Records Fall and Exciting Races for Titles at the USATF Masters 12K Championship at the Neustar .US National Road Race

November 20 2015. Fall is a great time for a 12K race. The weather on Sunday, November 15th was crisp and cool in the morning, warming up to upper 50's,/low 60's by afternoon. The race started at 7:55 am with very little wind or humidity and temps in  the low 40's. We were running though Oldtown in Alexandria Virginia, just south of the Nation’s capital, and then onto the George Washington parkway running south along the Potomac. The course is pretty fast, a true 'out and back' with only 1 real uphill on the way out, and it is not long, even shorter on the way back. Apart from that the runners have a long straight at the start and finish of about 3/4ths of a mile, and a 2.5 mile long flat stretch along the George Washington (GW) Parkway to the turn-around. Two Masters runners took advantage of the day to set records, and a third athlete came very, very close.

RECORDS. Jen Rhines, now in her 41st year, had indicated her intention to try for a top 10 finish in the Women's Open Elite race. She felt it would take a faster time than her record setting effort last year to do so and she was right. That goal enabled her to run faster than last year and establish a new Masters 12K record for women of 42:04, lowering her old record time by nearly half a minute. It’s a tribute to training and resilience when you’re getting faster with age!

An age group record was also set. Edie Stevenson broke the 2005 Women's 65-69 record of Barbara Miller, 55:15. Stevenson not only broke it, she trampled it, running 53:46 to break the record by nearly a minute and a half. What an achievement!

AGE-GRADING CHAMPIONS. Not surprisingly Kathryn 'Kathy' Martin, 64, stood atop the age-grading standings with another effort over 100%, the only one to even approach 100% in this race. Her time translated to a 100.41% age-grade score. The other top age-grading scores for women were turned in by Edi Stevenson [94.85], Perry Shoemaker (92.19), Carmen Ayala-Troncoso (90.78), and Heide Moebius (90.36).

Age-Grading Winners at the USATF 12 K Championships- from left to right- Kathy Martin 1st, Edie Stevenson, Perry Shoemaker, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso, and Heide Moebius [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

Tom Bernhard led the way on the men's side with a 92.69%. As usual the top women's age-grading exceeded that of the men but the men were more tightly packed. Rick Becker was a half percentage point back in 2nd (92.14), followed by Kristian Blaich (91.26) and a tie between Lloyd Hansen and Doug Bell, both at 90.22.

Men's Age-Grading Winners at the USATF 12 K Championships- from left to right-Tom Bernhard 1st, Rick Becker 2nd, Kristian Blaich 3rd, Doug Bell 4th-tie, Lloyd Hansen 4th-tie [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

 OVERALL MASTERS WINNERS. This is one of the USATF races that awards a prize to the top 3 overall Masters winners, the first three in the Masters category to cross the finish line. The Women had a repeat winner as Perry Shoemaker took her 3rd consecutive title in 42:04. So far she is the only overall Masters 12K winner, the women's side of the competition has known. The race has been run since 2013 and she has won every time.  Friend-Uhl hung tight with Shoemaker as they hit the first mile together in 5:38. But then Shoemaker gradually pulled away, opening a gap of 6 seconds by the 5K which ballooned to 42 seconds by the 8K mark. After that it was all Shoemaker but Friend-Uhl kept it together to finish off a very fine run in 43:23. At the same time Brenda Hodge was locked in her own battle with Melissa Senall for the 3rd spot on the overall podium and the cash prize that goes with it. Senall completed the first mile in 6:14, with a 5 second gap on Hodge. By the 5K mark, Hodge had caught and passed Senall to lead by 2 seconds.But by the 8K mark it was Senall in front again, by 3 seconds, in 31:01. What a struggle! Neither the positions nor the gap changed over the next 2 kilometers. Now it would come down to whoever had the most left as they turned the corner, raced up a little hill and then down on to the finishing straight of 1300 yards.In the end it was no contest; Senall could not match Hodge's finishing burst as she pulled away to gain third place by 18 seconds in 46:35.

Women's Overall Winners at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships -left to right-Perry Shoemaker, Sonja Friend-Uhl and Brenda Hodge [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

 In contrast the Men's side has seen a different overall winner each year. The defending champion, Michael Wardian,  had two formidable challengers including the  hard charging runner from the Atlanta Track Club, Kristian Blaich, and the runner Blaich beat at the USATF 5K championships in Syracuse, Philippe Rolly. Blaich went right to the front with Rolly on his shoulder as they went through the mile in 5:23 with a chase pack consisting of Wardian, Jonathan Frieder and Thomas Carroll about 6 seconds back. By the 5K mark it was clear this would probably not be Wardian's year. Blaich and Rolly crossed the timing mat together in 16:32 and had a 20 second gap on Frieder in 3rd and a half minute over Wardian. By the 8K Blaich had finally forged a small gap, 2 seconds, over Rolly with Frieder now over 45 seconds back and Wardian another ten seconds behind him.From there forward Blaich built on the lead, raising it to ten seconds by the 10K mark and defeating Rolly 39:29 to 39:48.

Kristian Blaich Crossing the Finish Line with an Impressive Overall Masters Win at the USATF 12K Championships in Alexandria VA [photo: USATF]

Wardian moved past Frieder between the 8K and 10K marks and took a strong third place in 40:40. Frieder pushed home in 40:59, holding off a fast closing Carroll who finished 5th overall in 41:21.

Top Two in the Overall Masters Race at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships-Kristian Blaich (L) & Philippe Rolly (R) [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

AGE GROUPS
WOMEN. 

 40-44. (Covered above in 'Overall') Shoemaker 42:04, Friend-Uhl 43:23, Hodge 46:35.

45-49. As expected, Cassandra Henkiel visited from Austin TX, hit the 5K mark in 19:39 with a 90 second lead, built it from there and got  the win and another 100 points in the Individual Grand Prix race; her time was 47:37. Audra Naujokas-Knapp took 2nd in 51:33 and Shannon Smith took 3rd in 53:49. Henkiel 47:37, Naujokas-Knapp 51:33, Smith 53:49.

Audra Naujokas-Knapp, 2nd place in Women's 45-49 Group at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

50-54. The defending champion, Alisa Harvey, showed she is still the one to beat in this age group. She crossed the 5K mat in 19:35 with a 1 minute lead, and built the lead steadily up, finishing in 47:26 for a final margin of over 3 minutes. Lorraine Jasper ran a strong, steady race to claim 2nd in 50:45. The third spot in the group saw a competitive race. Carol Bischoff went out in 6:56 to establish a ten second lead over Julie Pangburn at the mile marker. But then Pangburn started to gradually close, pulling to within 2 seconds at the 5K mat, which Bischoff crossed in 21:49. Pangburn made her move over the next 3K to take the lead at the 8K mark, 34:48 to 35:09. It was all Pangburn the rest of the way as she took 3rd in 52:20, with Bischoff just off of the podium, thirty seconds back. Harvey 47:6, Jasper 50:45, Pangburn 52:20.

Women's 45-49 Winners-Alisa Harvey 1st (L), Lorrraine Jsaper 2nd & Julie Pangburn 3rd at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

55-59. When there is a Hall-of-Famer like Carmen Ayala-Troncoso in the field, the race is not likely to be close. Ayala-Troncoso hit the 5K mark in 20:31 with a two minute lead and never looked back. In the end she had more than a 5 minute margin, finishing in 49:04. There was a much closer race for 2nd and 3rd. Julie Hayden, Ida Draim and Colleen Magnussen all covered the first mile in about 7:30. But things were starting to settle out by the time the trio hit the 5K mark. Hayden hit it in 22:49, with Draim 23 seconds behind and Magnussen another 13 seconds back. Those gaps all grew over the final 7K, with Hayden claiming 2nd in 54:33 and Draim 3rd in 56:14. Bischoff was a minute off her pace to finish just off the podium in 4th. Ayala-Troncoso 49:04, Hayden 54:33, Draim 56:14.

