-20 deviates somewhat from one of those times.

Flint 2019 Sonja Friend-Uhl came looking for a win and a new record. It appeared at the time that she got both. She won the overall race and took the 45-49 title in a reported time of 5:05.7, which rounds up (as required by USATF timing rules for road races) to 5:06 95.26%. 

 

Sonja Friend-Uhl drives for the Overall Victory and a 5:07 Mile. That tied her American Record. At the 2019 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship in Flint MI [Photo by EnMotive]

That's one second faster than her Navy Mile record-setting jaunt. [But there must have been at least a minor timing issue as the time turned into Records for Friend-Uhl was a 5:07, tied with her Navy Mile effort.] Friend-Uhl kept Fiona Bayly at bay for the overall win, but Bayly took 2nd overall and 1st in 50-54. Her 5:22 92.86% was faster than Strange's 5:27 record from 2016. Marisa Sutera Strange and Doreen McCoubrie had a duel with Strange holding the edge at the end, 5:27 98.96% to 5:32. That was six seconds faster than McCoubrie's record run from 2018.  

Marisa Sutera Strange clocks 5:27 to establish the Women's 55-59 American Record at the 2019 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship in Flint MI [Photo by EnMotive]

 

Nancy Simmons clocked 5:54 to win 60-64 96.75% and better Miller-Robinett's 6:33 record from 2018. 

At the 2019 USATF Masters Mile Championship Nancy Simmons finishes in 5:54 to register the fastest M60 Mile in the Masters Championships in Flint [Photo by EnMotive]

  

Jeannie Rice again left  the competition far behind in racing to a winning W70 time of 6:24 106.20%, 13 seconds faster than her record-setting time of 2018.  

 

Jeannie Rice lowered her own Women's 70-74 American Record from 6:37 to 6:24 at the 2019 USATF Masters Mile Championship in Flint MI
[Photo by EnMotive]

Madeline Bost claimed the title in 80-84 with a 10:55 73.79%, bettering Graf's 2018 record by 36 seconds.  

Madeline Bost set a new American Record for Women 80-84 by running the Mile in 10:55 at the 2019 USATF Masters Mile Championships in Flint MI [Photo by EnMotive]

 

Jill Braley won 40-44 by a wide margin in 5:44 79.31%, while Jill Miller-Robinett took the title in her new 65-69 division in 6:42 91.89%; and Catherine Radle won 75-79 in 10:13.

2019 featured the closest Overall Masters race since 2015, and maybe the closest ever. Chuck Schneekloth held off Mike Madsen with a lean at the tape; both were given the same 4:37 time. Perusal of the finish line camera timer showed a difference of only 0.04 seconds-Wow!  

Chuck Schneekloth right holds off Mike Madsen to win the Overall Masters Race at the 2019 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship in Flint MI [Photo courtesy of EnMotive]

 

Tim Van Orden won the 50-54 division in 4:46 89.72%, bettering Straka's 2017 record by 2 seconds! 

At the 2019 USATF Masters Mile Championships Tim Van Orden #21030 closed out the fastest M45 Mile run in the Flint Masters Championships at 4:46 [Photo By EnMotive]

David Westenberg won the 60-64 division in 5:13, running 1 second faster than Sayre in 2018 and 5 seconds faster than Dever's listed record from 2017.  

In the 2019 Masters Championships David Westenberg flies to the finish, clocking the fastest M60 Mile at the Flint Championships, 5:13. [Photo by EnMotive]

 

Bob Giambalvo captured M70 in 6:01, a second faster than the 6:02 posted by Hansen the year before and 6 seconds faster than the times posted by Nolan and Patton.  

In 2019, Bob Giambalvo left gives it his all and nearly cracks 6:00 in running the fastest M70 Mile in the Masters Championships in Flint [Photo by EnMotive]

Jon Desenberg ties the M80 Mile run by Lodovico in 2013 in Pittsburgh; they will share the American Record [Photo by EnMotive]

 

Jon Desenberg posted a 10:11 to win M85 in the exact same time Lodovico ran in 2013. Nathaniel Finestone took first in M90, establishing an American Record of 12:51

Nathaniel Finestone gives it everything he has to set a new M90 American Record, 12:51, at the 2019 USATF Masters Road Mile Championship in Flint MI [Photo courtesy of EnMotive]

 

In May 2019, Sherwood Sagedahl, 80, ran 7:08 at the TC Medtronic Mile, erasing Askew's 7:34 from the Record Books.

The times of Friend-Uhl, Bayly, Strange, Simmons, Rice, and Bost were all ratified at the 2019 USATF Meeting. That was also true of the times run by Van Orden, Westenberg, Giambalvo, Sagedahl, Desenberg, and Finestone. But at the same meeting all of the fine times from 2013 were finally ratified so Bayly and Simmons never got to see their names enshrined in the record books posted on the USATF website. The same is true for Van Orden, Westenberg, and Giambalvo who had their new records superseded by the faster 2013 times at the same 2019 USATF Meeting.

The next time the Records spreadsheet, which has already been converted to the USATF format, is posted, it might well read as follows (unless a new pending mark turns up), using black for a ratified record and blue for a pending mark.

WOMEN 40-44 Magdalena Lewy-Boulet 4:50 2013   45-49   Sonja Friend-Uhl 5:07 Navy Mile 2018, Michigan Mile 2019  50-54 Doreen McCoubrie 5:18 2013  55-59 Marisa Sutera Strange 5:27 2019  60-64 Kathy Martin 5:44 2013  65-69 Sabra Harvey 6:06 2017 70-74 Jeannie Rice 6:24 2019  75-79 Ellen Nitz 9:46 2016  80-84 Madeline Bost 10:55 2019

MEN 40-44 Neville Davey 4:22 Devil Mountain Mile of Truth 2018 45-49 Kevin Castille 4:24 2017 50-54 Alan Wells 4:40 2013 55-59 Nat Larson 4:49 2017 60-64 Tom McCormack 5:03 2013 65-69 Tom Bernhard 5:18 2016 70-74 Doug Goodhue 5:43 2013 75-79 Doug Goodhue 6:17 2017 80-84 Sherwood Sagedahl 7:08 2019 85-89 Louis Lodovico 10:11 2013 & Jon Desenberg 10:11 2019 90-94 Nathaniel Finestone 12:51 2019 95-99 Mike Fremont 13:56 2018

And on we go. Dan King will, no doubt, be trying for an M60 Road Mile Record in 2021. It will be fun to see if he can stay fit and hungry! Others will be looking for records as well! The 2021 Championships are scheduled for Rochester NY in June--fingers crossed we'll be ready to roll by then!

*I thank Andy Carr, USATF Records Chair, for access to select Records Committee spreadsheets.