Recap of USATF 5K Masters Championships-Overall and Age-Grading Contests

October 8 2016. It was a perfect day for fast running at the USATF Masters 5K Road Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races on Sunday October 2nd. After struggling with injuries over the last two years, Kevin Castille is finally back close to the top of his form. Castille went out right from the start and quickly established a gap over the other Masters Athletes. The only runner who could  compete with Castille was 22 year old Omar Boulama who was able to pull away from Castille in the last half mile to win the Open portion of the race in 14:42. Castille is the only Masters Athlete I know, apart from Bernard Lagat and Meb Keflezighi, who can regularly break 15:00 for a 5K. His kilometer splits were: 2:53, 2:53, 3:07, 2:57,and 2:56. He hit the first mile in 4:44, precision pacing for a 44 year old, and crossed the mat at the halfway point in 7:21.

Kevin Castille [401] running stride for stride with the Open Leader with a 20 second gap on the Masters field at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo Credit:Christopher Patruno/PatrunoElectric@aol.com]

There was not much of a slowdown after that as Castille cruised across the finish line in 14:46! The race for the other podium spots was much tighter. Cal Coast's John Gardiner, winner of the Masters1 Mile Road Championship a month earlier, and David Angell, celebrating his 40th birthday with his first national championship race as a Master, led a pack as they settled in a few meters back from Castille. 
 

John Gardiner has a couple of strides on David Angell just after the 2K mark at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo Credit::Gavin Liddell]

Others in the pack included the Atlanta Track Club's Aaron Totten-Lancaster and Kristian Blaich, as well as Central Mass Striders Greg Putnam and Tim Van Orden, along with Mark Andrews, winner of the Masters 10K Championship in April.  

Mark Andrews leading Craig Greenslit  at the 2K mark of the 2016 USATF 5K Championship [Photo Credit: Gavin Liddell]

Craig Greenslit, down from the Rocky Mountains, and Christopher Shaw, Jr. were also right there. 

Kristian Blaich, Tim Van Orden, and Greg Putnam [r to l] stride past the 2K sign with Age-Grading Aces Carl Combs (orange) and Nat Larson a stride behind Putnam at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo Credit: Gavin Liddell]

Gardiner hit the turn around and crossed the half way mat in 7:27 with Angell a second behind and the rest in a chase pack 15 seconds back. As they headed into the final kilometer, Gardiner pulled away, claiming the Silver Medal in 15:13, with Angell 7 seconds back and a National Championship Bronze medal for the birthday cake.

The Masters Women's Championship was competitive up front as local phenom, Sascha Scott, led out the field, with the Pacific Northwest's Janet McDevitt,a few strides back, closely followed by Sonja Friend-Uhl, Marisa Sutera Strange, and Fiona Bayly.

Sascha Scott, leading the Women's Open Winner 9#1) with Janet McDevitt (orange singlet) leading the chase pack at the USATF 5K Masters Championships [Photo Credit: Gavin Liddell]

The runners swing a 180 degree turn at Euclid Avenue onto the other side of Meadowbrook Drive and after 50 meters or so pass over the halfway mat. By that point McDevitt had pulled even with Scott and had a very slight edge, although both were recorded at 8:45. Despite this being only her second race back since being out 4 months with an injury, Friend-Uhl was only 3 seconds back, followed with Strange and Bayly right on her heels. Holly Ortlund was now only 4 seconds back from Bayly.

Janet McDevitt with Sascha Scott on her shoulder, followed by Fiona Bayly (413) and Marisa Sutera Strange (453) and Sonja Friend-Uhl out of the picture to the left-at the USATF 5K Masters Championships [Photo Credit: Christopher Patruno/PatrunoElectric@aol.com]

From there the gap just got a little bit bigger. as McDevitt pulled away from Scott at the end, edging her by 4 seconds in 17:41. Friend-Uhl, as usual, closed strongly to finish only 2 seconds back in 3rd place. That bronze medal certainly felt good after being out of national competition since April. Strange who had edged Friend-Uhl by a single second for the 10K Masters Championship in April was 4th in 18:55 and Bayly was nipped at the line by Holly Ortlund's strong finish as they both clocked 18:02. 

