Legends Go Toe to Toe at USATF 10K Championships at the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham Massachusetts

April 25 2015. The 32nd James Joyce Ramble 10K presented by Subaru of New England is the host for the USATF 10K Masters Championships on Sunday, April 26. This event attracts top masters runners from around the country to compete for glory in this small New England town located on the outskirts of the Greater Boston area. Right now the forecast for race time tomorrow is mid-50's and partly cloudy with very light winds, near perfect conditions. The athletes are competing for national championships in one of the most popular distances in road racing, and over $10,000 of prize money. There are cash awards for individuals who win their 5-year age group, for the top 15 age-grading runners across all of the masters age groups, and for the first three finishers in the Masters race overall, with an equal number of prizes for the men and the women. In addition there are cash awards for the first and second place teams in the ten-year age categories from 40+ up through 80+.

The headline event at the Championships is the first meeting between Masters legends, Christine Kennedy and Kathryn Martin, in recent memory. In 2011 Kennedy and Martin shared the prize for the outstanding female Masters Runner of the Year. The following year, Kennedy took the prize alone and in 2013, the prize went to Martin alone. Martin is already in the Masters Hall of Fame and Kennedy will, no doubt, be there soon. At the beginning of the year, Martin, now 63, held virtually every 60-64 age group record from 5 kilometers to the marathon. At the USATF 8 km Championships in Brea, California, Kennedy took one of those away as she lowered Martin’s record by over 50 seconds.Kennedy joined Martin’s 60-64 age group earlier this year and has stated her intention to crack as many of the records as possible. Her main goal this year, however, is to become the first woman in the world, 60 or over, to complete a marathon in under 3 hours..

Christine Kennedy, #4294, on her way to the new national 8K record in Brea CA [photo by Thuc Tran]

The 10 km is a race that Martin runs often and Kennedy runs rarely. Kennedy is a marathon champion, who notes that one of her 2015 goals is to be the first woman in the world, aged 60 or over, to break 3 hours for the marathon. Martin’s 10 km record was set on this same championship course at Dedham a year ago in 40:10, but she also ran a 40:17 at Joan Benoit Samuelson’s challenging Beach to Beacon 10K. Kennedy’s fastest recent 10 km appears to be a 39:30 run at the USATF 10 km Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when she was 57. If Kennedy can come close to that performance, she should have another record to add to her sterling resume. However, she will have to beat Martin in the race, which will be no easy task. It should be an epic race.

Kathy Martin strides to the finishing tape to take first place in her age group and to take the overall Age-grading first prize at the USA 5 km Masters Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services]

Two other legends in the making, Doreen McCoubrie (Malvern, Pennsylvania) and Marisa Sutera Strange (Pleasant Valley, New York), teammates at the Athena Track Club, will go head-to-head again. Last year at these Championships, Sutera Strange held the edge, taking first place while McCoubrie settled for second. McCoubrie had the edge for the circuit, however, as she took the 2014 USATF Individual Grand Prix title for the age group.

On the men’s side, Brian Pilcher (Ross, California), 2012 USATF Male Masters Road Runner of the Year and 2013 Masters Athlete of the Year, continues his comeback from an injury sustained in 2014. He took second place in his age group, 55-59, at altitude in Boulder, Colorado, in early February, and he stormed back in late February to take first in the 8 km championship at Brea. He looks to cement his hold on first place in the 2015 Individual Grand Prix, and to take home the M55 age group crown and some serious age-grading cash.

Brian Pilcher, Tamalpa Runners, #213, leading a pack of younger age group runners, at the USA Masters Cross Country Championships at Boulder Colorado  on February 7, 2015

And what about Jan and Jan? The favorite in the men's 70 to 74 category is Jan Frisby (Grand Junction, Colorado). A USATF 50-54 and 55-59 Runner of the Year in the 1990s, nagging injuries slowed him down and kept him from competing as consistently throughout the 2000s. It appears he is now back on his game as he concludes his first year in the 70-74 age group. Earlier this year he finished first at Boulder and first at Brea. He looks to continue his winning streak and take a shot at the M70 record of 40:45. This will be Jan Holmquist's first appearance at a USATF event this year but she already holds the masters record for the women's 70-74 age group, set last year at the Lone Gull 10K in Gloucester MA with a 45:45. Will she better that tomorrow?