Winners of Women's 55-59 Division at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships-Carmen Ayala-Troncoso 1st (C), Julie Hayden 2nd, and Ida Draim 3rd [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

60-64. As usual, Hall-of-Famer and many time Runner of the Year, Kathy Martin was atop this group even though it is her last year to grace it. In fall of 2016 she moves up. She is definitely going out of the age group in style. Martin crossed the 5K mat in 20:35 with a 90 second lead over the very strong Greater Boston runner, Elizabeth Cooney. By the end Martin had run the 12K in 49:25 and had more than a 3 minute margin. Cooney took care of business, running the 2nd 5K faster than her first. By the finish she also had a margin over her closest competitor, New York's Coreen Steinbach, who took 3rd in 55:58. The other strong Empire State runner, Sharon Moore kept the pressure on the whole way but was never able to pull even, finishing 14 seconds back of Steinbach in 4th.Martin 49:25, Cooney 52:44, Steinbach 55:58.

65-69. Edie Stevenson made my prediction for a record in this age group come true. She took on all comers, running a 53:50 (gun) to take the division by 3 minutes. Erika Campbell was 3 minutes back in 2nd with Alice Franks claiming 3rd in 58:44. Stevenson 53:50, Campbell 56:50, Franks 58:44.

Women's 65-69 Winners at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships--Edie Stevenson 1st (R), Erika Campbell & Alice Franks at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

75-79. The celebrated runner, Heide Moebius, won this age group race in 1:07:20 and, as a bonus, was in the top 5 age-grading runners.

Heide Moebius, 1st place Women's 75-79 Division at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

MEN 

40-44. The competition between Philippe Rolly, Michael Wardian, and Thomas Carroll was detailed in the report on the overall competition above. Rolly 39:48, Wardian 40:40, Carroll 41:22.

Men 40-44 Division Winners--Philippe Rolly, 1st (L) and Thomas Carroll, 3rd (R) at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

 45-49. The overall winner, Kristian Blaich, took this group as his swan song in the M45 12 K championship. Next year he will be in the 50-54 group. Jonathan Frieder was in contention for third place overall through the 10K mark. He fell off from that pace but maintained a lead over Doug Mock to take third in the age group. Blaich 39:29, Frieder 40:59, Mock 41:26.

Men 45-49 Division Winners--Kristian Blaich, 1st (L) & Doug Mock, 3rd (R) at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

 50-54. This was one of two groups on the men's side to be settled by less than ten seconds. Francis Burdett ran with the lead group for the first mile, crossing the mat in 5:32, establishing a 9 second lead over Steve Kartalia. When Burdett passed the 5K mark in 17:12, he had built a 16 second gap. It took Kartalia the next 3K to whittle the lead back down to 9 seconds. By the 10K mark, which Burdett hit in 34:47, Kartalia was only 3 seconds back. Kartalia pulled even and was able to power past Burdett and hold it to the finish in 41:32 with Burdett 7 seconds back -- a terrific race! In the meantime, the two Genesee Valley Harrier teammates, Alan Evans and Mike Nier  were locked in a real duel with the two Playmakers Elite runners, Eric Stuber and Ruben Henderson, for third place. Henderson passed the mile clock in 5:29 with Nier 4 seconds back and Evans and Stuber another 7 seconds behind. By the 5K mat, Nier had edged ahead of Henderson by 2 seconds in 17:18, with Evans and Stuber still 7 seconds further back. The next 3K saw one big change; Evans moved past Henderson to run within 2 seconds of Nier's leading 27:50, followed by Stuber, with Henderson now 9 seconds back of Evans. Nier went through 10K in 34:53 with Evans right on his shoulder; Stuber was 10 seconds back and Henderson falling back. Evans had saved enough to kick away from Nier on the final straight to take 3rd place by 4 seconds in 41:47. Kartalia 41:32, Burdett 41:39, Evans 41:47.

Men's 50-54 Division Winners--Steve Kartalia, 1st (C), Francis Burdett, 2nd (L), & Alan Evans, 3rd (R) at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

 55-59. Compared to the 50-54 group, this one was almost a cakewalk for Dave Bussard. Bussard hit the 5K in 17:27 with a half minute lead and was never headed, winning the group in 42:29. It was a real treat to see Jeff Dundas back in contention after some health issues had made training rather difficult. Tom Dever went out a little faster than Dundas with a 5:44 first mile and a 3 second gap. By 5K Dever had built the gap to ten seconds, hitting it in 17:49. (Are these guys really in their late 50's? Amazing!). Dundas turned on the jets over the next 3K to reverse the order, hitting the 8K mark in 28:42, twelve seconds ahead of Dever. Dundas was able to extend the gap over the final 4K, finishing in 2nd in 43:12 to Dever's 43:40 in third place. Just like the M50, this was a tough group. Just off the podium was Antonio Arreola 20 seconds back of Dever and Ken Youngers recovering from a hamstring another 40 seconds back. Bussard 17:27, Dundas 43:12, Dever 43:40.

60-64. Rick Becker, the second place winner from 2014, left no doubt this time around. He covered the first mile in 5:46, establishing an 11 second gap. He built the gap to more than a half minute in the first 5K and grew it from there to the 8k mark and held a nearly 1 minute lead all the way to the finish line. Tom Bernhard, Reno Stirrat, John Victoria and Doug Bell battled for 2nd and 3rd. Bernhard had 3 seconds over Stirrat and Victoria at the mile clock, with Bell another 3 seconds back. By the 5K mark all 4 were together crossing the timing mat in 18:37. They knew they were in the battle! Bernhard  clocked 29:48 for the 8K with both Bell and Stirrat within 4 seconds, in that order; Victoria had fallen off the pace somewhat and was 8 seconds back from Stirrat. By 10K Bernhard had made a decisive move, crossing the mat in 37:18. It was 17 seconds back to Stirrat and another 9 seconds back to Bell. By the finish it was Bernhard 2nd in 44:28 and Stirrat 3rd in 45:03. Victoria passed Bell in the last stretch to take 4th in 45:33 with Bell ten seconds back from there. That was some competition! Congrats to all; they will remember that one for a long time. Becker 43:30, Bernhard 44:28, Stirrat 45:03

Men's 60-64 Division Winners-Rick Becker, 1st (C), Tom Bernhard, 2nd (L), & Reno Stirrat, 3rd (R) at the 2015 USATF 12K Championships [photo: Paul Carlin, runningprof.com]

65-69. Lloyd Hansen ran away with this and came within a whisker of breaking the American record! Hansen ran his first mile in 6:10 and did not slow down much as he hit the 5K mark in 19:32. Hansen maintained a steady 6:20 to 6:21 pace through the 8K mark but then slowed slightly between 8K and 10K which he ran at 6:24 pace. But that slowing may have had a big payoff as he was fresh enough to run his last 2K at 6:15 pace. In the end he clocked 47:03 (gun time) to miss the 46:58 record (net time) by only a second or two. Although Hansen missed the age group record he did at least, set a PR. This is the 9^th year in a row that Hansen, age 67, has run at least one PR-amazing! Tony Gingello took 2nd by a fairly comfortable margin in 52:14. Jerry Learned, the consistent and reliable distance runner for the Atlanta Track Club, was a half minute back in 3rd place. Hansen 47:03, Gingello 52:14, Learned 52:47.

70-74. This was the second consecutive race in which Przemyslaw Nowicki and Paul Carlin (yours truly) battled for the victory in this age group with the margin of victory less than ten seconds! In a reversal of roles, Carlin went out faster at the start and this time it was Nowicki passing Carlin around the 2 mile mark, just the reverse of what happened in the 15K two weeks earlier. Unlike that race where they exchanged the lead a few times, this time Nowicki passed and held the lead all the way to the finish. Nowicki led Carlin by 13 seconds at the 5K and by 19 seconds at the 10K. Carlin was gaining over the last 2K but could not close fast enough. At the finish line Nowicki enjoyed a wider margin this time, 8 seconds instead of 4, taking the title 52:41 to 52:49.   Almost more remarkable was the fact that Doug Goodhue, the 'silver bullet' was behind, not in front of those two. Goodhue is a terrific champion and a feisty competitor. Even though he probably should have skipped the race because of prior damage to his right leg, he wanted to compete and felt an obligation to lead his 70+ Ann Arbor Track Club teammates into battle with the other 70+ teams. He started off gamely, sprinting from the line to lead the group for the first 2 and a half miles or so. Shortly after Nowicki passed Carlin, he went past Goodhue. Goodhue tried to respond but found that he could not. Still, as game as ever, Goodhue persevered and took 3rd overall in 55:08, leading his team into the finish line.Nowicki 52:41, Carlin 52:49, Goodhue 55:08.