Janet McDevitt pulls away to win the 2016 USATF Masters Women's 5K Championship [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

 
Age-Grading Championship

Men. Three men crested 95% in Age Grading and at the top was a familiar name. After battling another hamstring injury over the second half of last year, two-time Long Distance Runner of the Year, Brian Pilcher, 60, is finally back at the top of his game. Even though in deep preparation for his try at a US record in the Marathon on October 9th, Pilcher still scored the highest age grade. The last time he was healthy for this race, in 2013, he age graded at 95.54%. This year, despite the tables being somewhat harder since being recalibrated a year and a half ago, Pilcher scored 95.90%. Welcome back to the top, Mr. Pilcher!

Brian Pilcher cranking out his Age-Grading Win as he approaches the turn-around at the USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo Credit: Gavin Liddell]

And he needed every last ounce of speed as the overall winner, Kevin Castille, 44, kicked in with his best 5K time since April 2015. Castille's focus on training for the Olympic Trials Marathon and successfully qualifying despite substantial injuries kept him from running fast 5K's over the past year. It must have felt good to let it out again; it was certainly a treat for the spectators. His score of 95.54% was good for 2nd place. 

Kevin Castille cruises across the Finish Line at the USATF Masters 5K Championships, winning the Masters Race and achieving the second highest Age-Grading score [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Had it not been for Castille's excellent effort, we would have had a Pilcher-Larson 1-2 finish in Age Grading just as we did at Dedham for the 10K Masters Championship.So far this year, Nat Larson, 54, has competed in 3 National Championship events. In terms of Age-Grading which is viewed within the Masters Community as measuring the best performance across competitors of all ages, Larson achieved 2nd place at the 10K and 1 Mile events and has now added a bronze medal to his total with an Age Grading score of 95.39%. He is the only male runner this year with 3 Age-Grading podium finishes. Larson is definitely cooking it this year!
 

Nat Larson [#454], pushed by top runners like Scott Weeks [Syracuse Chargers] Matthew Marcini [Black singlet] and Carl Combs [451], achieves the Bronze Age-Grading Medal at the USATF 5K Masters Championships [Photo Credit: Gavin Liddell]

Rounding out the top 5 were Tom Bernhard, 65, at 94.98% and Carl Combs, 51, at 93.39%. It was somewhat ironic; this was Bernhard's most stellar age-grading score at a National Championship race this year and yet the first time in 3 tries that he finished off the Age Grading out of the top 3. He also broke the US record; there must have been some smoking international times to render a US record-breaking performance only a 94.98%! This is Combs's 2nd top 5 finish this year along with his 8K race at Brea CA.

Women. As with the men, three athletes crested the 95% mark. But the two US record-breakers on the women's side scored even higher, with Libby James, 80, at 97.32% and Kathryn Martin, 65, at 98.95%.

Kathy Martin, flying over the 5K course at the USATF 5K Masters Championships, takes the Age-Grading Gold Medal in 19:57/98.95% [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Both Martin and James broke US Records and, according to the Association or Road Racing Statistician's website, established new World Best's for the 5K as well.Martin now holds the US record for Women 60-64 at 19:04 and the record for 65-69 at 19:57. James holds the 5K record for Women 75-79 at 23:34 (women only) and for 80-84 at 25:11 (women only).

Libby James (480) finishing with a younger competitor while establishing the new US record for Women 80-84 and scoring a 97.32% Age-Grade [Photo Credit: Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Rounding out the top 5 Age Grading winners were Nancy Stewart, 60, at 92.45 and Edie Stevenson, 67, at 92. 40. Stewart was also in the top 5 at the 10K Championships; this is Stevenson's 4th top 5 finish this year. Now that is consistent excellence.

Congratulations to all of these super fast runners. We can hardly wait until next year to see a few more age group records go down and experience top age-grading 5K performances for the 2017 USATF 5K Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races!

Guest Photographer. 

Christopher Patruno, age 8, perfecting his craft on the bed of the Lead Truck-at the USATF 5K Masters Championships!

2016 USATF 5K Masters Championship Recap-Part 1: US Records Fall at the Syracuse Festival of Races

October 5 2016. The skies were cloudy with temps in the upper 50's and very little wind, perfect for some fast racing. And the athletes did not disappoint. The men ran first at 9:50 AM followed by the Women at 10:50. There were a record high number of finishers at 259 and probably a record number of national class performances, 131 women and men! What a tribute to the wonderful job done by the Race Director of the Syracuse Festival of Races, Dave Oja, his wife, Linda, Greg Tuttle, their Operations Director, and the entire crew and volunteers.

Let's focus on the new US Records first. The men ran first and two age group records were set. Both were considered likely although one is unorthodox. Two California speedsters crossed the country to challenge records in the 60-64 and 65-69 category.