Francis Burdett (Worcester, Massachusetts) looks to continue his streak in the 50-54 category, going for his third victory in a row in 2015. Lloyd Hansen (Salt Lake City, Utah), USATF Male 65-69 Runner of the Year in 2014, would be the favorite for that category in Dedham, but he is being honored by the Road Runner Clubs of America this weekend at their National Convention in Des Moines, Iowa.

Now for the individual races, with the women first, followed by the men.

WOMEN

OVERALL MASTERS RACE

Last year Melody Fairchild barnstormed in from Boulder Colorado to claim first. Unless there are last minute changes to the entry list, Fairchild will not be in attendance this year, and that should allow East Coast dynamo, Abby Dean (Phoenixville PA) to claim the prize that eluded her last year. She finished second last year in a time of 37:51; if she can come close to that this year, the prize should be hers. Although Mimi Fallon (Walpole MA), who ran 38:12 on this course in 2013, will have something to say should Dean's pace falter at all. Caroline Bjune finished 5th last year but only 29 seconds behind Dean so she cannot be counted out. Two newcomers, Erin Corcoran and Renee Tolan may well be factors in the race. Corcoran ran 18:12 at the Freihofer's Run for Women 5K last year so she has the speed. And she ran 1:03:33 in the Adirondack Distance Run 10 miler so she has some staying power as well. Tolan ran the same two races and finished just ahead of Corcoran in both, recording an 18:11 at Freihofer's and a 1:03:10 at the Adirondack event. Another newcomer, Jennifer St. Jean ran 19:12 in the CVS Downtown 5K in Providence RI and so, along with veterans Holly Madden (Scituate MA), and Melissa Senall (Fairport NY) could also be in the mix.Looks like a barn burner, as usual.

Abby Dean [photo at: www.phillymag.com]

W40-44

As suggested above, this looks like a close race between Dean, Fallon, Bjune, Corcoran, and Tolan, with Senall just a bit back. I make Dean a slight favorite but the margin is likely to be slim.

Erin Corcoran [photo at: crss4htrainer.com]

W45-49

 Mimi Fallon, as suggested above, is the favorite for this group. She finished 3rd in this age group last year on this course but the first two finishers from last year are elsewhere this weekend. Her 3rd place time last year was 40:25 but the year before she ran 38:12. And this past summer, she ran 38:21 at the challenging Beach to Beacon 10K course. But there are challengers of course. 

Mimi Fallon [photo at runningnetwork.com]

Mary Pardi (Dirigo Running Club) is a newcomer to Dedham but has some notable recent performances. She finished 4th in the W40-44 group last fall at the .US National 12K Road Race in 50:59; earlier in the summer she finished only 36 seconds behind Fallon in the Beach to Beacon 10K. Madden, who was 2nd in 2013 in this age group and Audra Naujokas-Knapp, who was 6th in the 40-44 group two years ago, will also try to press the pace.

W50-54.

Doreen McCoubrie (Malvern PA) and Marisa Sutera Strange (Pleasant Valley NY), the two 'frenemies' from the Athena Track Club appear to be the class of this age group. Last year at this same venue the contest went to Sutera Strange who took the title by 14 seconds over McCoubrie in 38:47.

Doreen McCoubrie crossing the finish line at the 2014 USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse NY [photo at:www.runningprof.com]

Last year, Strange seemed to be a few steps quicker at the few races they had in common but that was not the case in past years. maybe this will be McCoubrie's year. Lorraine Jasper (Birchrunville PA), and another Athena member, will be vying with Jennifer Rapaport (Melrose MA) for the third spot on the podium. In 2013 Jasper came in 52 seconds ahead of Rapaport but last year it was Rapaport coming in a minute ahead of Jasper. Erin Chalat (Dirigo Running Club) may also be in the mix. She appears to be new to USATF Championships but she ran a 40:59 in the Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine last year. If she can duplicate that tomorrow, she will be right  there with Rapaport and Jasper.

W55-59.