75-79. John Elliott took a decisive win in this group, establishing a 17 second lead over Roland Cormier in the first 5K and accelerating his pace from 5K to 8K and, by the end, had built the lead to 2 and a half minutes, 1:00:46 to 1:03:15. Cormier ran a very steady pace in finishing second. Harlan Van Blaricum took 3rd in 1:10:56. Elliott 1:00:46, Cormier 1:03:51, Van Blaricum 1:10:56.

TEAMS
WOMEN.
40+. The Genesee Valley Harriers took this division easily with Melissa Senall and Wakenda Tyler taking 1-2 in the team race. Their 3rd runner, Audra Naujokas-Knapp, was 4th in the team race. Their total time of 2:26:55 was good enough for a large margin of victory, about 28 minutes. The TNT International Racing Club, the home team from Washington D.C., took 2nd in a very competitive contest with the Philadelphia Masters team. Marilyn Gregory, TNT's top runner, ran nearly ten minutes faster than Philadelphia's top runner, Linda Kelnock. But Philadelphia had a much tighter pack. Philadelphia's 2nd and 3rd runners, Lauren Estilow and Judy Stavely came in before TNT's 2nd and 3rd, Nancy Latsch and Joy Oakey, but would it be enough. In this case, the answer was no as TNT took the 2nd place medal by 2:20 seconds. Genesee Valley Harriers 2:26:55 (48:59 avg.), TNT International Racing Club 3:04:53 (1:01:38), Philadelphia Masters 3:08:13 (1:02:45).

50+: The biggest question in this division was whether the Athena Track Club's A or B team would win. Needless to say, both hoped to also defeat the Genesee Valley Harriers. First in was Lorraine Jasper for ATC A with more than a minute lead on ATC B's 1st runner, Julie Pangburn. Pangburn, in turn, had a 31 second lead over GVH's 1st runner, Carol Bischoff. Seven seconds later, ATC B's Joan Hunter zipped across the line, to be followed by her B teammate, Betsy Stewart, less than a minute and a half later. That wrapped it up for the ATC B team. Now the unanswered question was whether Athena A could still defeat GVH. In the end, it was a clear cut 2nd place finish for Athena 'A.' Their 2nd runner, Julie Hayden, came in 26 seconds behind Stewart and 3 minutes ahead of GVH's Colleen Magnussen. When the next runner across the line was Athena B's Mary Swan rather than GVH's Jill Gordon, the suspense was over and Athena A had their 2nd place. Athena Track Club B 2:39:05 (53:02). Athena Track Club A 2:42:03 (54:01), Genesee Valley Harriers 2:48:12 (56:04).

60+: The GVH team of Sharon Moore, Belinda O'Brien, Cindy Ingalls and Jeanne Herrick ran unopposed but their total time of 2:53:06 makes ti clear that they would be a fromidable opponent regardless of who showed up to challenge. Genesee Valley Harriers 2:3:06 (57:42).

MEN

40+: The Baltimore Washington Athletic Club successfully fought off the challenge of the Atlanta Track Club. ATC's top runner, Kristian Blaich, finished 19 seconds ahead of his counterpart, Philippe Rooly, and ATC's 2nd runner in, Thomas Carroll, had 4 seconds advantage over his BWAC counterpart, Doug Mock. But then BWAC's Douglas Wickert came in over a minute ahead of ATC's john Westrick and that was enough to give BWAC a 1:04 victory. The other local team, the TNT International Racing Club took 3rd place. BWAC 2:03:31 (41:11 avg.), ATC 2:04:35 (41:32), TNT 2:26:59 (49:00).

50+: The Playmakers Elite/New Balance team out of Lansing MI and the Genesee Valley Harriers out of greater Rochester NY, put on a heck of a show for us. GVH's Al Evans and Mike Nier came in 2-3 in the team competition but the next 3 runners across the line, Eric Stuber, Ruben henderson and Dave Bussard, were all from Playmakers. After the first 2 runners were in, GVH was 45 seconds ahead. But by the time GVH's Charlie Andrews came in, Playmakers had reversed that advantage and enjoyed a margin of victor of a minute and a half. And the race for third was even closer. BWAC's Steve Kartalia was 1st in the team race establishing a minute and  a half lead over ATC's 1st runner,  Jeff Dundas. But ATC;s 2nd runner, Jeff Haertel finished almost that much in front of BWAC's Mark neff. After the first two runners for each team were in, BWAC was 12 seconds ahead. It all came down to the 3rd runner for each team. ATC's Ken Youngers was able to nip BWAC's Jean-Christ Arcaz y 18 seconds. That allowed ATC to claim the 3rd spot on the podium by a whopping 6 seconds! It doesn't get much closer than that. Playmakers 2:06:52 (42:18), GVH 2:08:30 (42:50), ATC 2:11:07 (43:43).

60+: Unlike the first two men's divisions, the Boulder Road Runners won this one by a strong margin. Their 1st, 2nd and 3rd runners all finished ahead of their counterpart on the 2nd place GVH team. John Victoria had over a minute on Mark Rybinski, Doug Bell 2 minutes over Tim McMullen, and Devin Croft 30 seconds over Frank Gioia. The Shore Athletic Club was not quite able to keep up, despite the fact that Reno Stirrat, their top runner, finished 1st in the team competition. But they were able to fend off the powerful Ann Arbor Track Club. Stirrat gave them a 2 minute lead, finishing that far in front of Lloyd Hansen, AATC's top runner. Mark Chiusano padded Shore's lead by finishing 25 seconds ahead of AATC's Eduardo Matsuo. Shore's 3rd runner, Patrick Gaughan, stayed close enough to AATC's Wally Hayes to preserve the 3rd podium position. Boulder 2:20:06 (46:42),GVH 2:23:59 (48:00), Shore AC 2:25:11 (48:24).

70+: Another tight contest, Shore AC's Przemyslaw Nowicki led the team competition finishing 6 minutes in front of the Atlanta Track Club's top finisher. But all 3 of ATC's runners, Frank White, Morris Williams, and Ed Bligh finished ahead of Shore's 2nd runner, Roland Cormier. Would it be enough? Not quite as JL Seymore finished soon enough to deny ATC the gold. In teh end, Shore had a 55 second margin. The Ann Arbor Track Club had to settle for third. Their top runner, Doug Goodhue was running on a bum right leg and their 2nd runner, Monte Piliawsky, is still recovering from a hamstring injury that set his training back. Shore AC 2:56:22 (58:48), ATC 2:57:17 (59:06), AATC 3:00:36 (1:00:32). 
 

USATF Club Cross Country Competition-Spllit Field Means Potentially Difficult Choice for Some M60+ Runners

November 20 2015. USATF Masters LDR Representative to Cross Country, Bill Quinlisk, has issued the following alert:

As you know the Dec. 10 USATF National Club XC Championships in San Francisco has split the Masters Men's field into 2 races. There will be an 8k for all M60+ and a 10k for M40-59. There is one wrinkle in this configuration. M60+ sometimes opt to run with a M40+ or M50+ team. This will force those runners to make a choice. If a Masters male runner age 60+ chooses to run the M40+ 10k race, then they will not be eligible for individual age group awards since they will not be in the same race as the other M60+. (Rule 341.4)

The USATF event registration system has just been updated to allow this option. If any Masters Men 60+ runners have already entered the Club XC meet in the 8k and wish to opt out in order to run the Masters Men 40+ 10k so that they can run for a M40+ or M50+ team, then they should contact the Masters LDR XC Rep., Bill Quinlisk at billqxc@verizon.net. Please send him your USATF membership number and let him know for which age division club team you wish to run (e.g., Boulder Road Runners M50+ "B" team).

Preview of USATF Masters 12K Championships at the Neustar .US National Road Race

November 12 2015. Top Masters runners are converging on Alexandria, Virginia this coming weekend for the final road championship on the 2015 Masters Grand Prix circuit, the Neustar .US National (12K) Road Race. The athletes are chasing $10,000 in prize money as well as Grand Prix points.Some may e able to lock up GP wins or places this weekend; others will need to slug it out to the end by competing in the final event of the season, the National Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco in mid-December.