Co-Record holder in the Men's 55-59 category, Brian Pilcher was chasing Tom McCormack's 16:58 record for Men 60-64. Two years ago McCormack came from the hills of East Tennessee to Syracuse and took down the record that had stood for 28 years. But records were made to be broken. The next few years will likely be a golden age for Masters records. What made Pilcher's quest unorthodox was that he was attempting to do an unusual double, going after the 5K record on Sunday, October 2nd and going after the Marathon record at the Chicago Marathon a mere 7 days later. Certainly no one would bet against the 2012 and 2013 Long Distance Runner of the Year but it is definitely ambitious. Pilcher confided before the race that he was not entirely certain his coach actually supported the 5K attempt although it had been in the plans for months. Once the gun went off, Pilcher made sure he would not fail for lack of trying. He went out with the young guns, crossing the halfway point in 8:07 with a bunch of 20 and 30 somethings. While he could not hold onto that pace he did not fade much and cruised across the finish line 20 seconds in front of McCormack's record in 16:38. While there are no official Masters World Records, Ken Young compiles a list of World's Best Masters times by distance and age group. According to that website there are only two men in the world, 60 and over, who have run faster than Pilcher. After the race, Pilcher noted, "It's hard running fast coming off of logging the miles for Marathon prep but I figured it would be a good shake-out run anyway. It's great to have the 5K record already. Next up is the Marathon--and then all the distances in between-if I can!"

Brian Pilcher lowers the American 5K Record for Men 60-64 by 20 seconds at the USATF 5K Masters Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [photo credit: Bob Brock rhbrockj11@me.com]

Tom Bernhard brought the same approach to the Men's 65-69 record attempt, take no prisoners! In fact, Bernhard confided after the race that he had thought he was running well under control, nice and smoothly but was shocked to find himself going through the mile in 5:20. That was at least ten seconds faster than he would have liked. And it wasn't like he did a better pacing job over the next half mile or so because he hit the halfway mark at 8:26, still about ten seconds faster than he was aiming for. And, as he expected, Bernhard paid for it over the second half of the race, when he slowed substantially (by his standards). Luckily he was in condition to handily break the record as long as there was no breakdown. But about five meters from the finish it looked like calamity might actually strike as Bernhard started to lose balance and almost pitch forward. Luckily he was able to right himself and finish strongly a few seconds later, in 17:31, taking over 40 seconds off the record that Bill Borla established 11 years ago. According to Ken Young's website, only the renowned Masters Runner from Canada, Ed Whitlock, has run faster, with a 17:23 in 1998. It was a tremendous performance in every respect and especially so considering the pacing and the near fall. Bernhard reflected after the race: "Any time you break an American record, it's very special and I'm happy to have broken the record in my favorite event in spite of having run the most poorly paced race of my life. I really feel I can do better and look forward to trying to improve my time next year. It's things like this that keep us motivated."

 

Tom Bernhard about to claim the American 5K Record for Men 60-64 at the USATF 5K Masters Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [photo credit: Bob Brock rhbrockj11@me.com]

 Like Pilcher, Kathryn 'Kathy' Martin, already holds the American 5K record for her most recent age group, 60-64, and was aiming to add the 65-69 record to her records cache. Two years ago on this same course, Sabra Harvey established the current record of 20:27. Even though Martin ran 19:24 in this race last year, there was some doubt about her current fitness. She had been about ten seconds slower in the Fifth Avenue Mile this year and her only 5K had been run in 20:37! It was not clear in advance if she had been nursing an injury or was off her game for some other reason. Still, few doubted that the 3-time Masters Long Distance Runner of the Year would add this record to her many accomplishments. And we were not disappointed. Martin ran the first half of the race in a fairly quick 9:46. If she could keep it up, it would have been a 19:32. But her conditioning is perhaps a little off from last year as she slowed a bit over the second half. But she got the record by half a minute and as the Race Director Dave Oja, said later at the Awards Brunch, "...became the first 65 or older Woman in the World to break 20 minutes on a certified, record eligible 5K course!" In fact, according to Young's websiite, the Scottish runner, Janette Stevenson had set the current World's Best of 20:04 in March of ths year. So Martin broke that one by 7 seconds. There could be duelling 'World's Best 5K' attempts over the next year or two. I learned after the race from her husband and coach that the slow times in August and early September were because he was having Martin use races as workouts. That was part of her heavy preparation for the World Masters Athletics Championships in Perth Australia later this month. If she is trying to peak for the WMA Championships it is perhaps not so surprising that Martin vowed to improve upon this record. "I am pretty happy with the record but truly I could have and really should have done better. There is always room for improvement. I’ll be back next year. Kudos go to the Race Director, David Oja and his wife, Linda, for this outstanding event. None of this would happen without them and all they do for the runners.”