The top 3 finishers from last year are all pursuing other objectives this weekend so it leaves a wide open race. Karen Lein (Newton Highlands MA) who finished 4th in the group last year is the top 2014 finisher entered this year.  But the winner from 2013, Liane Pancoast (Greater Lowell Road Runners) who won with a time of 43:34, is back and looks like the runner to beat.

Liane Pancoast [photo at: www.coolrunnning.com]

Other runners from 2013 who should be challenging for podium finishes include Susan Stirrat (Quincy MA--Shore AC) who finished 4th in the W55 category in that race in 47:40 and  Drusilla Pratt-Otto (Liberty AC) who finished 10th in the W50 group in 49:48. If their fitness is good, they appear to have the pace to keep Lein just off the podium again.

W60-64

As indicated in the start of this article, this is the marquee matchup of the day, pitting Christine Kennedy against Kathryn Martin.  It appears that a slight edge goes to Kennedy but knowing that Martin will be pushing all the way will certainly keep Kennedy pumping. And that may be just enough to get her (or Martin) into record territory with a sub 40:10. The race for the third spot on the podium also appears to be tight with Elizabeth Cooney (Somerville Road Runners)who finished 2nd in this race in 2014 in a time of 45:04 being a slight favorite over Sharon Moore (Genesee Valley Harriers).

Elizabeth Cooney [photo at: www.boston.com]

W65-69

Mary Harris, an unattached runner, is unchallenged for the W65 crown. If this is the Mary Lou Harris from  Camp Hill Pennsylvania, she is a newcomer to Dedham but ran the Boston Marathon last year and finished 6th in her age group at the 2014 TCS New York Marathon in 4:28:54.

W70-74

Jan Holmquist (Burlington MA--Whirlaway Racing Team) was the USATF Age Group Runner of the year for W60 in 2006, W65 in 2013 and for W70 in 2014. She currently holds the W70 records for the 5K and the 10K. She can improve on her record-breaking performance at the lone Gull 10K last year if she can break 45:45. She will be unopposed in this age group but if she can find some runners from a younger age group like Cooney and Moore from the W60 group to run with, she can keep on pace for an attempt on the record.

Jan Holmquist, #122 [photo at: www.libertyac.org]

MEN

Overall

The overall Master's race appears to be very tight with the edge, on paper, going to Kristian Blaich of the Atlanta Track Club, who finished 4th overall last year in 32:55.

Kristian Blaich (left) and Cushing-Murray, charging for the tape with determination! At the USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services]

But Christopher Magill of the B.A.A. should be right with him based on his 5th place overall finish last year in 32:58.

Chris Magill, running in the B.A.A. Half Marathon [photo at: runningnetwork.com]

And it looks like it could be  a battle between Kent Lemme, Greg Putnam, and Eric Stabb for the third podium spot. [See the M45 section below for details.)  And, of course, if either of the two favorites have fitness issues, there is not much of a gap back to the next three.


M40

Christopher Magill (Cumberland RI--B.A.A.)finished 3rd last year in 32:58 and is the only podium finisher from this group to return. It should be is race to lose. Ethan Nedeau (acidotic Racing), who is a snow shoeing champion in the winter, finished 6th in that race in 33:53, and looks to be the strongest contender for 2nd.

Dave DeChellis, winning the 2013 East End 5 Mile Road Race [photo at: www.coolrunning.com]

But he could well be pushed or even beaten by one of the following: Volker Burkowski (Willow Street AC), Dave DeChellis (Whirlaway Racing Team), Brent Fields (Atlanta Track Club), or Josh Harter (Genesee Valley Harriers). Burkowski finished 6th in the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse in 2013 with a 16:36; DeChellis has run a number of 5K's in the 16:09 to 16:40 range; Fields and Harter have a number of 10K's each in the 34-35 minute range.

M45

Last year's winner,  Pete Hammer (B.A.A.), is not running this year. That leaves Kristian Blaich (Decatur GA--Atlanta Track Club) as the favorite. Blaich finished second last year, only 14 seconds back from Hammer in 32:55. Greg Putnam (Central Mass Striders) was in 5th in the M40 group last year but only 9 seconds behind Blaich so that is likely to be a battle. Kent Lemme (Greater Springfield Harriers) should also be in the hunt; he finished 4th in this group last year, 28 seconds back from Blaich.