[Based on Status of Entries on November 12 2015 around 7 pm; as I was winding this story up at 11 pm, I hit refresh on Status of Entries and became aware of many added entries on this next to last day for entering. I worked them in as well as possible. I suppose there will be more tomorrow. Any who enter after this will be totally ignored; I have to get to Alexandria and race myself. Apologies to anyone who is missed. There will also be some great team battles that I do not have time to preview. I look forward to covering them in my recap.]

Masters Records. Three women athletes are a threat to Masters 12K records. Three-time Olympian, Jen Rhines, is entered in the Open Elite race but is eligible to break the US Masters 12K record, as she did last year, running 40:31. Her goal this year is to finish in the top 10 in the Open race and given the strong competition, thinks it will take a faster time to reach her goal.  

Jen Rhines, front left, with her BAA Teammates at their Mammoth Lake Training Camp in mid-October [photo:https://twitter.com/jlrhines]

 
Kathryn 'Kathy' Martin broke the women’s 60-64 record last year, lowering her own record by 5 seconds to 48:54.  

Kathy Martin, a threat in every event, here in Cross Country mode [photo: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uKYaqN8KyU3jAsqNXpZRzMe3SekGqMytH3rx04dZHKAKsh2_ZPK4d897uI-jJWn0ctDe4AQXeAaq-eTL_xI8YUV4VQSLkYXYCpcOty8cUJn35LyrGbt3DOfj_py07BzU7I7e2A_i_8QL/s1600/spt-martin.jpg]

Sabra Harvey should break the women’s 65-69 record of 55:15. She maintained a faster pace in her 15K victory on a very tough course 2 weeks ago.   

Sabra harvey Profiled in Running Times, Oct 27 2015 [photo:Victor Sailer/PhotoRun]

Doug Goodhue broke the men’s 70-74 record last year but a repeat seems less likely this year;  he has been battling injuries off and on all year.

 Doug Goodhue giving his all/Running Times Profile November 24 2014 [photo: Scott Mason]

Age-Grading.  The top two women runners are Hall of Famer and defending champion  Kathryn Martin and 2014 Masters Runner of the Year Sabra Harvey .  Both missed races earlier this year but have come back strong. Martin, 64, won the USATF 5K Age Grade Championship in early October at the Syracuse Festival of Races with a 19:24 for a 100.46% score. Harvey, 66, ran a very tough 15K course at the USATF 15K Masters Championships at the Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run in 1:07:12 for a 96.06% score. If both run their best 12K, the age-grade race will be tight indeed. Others in the hunt include Heide Moebius, 76, Edie Stevenson, 66, and Carmen Ayala-Troncoso. The top two men currently registered are Tom Bernhard and Kristian Blaich with Rick Becker, Tom Dever  and Doug Goodhue likely close competitors. Bernhard, 64, had the upper hand over Blaich, 49, in the 2015 USATF 5K Championship, 93.82% to 92.37%. Becker, 61, is a wild card in that he beat Bernhard in age-grading at the USATF 8K Championship in late February but disappeared from the scene until this race. If he is close to full fitness, he is a threat; last year he finished 4^th in age grading here. Dever, 58, ran 1:17:12 in the USATF Half Marathon Championship on May 31 for a 90.72% and this past weekend ran a 16:55 5K for a 92.86%.

Overall Masters Winners.  The men’s  favorite must be defending champion, Michael Wardian.

Michael Wardian trail-running in California [photo: http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/running/trail-running-tips/]

He has run so many marathons this year, however, not to mention an ultra marathon, that one would think he would have heavy legs and be vulnerable. If so, USATF Masters 10K Champion, Kristian Blaich, is the most likely challenger.

Kristian Blaich (in red singlet) leading Kent Lemme in the 2015 USATF 10K Championship Race [Photo: Scott Mason]

and Philippe Rolly may give Blaich a battle. Blaich finished 19 seconds ahead of Rolly at the USATF 5K Championships. Perry Shoemaker is the defending Women's champion. In fact, she won in 2013 in 44:14 and last year in 42:54. If she keeps improving like that, she will be unbeatable.  

Perry Shoemaker (green singlet) sprinting to the 2014 USATF 12K Masters Finish Line, with Tom McCormack, Men's 60-64 Champion [photo:USATF, Marlene Van den Neste]

 Sonja Friend-Uhl should press her for the crown.  She won her age group in the 800, 1500, and 5000 meters at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, finished 2^nd to Jen Rhines at the Peachtree 10K in 36:44 and a few weeks ago ran a 10K in Bowling Green KY  in 36:10. Late-breaking update: Jennifer Stuber has just entered for Playmakers Elite. She ran 35:54 in the Big Ten 10K in Chicago in July. That makes her a real threat.

Age Group Competition. There is terrific competition in just about every age group. In my preview I typically only mention 3 or at most 4 runners but usually there are several extremely talented runners who are just off the pace of those mentioned. I love it when they excel and upset my predictions! Hats off to all who compete!

Women.

40-44. Sonja Friend-Uhl (Atlanta Track Club) will take on the defending champion, Perry Shoemaker. Shoemaker is from Viennna VA so this is on her home pavement. Shoemaker took the age group and overall Masters crown last year in 42:54 and her recent outings suggest she will be a formidable opponent for Friend-Uhl. She won the Army 10 Miler in October in 57:31 and ran a 10K 2 weeks ago in 35:29. Friend-Uhl took the Medical Center 10K in Bowling Green Kentucky in mid-October in 36:10 and is the 2015 800M, 1500M, and 5000M Masters Champ on the track. And she displayed her staying power with a 1:21:06 in the Naples Half Marathon in January. Brenda Hodge (Pike Creek Valley Running Club) and Alice Kassens should have quite a battle for 3rd. Hodge ran 1:25:29 at the Akron Half Marathon in September while Kassens recorded a 1:26:42 at the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon earlier in the year. [Late-breaking update on Jennifer Stuber-see above--Stuber should challenge for the podium.] 1-Shoemaker, 2-Friend-Uhl, 3-Stuber.

45-49. Cassandra Henkiel is the favorite at this point. She won the overall Masters title at the USATF 8K in Brea in February and took her age group in the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse.

Cassandra Henkiel after a great run at the 2015 USATF 5K in Syracuse [photo: Bob Brock]

Audra Naujokas-Knapp, who finished 2nd in 51:08 last year is another late entrant and should take 2nd again. At this point, two runners from the Philadelphia Masters team are entered, Linda Kelnock and Kristine Longshore, Although neither would consider themselves an elite Masters runner, if there are no other entries, I would pick Kelnock for 3rd and Longshore for 4th. 1-Henkiel, 2-Naujokas-Knapp, 3-Kelnock.

50-54. Alisa Harvey is the defending 45-49 champion in a scorching 47:47. This is her first year in the 50-54 group and she is the favorite. In early October she took the Army 10 Miler crown for her new age group in 1:04:37 so she seems ready to roll. Lorraine Jasper who took 2nd at the Syracuse 5K in 19:53 will have to contend with a newcomer, Darcy Strouse, who took 1st in the National Senior Games 5K run in 19:31 and finished 2nd in the 10K in 41:01. 1-Harvey, 2-Strouse, 3-Jasper.

55-59. Last year this group belonged to Hall of Famer Joan Benoit Samuelson who lowered the age group record by nearly two minutes to 46:27 in finishing 3rd overall in the Masters competition. As of now she is not entered. But we have another Hall of Famer who is, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso.  She took first in this age group at the USATF 5K championships in 19:14. It appears this will be her

Carmen Ayala-Troncoso,helping her Team Rogue to a First Place Finish at the 2014 USATF Club Cross Country Championships [Photo: Michael Scott]

longest race since she ran a 10 miler in 2013 but she should have no trouble claiming the crown and will likely be up among the age-grading leaders as well. Diane Rothman and Julie Hayden could be driving toward the finish line in step. Hayden ran a 21:11 5K on November 5th. Rothman's best recent 5K is a 21:47 in June. But she also ran a 37:34 5 Miler in May. Colleen Magnussen could also factor in; she took 2nd in the USATF 5K in 21:59. Kathy Haubrich is a wild card. She apparently has not raced since 2012 but she did run 37:47 in the USATF 8K championships that year in Williamsburg VA. 1-Ayala-Troncoso, 2- Hayden, 3-Magnussen.

60-64. Kathy Martin is the hands down favorite in this group; the only questions are whether she will lower her own age group record of 48:54 and whether she will break the 100% barrier in age-grading. Apparently any time under 49:33 will do it for the swift 64-year old.* Last year Coreen Steinbach finished 2nd to Martin in this race in 55:56. Recently she finished 2nd to Martin at the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse, running a 22:01. That's pretty fancy stepping and no shame to lose to a Hall of Famer.  Unfortunately for Steinbach, Elizabeth Cooney has moved up from the 55-59 group. Last year she took 2nd here for that group in 52:59. Earlier this year she took 2nd in the 55-59 group at the USATF 10K Championships in Dedham MA in 44:50. And she demonstrated good staying power with a 1:40:05 at the BAA Half Marathon in mid-October. Late entry Sharon Moore should factor in as well. 1-Martin, 2-Cooney, 3-Steinbach.
 
65-69. Sabra Harvey should take this group by several minutes and set an age group record. She needs 55:19 for the record and a 51:00 for a 100% age-grade score.* Edie Stevenson should be a good bet for 2nd. She won the age group in Syracuse with a 21:34 time in Harvey's absence, and took 2nd in the 60-69 division at the Bolder Boulder (10K) in 47:15. Erika Campbell finished 2nd to Stevenson in Syracuse in 22:34 and that is good enough for me to pick her for 3rd. She has not run a distance this long this year but she ran a couple of 10Ks in the mid 40's in 2014. 1-Harvey, 2-Stevenson, 3-Campbell.

75-79. Defending champion, Heide Moebius, who won last year with a 1:05:01, will try to make it 3 in a row at Alexandria. She has a strong rival in Margaret Hoey but Moebius should get her 'hat trick.' Hoey completed a 5-mile run in 53:21 on October 25th and a 10K in 1:05:44 on November 1st so she is ready to roll. 1-Moebius, 2-Hoey.

Heide Moebius, with Husband, Richard, after breaking 70-74 record at Toronto Half Marathon in Fall 2010 [photo from:http://lancasteronline.com/sports. Story on April 17 2011.

Men.
40-44. Michael Wardian is the defending champion in 38:24. Earlier that fall he finished 2nd in the USATF Masters Marathon Championships in the Twin Cities. This year he has run at least 9 marathons, 1 ultra-marathon and 1 50K race. He ran 2:27:20 at the Boston Marathon on April 20th and 1 week later finished 2nd overall in the Big Sur International Marathon in 2:33:04.  He ran a Marathon on October 10th but given his record this year, may have gotten bored in between and run one even more recently. If his legs are at all heavy, he will get plenty of competition from Philippe Rolly who ran 16:10 at the USATF 5K Championships and Thomas Carroll who ran a 16:13 5K in August and, more recently finished 2nd in the 40-49 division at the CVS Downtown 5K in 16:40.  1-Wardian, 2-Rolly, 3-Carroll.

45-49. Kristian Blaich is clearly the favorite with a 15:51 at the 2015 USATF 5K Championships and a 33:22 Masters win at the USATF 10K Championships but it is fair to note that this is a chalenging distance for him. For the most part he stays within his strongest distances, 5K to 10K. Nonetheless he should take this group. And it could be 1-2 for the Atlanta Track Club. Matthew Whitis ran a 16:46 5K at Syracuse, a 37:25 at the Peachtree 10K, and showed his tenacity with a 59:18 on a tough, hilly 15K at Tulsa. Whitis could be pressed by Doug Mock who ran a 17:49 5K on Oct 24 but a 16:55 5K in May. 1-Blaich, 2-Whitis, 3-Mock.

50-54. Eric Stuber is the defending champion, winning last year in 41:04.  Ruben Henderson who finished 2nd in 42:37, and Jeff Haertel who took 3rd in 43:03 are also back to try for the podium. Francis Burdett and Daniel Dixon who were not here last year, will try to contest the issue.

Ruben Henderson, Playmakers Elite/New Balance warming up at the 2015 USATF 15K at Tulsa [photo: Float Media Productions]

 Burdett was winning everything in sight in the first quarter of the year, taking the age group crown at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder CO and winning at the USATF 8K in Brea CA in 26:50. Whether due to injury or just burn-out he finished 6th at the USATF 10K championships in 38:29. More recently he seems to be racing himself back into contention. He ran a gutsy 54:24 in the USATF 15K in Tulsa, hanging tight onto a faster runner for the first 10K and then gritting his teeth to finish off the 2nd place effort. Dixon ran a 5:09 at the USATF 1 Mile Championships and took 3rd in the age group at the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse with a sterling 16:51. Stuber has shown his speed at the 1 mile championships, running a 4:59, but has been running in longer races mostly. His most recent effort was a nifty 1:15:57 at the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon on October 17th. Henderson finished in a dead heat with Stuber at the 1 mile championships so his leg speed is good. He worked on his endurance, running a 1:18:13 in the Columbus Half Marathon on October 18, turning around to run a 57:04 15K on the tough Tulsa course on October 31st. Haertel ran a 1:22:35 half marathon on October 25th. Other contenders include Jean-Christophe Arcaz who finished 4th last year in 43:47. Mike Nier of the Genesee Valley Harriers is a late entry who will definitely contend. He took 2nd in the age group at the USATF 5K this year in 16:39 behind Nat Larson who is skipping this race 1-Stuber, 2- Nier, 3-Burdett.

55-59 This is another tightly contested group. Ken Youngers is the defending champion, winning last year in 42:46. A newcomer successfully challenged Youngers in the 2015 USATF 5K championships, however. Dave Bussard took 1st in 16:55. Youngers struggled home in 17:33 but I learned after the fact that he was recovering from a hamstring issue. Youngers won his age group in a 10 mile run on October 25th in 1:01:59; that is nearly 3 minutes faster than he ran last year as a tune-up for his victory in this 12K. So Youngers should offer more competition to Bussard in this race. But there is another wrinkle. Also in the field for the first time is Thomas 'Tom' Dever who has been having a heck of a racing year. He finished 4th in the USATF Half Marathon Championship in San Diego this past May in 1:17:12 and took his age group in the USATF Marathon Championships in early October in 2:49:46. And just to show that he has recovered his speed, he jumped into a 5k last weekend and took his age group in 16:55. This one's a killer to pick; a good argument could be made for reach one of them to win it. 1-Bussard, 2-Dever, 3-Youngers.

60-64 This and the 50-54 group have the most entries at 20 each. Like that group this one is also packed with talent. The defending champion, Tom McCormack is still out with injuries. But the runner who finished 2nd in 44:16 in that race, Rick Becker, is entered. Becker was beaten by over a minute in that race but to his credit, Becker trained harder and came back at the USATF 8K Championships in February and beat McCormack at the tape. I thought it was a great beginning to a year where we would see these two great champions going toe to toe at a series of races. But it was not to be. McCormack sustained an injury shortly thereafter and despite an apparent recovery in mid-summer suffered another setback that has kept him out for the remainder of the year. And Becker, whether from injury or other reason, has also been absent from the roads. The only race result I can find is for mid-August; he ran a 10K in his native state of Washington in 35:55, the first runner in over the age of 46. And then no races between then and now so he is a bit of a mystery. There are 4 other runners who deserve special mention. Tom Bernhard lost to Becker in February in the USATF 8K but has beaten all comers in the USATF 1 Mile, 5K and 15K championships this fall.