A wild card in the mix could be Eric Stabb, who has mostly been running cross country. He has run close to Lemme and Blaich at National Club Cross.

M50

Francis Burdett  (Worcester MA--Greater Springfield Harriers) goes for his third straight USATF National Championship in this division. Victorious at the USA Cross Country Championships (8K) at Boulder CO and at the USATF 8 K Championships at Brea, CA,Burdett is clearly at the top of his game. Last year at these same championships, Burdett was in the younger and faster M45 class, finishing 5th in 34:01.

Rusty Snow, #239, Francis Burdett, #104 (M50), and Paul Thompson, #250, leading the chase pack right behind the overall leaders at the USA Masters Cross Country Championships at Boulder Colorado on February 7, 2015

Where will the challenge come from. One obvious possibility is Spyros Barres (Mystic CT--Mohegan Striders) who tends to focus on longer events. In 2014 he was the M50 national champion at both the Half Marathon in Melbourne FL in 1:16:48 and the Marathon at the Twin Cities in 2:38:48. They went head to head at the USA Cross Country Championships in early February and Burdett had the edge with a 40 second victory over Barres.

Spyros Barres [photo at: downthebackstretch.blogspot.com]

But that was at altitude and altitude affects some runners more than others. It will be interesting how this contest close to sea level turns out. Are there any other challengers? Alan Evans (Beaver Dams NY--Genesee Valley Harriers) finished 2nd in the M50 group last year on this course in 35:10. Mike Nier (Genesee Valley Harriers) has not run in these championships before but has run well at several USATF Cross Country Championships and at the USATF 5K Championships at Syracuse last year. In fact, both Evans and Nier narrowly edged Burdett at those championships.

But Burdett has tended to prevail at the longer distances.Others who might be in the mix for a podium spot if they are on their game include Daniel Verrington (Central Mass Striders), who finished 3rd in this group last year on this course in 35:55, and Gary Droze (Atlanta Track Club) who has not run in this championship before.

Daniel Verrington, on his way to victory in the M45 division at the USATF 50K Championship in 2008 [photo by: www.usatf.org]

In 2013 he finished 2nd in this age group at the USATF 8K Championships at Williamsburg VA in 29:03 and 3rd at the USATF 5K Championships at Syracuse in 16:49..

M55

Brian Pilcher appears to be back at the top of his game so the 2013 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year is the strong favorite for this group. He won the group at the USATF 8K Championships in Brea CA in February in 27:24. Also in 2013 he took the M55 crown on this course at Dedham in 34:36. Last year's winner in 35:03, Ken Youngers (Tucker GA--Atlanta Track Club), is back and will provide a real challenge if Pilcher has any fitness issues.

 Ken Youngers (left), receiving acclaim for his finish at the USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014[photo: Facebook]

Unless something surprising happens the rest of the field is competing for the third podium spot. Mark Reeder (Brighton MA--Greater Lowell Road Runners) finished 4th in this group in 2013 in 35:42. Paul Hammond (Lexington MA--Whirlaway Racing Team) finished 5th in the M50 group last year in 35:59. Reeder and Hammond should contend for the podium, with Reeder having a slight edge on paper.

M60

The top two finishers from last year, Tom McCormack, and Peter Mullin, are either injured or pursuing other objectives this weekend. hence the third place finisher from last year, Kirk Larson (Atlanta GA), in 39:12, should have a shot at a top finish. The favorite is Reno Stirrat (Rockaway NJ--Shore AC) who moved up this year from the M55 group.Stirrat did not compete here last year but knows the course from his 2013 experience. In the M55 division he finished 5th in a time of 37:07.

Reno Stirrat [photo by: www.runnersworld.com]

Even if he has slowed a bit over the last two years, that gives him a fair gap to work with. At the USATF 8K Championships in Brea CA in February, Stirrat prevailed over Larson by over a minute.

Another runner who could push Larson for a podium position is John Barbour (Greater Lowell Road Runners) who finished 3rd in the M55 race here in 2013 and 5th in the M60 group last year. His time last year was 41:28 but that may not be a good indicator of his ability; the year before he ran 36:40. If his current fitness is closer to his 2013 fitness, he will be challenging Stirrat for the win; if somewhere in between 2013 and 2014, he and Larson could have quite a fight for second.