Tom Bernhard capturing the National Championship for men 60-64 at the 2015 USATF 5K in Syracuse [Photo: Bob Brock]

Doug Bell, Reno Stirrat, and John Victoria have been chasing Bernhard in those wins and are hoping this is the race where things come out differently. In the 5K at Syracuse, Bernhard ran a remarkable 17:36 to take the crown by nearly a half minute with Victoria, Stirrat, and Bell finishing in that order. Bernhard and Victoria locked horns again in the 15K at Tulsa with Victoria determined to stick with Bernhard if at all possible. He was 3 seconds back at the 5K and the 10K before Bernhard finally pulled away to win by 25 seconds. One can never count out Hall of Famer Bell nor the remarkable all around runner from NJ, Stirrat. They will press the pace early and can close late if anyone falters. 1-Becker, 2-Bernhard, 3-Victoria [Come back to check other entrants]

65-69 The defending champion and 2014 Age Group Runner of the Year, Lloyd.Hansen, who won last year in 47:36, should take the division with no trouble. Hansen has not been running quite as fast this year and was upset by Ignacio Jimenez in two early events. This fall, however, Hansen has won the USATF 5K and 15K championship in 18:59 and 1:01:51 respectively.  Jerry Learned finished 3rd last year in 52:08 and appears to be set to run a similar time this year; that should net him 2nd place. Learned ran a 20:55 at the USATF 5K and a 1:10:25 at the USATF 15K so he appears, if anything, to be in better condition this year than last when he had some hamstring issues. I will go with the RRCA mogul, Mitchell 'Mitch' Garner to take the 3rd spot on the podium. Garner ran a 24:36 5K at Syracuse and recently completed a 52:34 10K at the Marine Corps Marathon. Late entry Tony Gingello, who finished just ahead of Learned at Syracuse, should challenge for 2nd and may well push Garner off the podium.

70-74 Doug Goodhue returns as the defending champion. last year's 2nd and 3rd place finishers, Przemyslaw Nowicki and Monte Piliawsky also are entered this year. Last year Goodhue broke the 70-74 record for 12K running 48:38, a truly remarkable achievement, but only one of many for the 'Silver Bullet' from Michigan. Nine-times the Age-Group Runner of the Year, including the last 8 years in succession, Goodhue has been unbeatable when not injured and has shown a remarkable ability to come back quickly from injuries. This has been a more difficult year for Goodhue than most but he is aiming to finish up with a bang. Sidelined for the first half of the year, Goodhue came back to win the age group at the USATF 1 Mile Run in Flint Michigan and the 5K in Syracuse. A little less than his usual speed, perhaps, but enough to get the job done with time to spare. He won the mile in 5:55 with 11 seconds to spare. His 20:06 5K at Syracuse was 24 seconds slower than his 2014 time but he still took the age group by more than a minute. A doubt arises from his decision to skip the USATF 15K in Tulsa. But most likely that just means he will be re-loaded and ready to go. In the meantime the 2nd and 3rd places are likely to involve the same two runners who traded the lead in the 15K two weeks ago and wound up only 4 seconds apart, Przemyslaw Nowicki and Paul Carlin (yours truly). Nowicki won silver last year at this 12K in 55:50, took 2nd at the 5K in Syracuse this year in 21:13 while Carlin, in the final stages (I hope) of rehabbing a hamstring was back in 21:45. At the 15K in Tulsa, things were closer with Nowicki taking gold in 1:10:54 and Carliin silver in 1:10:58. No doubt they will lock horns again and keep some pressure on Goodhue. Piliawsky who ran only 20 seconds slower than Nowicki last year in the 12K, is coming back from an injury as well. His USATF 5K time this year was 23:33, 45 seconds slower than last year. Presumably he will be closer to his usual fitness for this race. It would be a mistake to count him out of the medals. He is a tough competitor and will be running for team as well as an individual place. Another runner who may factor is Edward Smith who is coming back to USATF events as part of the Shore AC team after an absence of a few years. Hwe won the USATF 5K 70-74 championship in 2012 and came in a few seconds behind Nowicki (in 65-69 then) and about 2 minutes behind Goodhue. If he is close to that level of fitness now, Smith could be a factor as well. 1-Goodhue, 2-Nowicki, 3-Carlin.

75-79 Last year this age group was uncontested. It is a mark of its growing reputation that a number of classy runners have shown up this year to compete for the 75-79 championship. There is likely to be a classic battle for gold between the steady Shore AC veteran, Roland Cormier and Potomac Valley's John Elliott. Cormier just rolls along from one USATF championship to the next. He took 2nd in the USATF 8K at Brea in 41:38, 2nd at the 10K at Dedham in 49:48, 3rd at Syracuse in 23:57, and even made the trip to Tulsa where he took 2nd in 1:23:18. Elliott has been more selective although he missed Syracuse justt because of family responsibilities with the threat of Hurricane Joaquin. Nonetheless he ran a 52:53 10K earlier in the year, a 24:27 5K on September 19th, and took 2nd in his age group for the USATF 5K Cross Country race at Saratoga Springs in 24:12. Cormier had a terrific battle with Fay Bradley at the 15k, just losing out by 7 seconds. it looks like he may have another such battle this weekend. I am sure he hopes this one will have him coming out on top. It looks like Harlan van Blaricum should take third place. I am not sure if he has ben nicked up or jus tbusy with other atters. The only race he has run this year appears to be the USATF 1 Mile Championship at Flint MI where he ran 8:20. But he ran 7:45 in the same race in 2014 and ran 15K in 1:28:52. 1-Cormier, 2-Elliott, 3-van Blaricum.

80-84. Lawrence Dickerson of the Potomac Valley Club is the sole entry at present in this division.


*Age-grading anomalies. For those who are wondering, the current 12K record for women 65-69 can be termed a 'soft' record. Age-Grading tables rely heavily on 5K, 10K and Marathon races run by huge numbers or runners of all ages. In general a 100% age-grading score is roughly equivalent to a world record effort, but in races like 12K that are not run very often, especially by older runners, if a record is 'soft' (relative to the same age group records for other distances) it is likely that the statistical procedures curve will set the 100% age grade above the current record, to be in line with other distance records for the same age. By the same token, a 64 year old runner doesn't have to set an age group record (60-64) in order to score 100% or better because 60 year-olds, or 61 year-olds, are typically the runners who set the 5-year age group records. A single-age record for 64-year olds is likely slower than the 5-year age group record.] 

USATF 15K Championships-A Hilly Challenge in Tulsa OK

November 7 2015. The Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run hosted their 3rd USATF 15K Masters Championships  on the 31^st of October. Batman was taking the photos and there were lots of witches and zombies in the Open Race. But the USATF Masters runners had their running kit and their game faces on. They were focused on the competition and the challenging race course, gaining renown for its many hills. Before 2014 the course was aptly described as flat and fast. Then Tulsa decided to redevelop its riverside and the course was rerouted. There is now a very steep, long  climb at the 1.5K mark and then another  slightly shorter one at 7K. Finally you encounter the steepest hill at 13K, luckily not as long as the earlier ones. But the weather was nearly ideal. Rainy the day before, it ended around dawn and the skies were overcast with mid 50 degree temps and a slight wind. The runners found that the wind intensified during the race however and blew pretty strongly into runners as they approached the bridge back over the Arkansas River 12K into the race. Unless you had saved something, that stretch was pretty tough.

Overall Masters Championships.

Start of the USATF 15K Championship at the Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Men.Timothy Martin (New Salem IN) is new to USATF championships but did not let that phase him as he pulled away from the field up the first big hill. Martin was an unknown quantity; this was his first USATF Masters Championship and he entered at the Expo just the day before. The top runners from the Cal Coast Track Club, John Gardiner (Rancho Santa Margarita CA)and Christian ‘Cush’ Cushing-Murray (Santa Ana CA) were in hot pursuit, wondering if this unknown guy was the real deal or not.  Martin was definitely for real, building his lead steadily from 30 seconds at 5K to almost a minute at 10K and cruised in with a 70 second win, on a very tough course in 49:43.   

Tim Martin claims the overall victory at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

 John Gardiner, a seasoned USATF veteran and frequent podium finisher, took 2^nd in 50:53. His teammate, ‘Cush’, hung with Gardiner as long as he could, with both hitting 5K at 16:46. 

John Gardiner, 2nd across the finish line at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Gardiner gradually pulled away over the next 5K but Cush hung strong and took 3^rd in 51:31, denying the talented Sooner runner, Jason Butler, (Oklahoma City OK) a podium finish. In my preview, of the runners who actually made the trip to Tulsa, I had Gardiner, Butler, and Cushing-Murray in that order. But noted that Butler might have heavy legs from the USATF Marathon Championship 4 weeks earlier. Although Martin is relatively unknown in Masters circle there was some speculation that he may be one of the Martin twins, Theo and Tim Martin, who dominated Arizona High school running in the early 1990's.

Women. Deborah Torneden  (Manhattan KS) took 1^st place on the women’s side. This is the 3^rd time this year a woman from the 50-54 group has been the overall winner at a USATF Masters Championship Road Race. Torneden  improved on her 2014 3^rd place time in this race by nearly 5 minutes to win handily in 1:01:34.  