M65

 In the absence of the top two runners from last year, Bill Dixon and Paul Carlin, the 2014 3rd place finisher, Gordon MacFarland becomes the favorite. If he can come close to duplicating his 40: 30 from last year, he should take the crown. Michael Reif Sr. (Victor NY--Genesee Valley Harriers) and Jerry Learned (Gainesville GA--Atlanta Track Club) should battle it out for 2nd and 3rd.

Coach Michael Reif, Sr. (far left) with his Genesee Valley Harrier teammates [photo: dougsrunningblog.blogspot.com]

In 2013 Learned had a 40 second margin on Reif but last year had some injury problems. If he is fully recovered he should be able to get 2nd.

M70

Jan Frisby (Grand Junction CO--Boulder Road Runners) should be the class of the field with the silver bullet from Milford Michigan, Doug Goodhue, still recovering from a knee injury sustained at the end of last year.

Jan Frisby, #134, establishing the early lead on his Men's 70-74 competitors, running easily along with Wally Hayes of the Ann Arbor Track Club , #153 - at the USA Masters Cross Country Championships at Boulder Colorado  on February 7, 2015

Frisby is back on his game after a decade of niggling injuries. He was the age group runner of the year three times in the 1990's and is gunning for a 4th this year. He has notches for the USATF Cross Country Championship and the USATF 8K Championship already this year. In 2013 he took 2nd in the M65 group at these championships in 41:32. If he can continue to run as he has in the first part of they year, the American record of 40:45 is certainly not out of his reach. If Frisby is on his game then John Noyes (Kennebunk ME), Przemyslaw Nowicki (Holmdel NJ--Shore AC), and Richard Paulsen (Woburn MA-New England 65 Plus Runners Club) should duke it out for the remaining two podium positions.Noyes took 3rd place in  this division at this race in 2013 in 45:44. Nowicki has not run at Dedham before but earlier this year he finished 5th in the M70 division at the USATF 8K Championships at Brea CA in 37:21. Last October he placed 4th in the M70 division at the USATF 5K Championship at Syracuse NY in 21:38. Those times suggest he may be able to run in the neighborhood of 46:30 for a 10K. Paulsen finished 3rd here last year in 47:17. If recent history is a guide, it should be Frisby and Noyes for 1st and 2nd respectively, with Nowicki and Paulsen battling for the final podium position.

M75

Bill Borla (Torrington CT--New England 65 Plus Runners Club) appears to have this race in the bag. Last year he took 2nd place in the M70 division in 43:32.

Bill Borla (3rd from the right) with his New England 65 Plus teammates and their friends from the Liberty AC (including Jan Holmquist (3rd from the left) at the USATF Indoor Track Championships [photo: masterstrack.com]

That gives him a substantial margin on paper over the other runners in the race. Roland Cormier (Shore AC) should have what it takes for a second place finish. Cormier finished 2nd in the M75 division at the USATF 8K Championship at Brea CA in February of this year with a time of 41:38; he took 6th in the younger and faster M70 division at the USATF 5K Championship in Syracuse NY in October of last year with a time of 22:59. Those times suggest Cormier should break 50 minutes and that looks like good enough for 2nd place tomorrow. Matt LaLumia (Clifton Road Runners), Jerry LeVasseur (New England 65 Plus RC), and Ram Satyaprasad (Shamrock RC) will battle it out for the final podium spot.

M80

Lawrence Cole (Harwich MA--Cape Cod Athletic Club) is unopposed so will repeat as champion. Perhaps he can beat his 2014 wining time of 1:17:09.
 

RECORD WATCH

Women--F60-64--Record is 40:10

Held by Kathy Martin. Can Chris Kennedy or Kathy Martin break it?  
-----------------------------------------
Women--F70--Record is 45:45
 Held by Jan Holmquist--Can she break her own record?
-----------------------------------------
Men--M70--Record is 40:45
Set by Hans Schmid in 2012--Can Jan Frisby break the record? 


 

See Running Times for my article on Age Grading

April 13 2015. On April 2nd, Running Times published my article on age grading for Master's runners in their online section. It is an intuitive introduction focusing on how the everyday runner can use it to improve their running. That's what they wanted as a first article--they may be open to  more substantive articles in the future about using age grading for awards--which they view as more controversial.


http://www.runnersworld.com/masters/a-guide-to-age-grading

USATF Masters LDR Individual Grand Prix Standings-Women--Commentary

April 3 2015. The initial set of standings for women and men in the 2015 USATF Masters Individual Grand Prix [IGP] are posted at:
http://www.usatf.org/Resources-for---/Masters/LDR/Individual-Grand-Prix.aspx

WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX

W40. In 2014, ten women qualified for an award in this category by running in at least 2 USATF IGP events. Melody Fairchild [CO] dominated the category by running in 5 events winning 2, and finishing 2nd in 3 others. Three events were enough for Sonja Friend-Uhl [GA]to finish comfortably in second, again relying on firsts and 2nd places. After that, it was pretty tight. Sheri Piers [ME] and Melissa Senal [NY] had 200 points each but Piers took 3rd as her two races were both winning efforts. After that there were only 15 points total separating 5th from 9th place.

This year Fairchild is off to a good start again, with a 1st place age group finish in the USA XC event.

Melody Fairchild [W40], in hot pursuit of Colleen DeReuck [W50], at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015

That leaves her tied with Cassandra Henkiel [TX] who took the title at the Brea 8K. Last year at this time, Fairchild  already had 285 points, scoring in the Half Marathon in Melbourne, FL and the Brea 8K, in addition to her finish at the USA XC. The half marathon was moved this year so that was unavailable but Fairchild did not compete in the Brea 8K this year. Last year Fairchild made 2 trips east; if she is willing to do that in 2015, she could take the IGP again. But Henkiel may have something to say about that. Last year she took 4th at Dedham and 9th at Bethlehem to finish 10th in the IGP.

Cassandra Henkiel (L), Overall Masters Winner and W40 winner at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 .[photo: Thuc Tran]

Henkiel is already over two-thirds of the way toward last year's total. Club Cross in San Francisco is, no doubt, part of her plans. But if she can add the 15K at Tulsa, which is not far from her home base of Texas, and one or two trips east, she can be in contention for the top spot. Joanna Zeiger [CO] is currently in 5th place with 90 points. That is identical to her finishing spot last year, when she took 3rd at the USA XC championships and later took 2nd place at the Marathon championships in the Twin Cities. Will she be content with the same strategy this year or will she decide to travel once or twice more? Tulsa is not far from Oklahoma so the 15K would seem to be a reasonable option. And why not Club XC at the end of the year? Last year Friend-Uhl did not race until the fall; that may not be enough for a 2nd place IGP finish this year.

W45. All of the contenders in this group last year ran just two races. Terri Rejimbal [FL] won two races, one in her home state of Florida, and one in Oklahoma, winning both. As there are no races in Florida this year, she will have to travel some to be in contention for 2015. Cindy Abrami [CA] and Kirsten Leetch [CA] were 15 and 20 points back respectively. Abrami competed only at Boulder and Brea but Leetch, missing Boulder, showed a willingness to travel when she matched her 2nd at brea with a 4th at Club Cross in Bethlehem PA.

This year there are already four runners with two events under their belts. In 2015, Tania Fischer [CA] who ran only at Club Cross in 2014, has already run 2 races, winning at Brea and finishing 2nd at the USA XC meet, for 195 points. She must surely be planning on running Club Cross again as it is on the west coast.

Tania Fischer (L}, 3rd place overall Masters and 1st in W45 age division at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015. [photo: Thuc Tran]

And Leetch is keeping pace with her, finishing 6th at the USA XC and 4th at Brea, for 160 points. Kathleen Cushing-Murray [CA] can make it interesting as she too will, no doubt, compete in San Francisco at Club  Cross. She is currently tied for 2nd with Leetch, off of a 4th place finish at Boulder and a 7th at Brea. Abrami, so far, has only her 3rd place finish at Brea, leaving her back in 7th place. She is a quality runner but it is not clear how much she is willing to travel from her home base. It appears this category will be more competitive this year.

W50. In 2014, seventeen women from this category completed the requisite two events, making this the most active group on the women's side. The two Athena Track Club teammates, Doreen McCoubrie [PA] and  

Doreen McCoubrie, finishing strong at the National Club Cross Country Championship December 2014 in Bethlehem PA.