Deborah Torneden heading toward the finish line as First Masters Finisher at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Elena Shemyakina (Geneva IL)  and Janice Rempe (Roswell GA) finished in 2^nd and 3^rd respectively in 1:04:26 and 1:04:43. Rempe hung tough with Torneden for the first 5K, as they passed the 5K mark in 20:30 and 20:32. 

Elena Shemyakina with her trophy for 2nd Place overall at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

But Rempe paid the price as Shemyakina closed to within a second at the 10K mark and moved past shortly after to build the 17 second gap.

Janice Rempe, striding out before the race starts at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Age Grade Championship. Few thought anyone would crack the 90% age grading barrier, much less 95.  But that is exactly what Sabra Harvey (Houston TX), 66, did. Harvey finally recovered from a freak ankle injury that kept her out of competition and limited her training in the first half of the year. Harvey scored a 96.06% and was the only runner to break the 90% barrier.

Sabra Harvey collecting one of her medals at the awards ceremony at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Paul Carlin/runningprof.com]

She crushed it with a very even pace, 22:17 for the first 5K followed by 22:19 for the 2^nd 5K, and a tick slower at 22:36 for the final 5K. Debra Torneden, 54, scored the 2^nd best age grade on the women’s side at 89.07%;  

Deborah Torneden with two of her awards at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Honor Fetherston (Los gatos CA), 60, cruised in with an 87.72%. There was no one as dominant as Harvey on the men’s side but the age-grading was much closer. In fact 1^st and 2^nd was decided by a few hundredths of a percent. Tom Bernhard (Castro Valley CA), 64, claimed his 2^nd straight USATF age grade championship on the roads with 87.77%.  

Tom Bernhard accepting one of his awards from Marian Lein at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Nat Larson (Amherst MA), 53, took 2^nd with 87.74 and Cushing-Murray, 48, took 3^rd with 87.45. Unlike Harvey, Bernhard ran a negative split for the first two-thirds of the race, hitting the 5K mark in 19:30 and covering the 2^nd 5K in 18:40. When he hit the headwind at 12K, Bernhard had to draw on his strength to close out with a last 20:09 5K.

Age Grade Elite Performance Medals. In addition to the top age-grading performers described above, the individuals listed below were awarded Elite Performance Medals for age grading at or above 80% on this very challenging course. They are listed from high to low score. Because there are no course difficulty adjustments, it was not easy to earn the medal. These individuals ran great races on a challenging course--Well done!

Women. Elena Shemyakina, Andriette Wickstrom, Mary Sweeney, Janice Rempe.
Men. Lloyd Hansen, Timothy Martin, Rob Arsenault, John Gardiner, Matt Ebiner, John Victoria, Dave Bussard, Francis Burdett, Ron Zywicki, Craig Gunby, William Moore, Jason Butler, Antonio Arreola, Mark Rybinski, Ruben Henderson, Robert Garcia, Devin Croft, Peter Mullin, Bruce Kirschner.

Age Group Champions.   

Men.

M40. Tim Martin, 1^st in 49:43, and John Gardiner, 2^nd in 50:53, were joined on the podium by Jason Butler. His 51:58 ensured Butler his third consecutive top-3 M40 finish at this race.  Butler was only 6 seconds back of Gardiner at the 5K but Gardiner pulled away steadily after that. 1-Martin, 2-Gardiner, 3-Butler.

M45. Cushing-Murray, 1^st in 51:31 was joined on the podium by his teammate, Rob Arsenault (Riverside CA), who took 2^nd in 53:20 with Matthew Whitis (Columbus GA) 3^rd in 59:18. 

Matthew Whitis (left) and Tom Bernhard (right) charging for the finish line and sub-60 times! At the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Cushing-Murray's 5K splits were 16:46, 17:34, and 17:21. Once again, Cushing-Murray demonstrated his staying power, adding this to his impressive performance at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in late May in San Diego. 

Christian Cushing-Murray driving toward the finish line at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

 He walked away with two first places (M45 and M40+ Team) and two thirds (overall and age-grade)--Quite a haul! 1-Cushing-Murray, 2-Arsenault, 3-Whitis.

  

M50.  Nat Larson, who finished 2^nd in age grading, ran 1-2 with his Greater Springfield Harrier teammate, Francis Burdett (Worcester MA), for the first 10K, both hitting the 5K in 17:29 and the 10K in 35:19. Larson pulled away in the last 5K to win in 53:36 with Burdett 2^nd in 54:12.  

Francis Burdett approaching the finish line and a well-earned medal at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Matt Ebiner (Covina CA) claimed 3^rd in 55:28. 1-Larson, 2-Burdett, 3-Ebiner.

  

M55. This group was Dave Bussard’s (Elkhart IN) all the way, with a 20 second lead at the 5K which he built up through the race to win by a minute and a half in 56:34.  His 5K splits were 18:32, 18:34, and 19:28.

Dave Bussard showing how to finish With a kick at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Antonio Arreola (San Jose CA) also ran strong, stringing together  18:53, 19:14 and 20:02 5K splits for 58:09. Gary Radford (Cicero NY) finished 3^rd in 1:03:43. 1-Bussard, 2-Arreola, 3-Radford.

  

M60. With Tom Bernhard claiming the age grading crown, one might think he ran away with this age group. In fact, John Victoria (Colorado Springs CO), the terrific runner for the Boulder Road Runners came with the idea of sticking to Bernhard for as long as he could. At the 5K Championships in Syracuse, Bernhard had beaten Victoria by 27 seconds. Victoria was determined to make it closer. They hit the 5K mark at 19:30 and 19:33; the 10K mark at 39:10 and 39:13. Gradually, however, Bernhard pulled away over the last 5K to claim the win, 59:19 to 59:44. Quite a battle!  

John Victoria (L) and Tom Bernhard (R) at the awards ceremony at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Mark Rybinski (Manlius NY) was just off their pace, finishing 3^rd in 1:00:42.  1-Bernhard, 2-Victoria, 3-Rybinski.

M65. Lloyd Hansen (Salt Lake City UT), the M65 Runner of the Year, did run away and hide in this one, finishing 1^st in 1:01:51. His 5K splits were 20:31, 20:27, and 20:53.

Lloyd Hansen charges Across the finish line for the M65 first place at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

 Jerry Learned (Gainesville GA), originally from northern Vermont finished 2^nd in 1:10:25 to keep himself well up in the race for top 3 in the M65 Individual Grand Prix. 1-Hansen, 2-Learned. 

M70. This category had, arguably, the most competitive race of the day, with 4 lead changes. Przemyslaw Nowicki (Holmdel NJ) took off when the gun sounded but Paul Carlin (Indianapolis IN) caught and passed him at the 2K mark as they both charged up the first steep hill. By the 5K mark, Carlin had built a 15 second lead, hitting it in 23:01. But Nowicki battled back and passed Carlin just after the 4 mile mark. Now it was Nowicki's turn to pull far away as they toiled up the 2nd big hill. By the 10K mark, Nowicki had nearly 30 seconds on Carlin hitting it in 46:42. It seemed too much of a lead to hope that Carlin could close the gap. But that is what happened. perhaps helped by the headwind, Carlin finally caught and charged past Nowicki with about 500 meters to go. Was Nowicki spent or had he saved something? Nowicki has shown in the last few weeks that he is a real battler and here again he dug deep, found another gear and stormed past Carlin with about 200 meters to go and that was it. Carlin had no more answers. Nowicki prevailed, crossing the finish line in 1:10:54, a mere 4 seconds ahead of Carlin who finished 2nd in 1:10:58.  

Paul Carlin (L) warming up before the race at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

David Cohen (Ann Arbor MI) placed 3^rd in 1:18:05. 1-Nowicki, 2-Carlin, 3-D. Cohen

  

M75. It is a tribute to the competitiveness of USATF Masters LDR from the 40's to the 70's that the two oldest age groups contributed the two closest races of the day. Roland Cormier (Jackson NJ) strode out smartly, with Fay Bradley marking his time. Cormier hit the 5K in 28:53 with just over a minute's lead. Thereafter Bradley started chipping away. By the 10K mark, Cormier's lead was down to 5 seconds, 56:13 to 56:18. Bradley continued to chip away until they were even. In the end, Bradley had just a little more left than Cormier as Bradley took the M75 crown by 7 seconds in 1:23:11--Wow! 1-Bradley, 2-Cormier.