Marisa Sutera Strange [NY] went head to head, with McCoubrie completing 5 events, amassing 480 points to outpace Sutera Strange who only fit in 4 for 400 points.

Marisa Sutera Strange winning the W50 division of the USA 5 km Masters Cross Country championships at Carmel IN on Nov 8 2014 [photo: Andy Martin, Exclamation Services]

Runners from the Mid-Atlantic states dominated this category last year with runners from PA and NY taking 3rd through 7th in the IGP. Julie Hankin [PA] accumulated 335 points over 4 events to claim 3rd.

Last year's IGP podium finishers from this group will apparently wait, again this year, until the 10K in Dedham MA (at least) to start their quest for the Grand Prix win. So far this year, the leaders are Colleen DeReuck [CO] and

Colleen DeReuck, leading the pack in the midst of the race at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015

Kathleen Phair [CA] with wins at Boulder and Brea respectively. Last year none of the west coast runners actively pursued the IGP title so a wait and compete strategy worked well for the easterners. It will be interesting to see if any of the western runners will take advantage of the extra races on the west coast to mount a more active challenge.Up to this point there is no indication of that, as all runners have only 1 race in so far.

W55. In 2014, seven runners competed in two or more events each. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso [TX] competed in 3, taking home 3rd place honors at Brea, with wins at Dedham and Bethlehem to total 290 points and the IGP top prize. Christine Kennedy [CA] took 2nd last year but has moved up to the W60 group. Andriette Wickstrom [IA] took 3rd by competing in the Marathon at the Twin Cities and the 5 km XC at Carmel IN. But it appears that Wickstrom has also moved up to W60.

None of the three leaders from last year appear in the IGP standings yet. And those who are at the top at present, did not compete in two events last year. Delicia Litt [CO]

Delcia Litt, stepping out smartly in the middle of the race at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015

and  Suzanne Morris [CA]took 1st in Bouldeer and Brea respectively to tie for 1st so far with 100 points. And Nancy Simmons [CA] and Meredith Mills [CA] are tied for 3rd in the IGP with seconds at Boulder and Brea respectively. No one has competed in more than one event so far this year. That means Ayala -Troncoso could still mount a rush to the lead starting, perhaps , with the Dedham race. At the moment this category appears to be wide open to new blood at the top. Based on the evidence thus far, if any of the good runners sets their aim on competing in 3-4 races, there is a good chance they can wind up on the Individual Grand Prix podium.

W60. In 2014 eleven runners in this category competed in the necessary 2 events to qualify for an award.Kathryn Martin [NY] competed in the most events, 6, and won all of them, giving her a perfect 500 point score. Coreen Steinbach [NY] won almost every race that Martin did not, amassing 460 points over 5 events. Two other New Yorkers, Sharon Moore and Cindy Ingalls, competed in 4 events to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. Martin competed in Boulder and Florida last year as well as in the east and Midwest but the others restricted themselves pretty much to the east and Midwest; Moore did venture as far west as Tulsa to join Martin in the 15K contested there.

In 2015, Martin is off to a similar start as last year in that she ran the USA XC (and won) but skipped Brea.

Kathy Martin, putting on the brakes after crossing the finish line with a new 12K record in hand at the  .US Nationals 12 K Championship in Alexandria, Virginia on November 16 2014 [photo: USATF, Marlene Van den Neste]

The only difference is that in 2014 she ran and won the Half Marathon in Melbourne FL. The race has been moved this year and is expected to be contested in San Diego at the end of May. If so, Martin can get back on track with her 2014 pace by racing there. On the other hand, an injury forced her to miss Flint, Syracuse and Carmel races last year so she may figure she can easily pick up 5-6 races without another west coast trip. Christine Kennedy [CA], new to the age group, is tied with Martin, thanks to her 1st place finish at Brea.

Christine Kennedy, being congratulated at the Awards Ceremony on her New American 8K Record by Don Lein, USATF Masters LDR Chair--at the 2015 USATF 8K Masters Championships in Brea CA on Feb 22 2015 [photo: Thuc Tran]

In past years, Kennedy has only competed in a couple of USATF races and that would seem to be a reasonable prognosis this year. She is focused on becoming the first woman 60 years of age or older to break 3 hours in any marathon. Apparently she has decided to forego Boston and focus on the Chicago marathon in the fall. In the meantime, she can pursue her other goal of breaking as many W60 Masters records as possible. She already has the 8K in her pocket from Brea. She just ran 19:11 at Carlsbad, missing Martin's record by 4 seconds. That may encourage her to run the 5K championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races, known for its fast course. Still it seems unlikely Kennedy would run enough USATF events to seriously challenge Martin and Steinbach if they run as many events as last year.  Another wrinkle is that Andriette Wickstrom [IA] and Elizabeth Cooney [MA]who finished 3rd and 4th in the 55-59 category last year will move up sometime this year into the 60-64 group.

W65.  In 2014 31 runners competed in this category but only 4 competed in the requisite 2 events to be award eligible. Sabra Harvey [TX], a 5K record-setter in 2014, took first easily by racing and winning 3 events. JoAnne Rowland [CA] also took first in the events she raced, but she only raced in two events. With two additional races west of the Mississippi perhaps she will consider increasing her participation at championship events. Susan Gustafson [MA] who took a 2nd and a 3rd in her two events was not too far back with 185 points.

So far this year, Rowland is the only runner from the 2014 GP podium to be in the standings. Running and winning at the 8K at Brea, as with last year, ties her for the early lead. This year she is tied with Laurie Rugenstein [CO] who took first at Boulder. Tied for third are Sandi Wiebe [CO] and Irene Herman [CA], who took 2nd place at Bouder and Brea respectively. It will be interesting to see if Rowland chooses to increase her participation this year to take a shot at the top spot. Edie Stevenson [CO] who competed in the 60-64 group last year, will move up to this group sometime this spring or summer. She could be a formidable competitor but, unlike last year, Stevenson did not compete at Boulder this year. Will she compete at Dedham this year as she did last year? Here's hoping the difficulty she had with injuries earlier in her running career have not popped up again.

W70.  In 2014, twenty runners competed in this age group; five participated in 2 or more events. The top three all competed in 5 events as teammates. Ellen Nitz, Shirley Larsen, and Janet Wallen all run for Playmakers Elite/New Balance of Lansing MI. Nitz typically led the trio across the finish line, garnering 455 points to take the GP crown. Larsen and Wallen battled it out with sometimes one and sometimes the other prevailing. In t he end, Larsen eked out a narrow victory, 415 to 405 points. And their triumph was almost short-circuited by the fast closing rush of Ruth Thelen, also of Playmakers Elite/New Balance, who moved up to this category late in the year and started leading the group across the finish line. She wound up with 380 points. With Nitz moving up to the 75-79 category this summer, it appears that 2015 should belong to Thelen, Larsen and Wallen.

The early lead, however, goes to Anita Gonzalez [CO] and Norma Thomas [CA], the victors at Boulder and Brea, with Betty Valent [CO], who took 2nd at Boulder, holding the third GP position with 95 points. At this point there is no reason to think these western runners are interested in competing for the GP crown against the Michiganders but time will tell.

W75. Eleven runners competed in this age group in 2014 but only three entered the two events needed to become award-eligible. Madeline Bost [NJ] competed in three events, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 6th to take the GP crown with 270 points.

The celebrated runner, Libby James [CO] took first at Boulder and at Syracuse; those two events gave her 200 points and a 2nd place tie with Heide Moebius [NY] who landed firsts at Alexandria (12K) and at Bethlehem's Club Cross competition.

So far in 2015 it looks like 2015 is as good a guide as any. James again won in Boulder and neither

Libby James saunters home with a strong win in the Women's 75-79 age group at the USA Masters XC Championships in Boulder CO on February 7 2015

Bost nor Moebius have yet competed. The major difference will be that Nitz is also moving up from the 70-74 age group to contend for this groups GP prize.

W80. In 2014 three women competed in this age group but only Edna Hyer [NY] competed in two events. Her first place finish at Dedham (10K) and second place finish at Syracuse (5K) gave her 195 points and the GP crown. So far in 2015, as in the early part of 2014, no one has competed in this age group. So the best prediction at this point is that Hyer may well take the group again.