Women.

W40. Heather Meehan (Tulsa OK) won this group with a time of 1:17:10. 

W45. Stacy Shaw (Elkhorn NE) placed first in 1:09:34. Melauna Wescott (Yukon OK) was 2^nd in 1:53:10. 1-Shaw, 2-Wescott.

W50. Deborah Torneden took  1^st in 1:01:34, with  Janice Rempe, 2^nd in 1:04:43, and Julie Donelson (Tulsa OK) 3^rd in 1:06:42. 1-Torneden, 2-Rempe, 3-Donelson.

W55. Elena Shemyakina won in 1:04:26; Mary Sweeney (Atlanta GA) ran a strong 2^nd in 1:05:47. Shemyakina's 5K splits were 20:53, 21:13, and 22:20. 1-Shemyakina, 2- Sweeney.

  

W60. Honor Fetherston and Andriette Wickstrom (Storm Lake IA) ran a terrific, competitive race, the tightest on the women's side. Wickstrom hit 5K in 21:47 with Fetherston over half a minute back.  By the 10K Fetherston had closed to within 21 seconds in 44:59. From there Fetherston was able to pass and hold the lead to win in 1:07:36 to Wickstrom’s 1:08:07. 1-Fetherston, 2- Wickstrom. 

W65. Sabra Harvey ran solo and won the race in 1:07:12. As Don Lein put it at the Awards Ceremony, Harvey is a  nonpareil anyway. Perhaps it is fitting that as she has no peers, she had no challengers.

  

W70. Judy Bomer (Tulsa OK) placed 1^st in this group in 1:30:03.

Team Championships. 

 [Reminder: Team contests on the roads are determined by the cumulative times, not places, of the first 3 runners to finish.]

Women. 50+: The Atlanta Track Club took the Women’s 50+ division, unopposed, with a 3:22:52 cumulative time). Janice Rempe led the way but had able support from Mary Sweeney and Barbara Chandler (Newnan GA).

Men. 40+: The Cal Coast Track Club (Southern Cal) took the 40+ division hands down. With John Gardiner and Christian Cushing-Murray coming in under 52 minutes, their two teammates, Rob Arsenault and Matt Ebiner would have had to lose their way on the course. 

Cal Coast Track Club celebrating their M40+ Team Championship with Rob Arsenault (L), John Gardiner (C), and Christian Cushing-Murray (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

 Naturally that did not happen and Cal Coast won by nearly 15 minutes.There was a real battle for 2nd however. Jason Butler led the way for the OK Runner Elite team and the Atlanta Track Club tried to counter with superior depth. Butler, who finished 4th overall, hit the 5K mark in 16:52, 47 seconds ahead of ATC's 1st runner, Victor Breedveld (Atlanta GA). But ATC's 2nd and 3rd runners, Brad Slavens (Atlanta GA)and Matthew Whitis, were past the 5K before OK's 2nd and 3rd runners, Joseph Mitro (Mustang OK), and Jason Hatfield (Piedmont OK). . At that point ATC was a little over a minute ahead. Things had not changed much overall by the 10K split. Admittedly Butler now had nearly a minute and a half over Breedveld but Slavens had nearly 2 minutes on Mitro with Whitis leading Hatfield by 24 seconds. But Butler was too strong over the last 5K, stretching his leading time from a minute and a half to over 3 minutes and it was just too much. All of the other runners hung tough and had great performances but Butler made the difference as OK prevailed over ATC in the end by a mere 30 seconds. What a great contest! 1-Cal Coast Track Club 2:35:43, 2-OK Runners Elite 2:50:26, 3- Atlanta Track Club 2:50:56.

The Atlanta Track Club celebrate their M40+ Team Third Place Finish with Matthew Whitis (L), Brad Slavens (C) and Victor Breedveld (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

50+: The Playmakers Elite/New Balance team (Lansing MI) took this contest unopposed in 2:50:11. But Playmakers came ready for anything. And with their usual tight finish it is unlikely any other team could have headed them. Ron Zywicki (Traverse City MI) and Dave Bussard came in together in 56:34 and Ruben Henderson (Grand Rapids MI) was only 30 seconds back.

The Playmakers Elite/New Balance M50+ Team Display Their 1st Place Team Plaque with Dave Bussard (L), Ruben Henderson (C), and Ron Zywicki (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

60+:  The Boulder Road Runners had the stronger team today. John Victoria led the way but Devin Croft (Littleton CO) and Bruce Kirschner (Louisville CO) stayed ahead of their counterparts on the 2nd place team,the Genesee Valley Harriers (NY). Mark Rybinski, Tim McMullen, and Bill Beyerbach  ran strong races but Boulder had what it took today. Croft and Kirschner did a great job of sticking together during the race Croft hit 5K  in 20:55 with Kirshcner on his shoulder. Kirschner struggled a bit over the 2nd 5k but still kept within 3 seconds of Croft. In the end only 5 seconds separated them. That gave Boulder a 5 minute gap over GVH at the end. Even though they did not get the win, GVH captured valuable points toward the Club Grand Prix championship. 1-Boulder Road Runners 3:07:06, 2-Genesee Valley Harriers 3:12:25 . 

The Boulder Road Runners display their 1st Place M60+ Plaque with Bruce Kirschner (L), Devin Croft (C), and John Victoria (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

70+: The Shore Athletic Club and the Ann Arbor Track Club have had many memorable battles in this age division but not today. The two top runners for Ann Arbor, Doug Goodhue and Monte Piliawsky were nicked up and did not come to Tulsa. So Shore AC went home with a dominating win and the Ann Arbor TC [David Cohen, Phillip Kroll, and Malcolm Cohen (all of Ann Arbor MI)], was happy to go home with 2nd place points towards the Club Grand Prix. Przemyslaw Nowicki led the way for Shore AC but J.L. Seymore (Somerset NJ) and Roland Cormier were also finishing well ahead of their Ann Arbor counterparts. 1-Shore AC 3:53:16, 2-Ann Arbor TC 4:24:44.

Shore AC displays their 1st Place M70+ team plaque with Przemyslaw Nowicki (L), J.L. Seymore (C), and Roland Cormier (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com]

Mythical Team Age-Grade Championship. This is my attempt to see which team can assemble the strongest age-grade team across all ages. The cumulative places of the top 3 in the age-grading tables from each team are added up to get the Team Age-Grade score. In this case not only was the 40+ team of Cal Coast the fastest overall they also had the best age-grading. In fact,

Women. Literally no contest. The Atlanta Track Club 40+ wins it with Mary Sweeney 84.42 (6), Janice Rempe 83.69 (7), Barbara Chandler 73.91 (13). 26

Men. 
Cal Coast 40+ runs away with this prize even more than they did the 40+ team prize. Among those who participated on complete teams, they had the 4 best age-grading scores. Christian Cushing-Murray 87.45 (3), Rob Arsenault 85.2 (6), John Gardiner 84.97 (7).  16

Playmakers Elite/New Balance 50+ takes a strong 2nd in this category. Dave Bussard 84.63 (10), Ron Zywicki 83.88 (12), Ruben Henderson 82.41 (18).  40

Boulder Road Runners 60+ comes in 3rd by a comfortable margin.  John Victoria 84.69 (9), Devin Croft 80.23 (20), Bruce Kirschner 80.13 (22).  51 

Race Host. USATF and teh Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run continue to enjoy their partnership. Heath Aucoin, Race Director, explains “We feel that we are hitting our stride after three years of coordinating the run under the Sports Commission umbrella.  Our main focus is runner experience so we have invested heavily in medals, shirts, water, post-race food, and Expo efficiency.  Our goal is to celebrate the history of the run, but bring in the modern touches that are becoming necessary to stay competitive in the endurance running space.  The race turns 40 in 2017 and we are already planning events that will celebrate Oklahoma’s most historic run.” 

The Run expects to return to its historic flat, fast course in 2017 after Tulsa’s major riverside redevelopment is finished. If you are a Masters runner who relishes a challenge, be sure to run Tulsa in 2016!