Kathy Martin zips across the Finish Line to claim the American 5K record for Women 65-69 at the USATF 5K Masters Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [photo credit: Bob Brock rhbrockj11@me.com]

Saving the best for last, consider Libby James. Age Division Runner of the Year for 5 consecutive years and current holder of the US 5K record for 75-79 year old's, James was widely expected to obliterate the record for Women 80-84. Anne Clarke set the existing record of 29:23 in 1989. The record has held for 27 years and yet James ran several 5K's earlier this year before her 80th birthday, in 25:10 to 25:28. The amazing runner from Fort Collins Colorado set a brisk pace as she crossed the halfway mat in 12:19. The pace was a bit too ambitious but nonetheless James smashed the US record by over 4 minutes! Her new record is 25:11. According to Ken Young, it is a World's Best as well; no one from outside the US has run under 29:41. Ever modest, James was a little disappointed that she had not run under 25 minutes but she offered the following perspective:
"Of course it is exciting to be a record holder, but more than that, I am thankful to be part of a sport where there are so many amazing and wonderful people willing to participate and support running with their enthusiasm and hard work. The Festival of Races in Syracuse is the ultimate evidence of that. All summer I’ve been trying to get below a 25-minute 5k. I have not done it. And it doesn’t matter. I’m just grateful that I am part of the running community."

Libby James crossed the Finish Line in 25:11 establishing a new American record and a new World's Best for Women 80-84 at the USATF 5K Masters Championship hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races [photo credit: Bob Brock rhbrockj11@me.com]

Three Cheers for the four new American 5K Record Holders!

USATF 2016 Masters 5K Championships Preview-Part IV: Individual Age Group Competition-Ages 60 and up

October 1 2016.[Part IV]  Part III examined the 40-44 through the 55-59 age groups--very deep and quality fields for almost every group. The same is true for the groups of 60 and up, in some cases more so. There are 4 runners in these groups who have a good chance at bringing down the US record for their age group.

Men 60-64. We start off with the 2012 and 2013 Distance Runner of the Year, Brian Pilcher, seeking to take down Tom McCormack's 16:58 record. Being deep in Marathon preparation is not the ideal prep for a 5K. But if anyone can do it, Pilcher is the one. Even if he misses the record though, he is not likely to miss it by much. Probably no one else this year will be under 18. The defending champion from the age group is Tom Bernhard who moved up to the next age group. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishers are all injured or returning from injury. Reno Stirrat has his foot in a boot from a freak accident when walking his dog and John Victoria has apparently not fully recovered from a lower back issue which cropped up after Club Cross last year. Mark Rybinski is entered but is presumably just running for the team after being out with an injury. At the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, he could only jog around the course. Possible contenders for the remaining two podium spots include Mark Chiusano, Perry Forrester, and Kyle Hubbart, all of whom should be able to run in the low 19 minute range.

Women 60-64. Although no one is going for the record in this group it should be a very tight contest. The main contenders are: Nora Cary, Jill Miller-Robinett, Nancy Stewart, and her teammate, Margaret Taylor. Stewart appears to be the one to beat. She has broken 20 in a 5K and her 42:40 at the USATF 10K Masters Championships is quite a bit faster than anyone else's. Nora Cary has run from the upper 20's to the upper 21's for 5Ks and has a 1:41 Half Marathon. Miller-Robinett and Taylor appear pretty evenly matched in 5K times, both in the high 21's to high 22's but Miller-Robinett's 10K time at Dedham was quite a bit faster than Taylor's time at Peachtree.
Stewart, Cary, Miller-Robinett.

Men 65-69. Tom Bernhard is going after Bill Borla's record of 18:12. He is extremely likely to get it. He ran 17:36 to win the 60-64 division here last year and ran a 17:16 this year just before his 65th birthday. Hall of Famer, Doug Bell, and the rejuvenated Peter Mullin are likely to form the rest of the podium. Bell ran an 18:39 here last year and has already run an 18:47 at a 5K this year. He also ran 38:55 at the USATF 10K Championships. Mullin ran 19:31 here last year but he has run in the upper 18's to upper 19's this year. Another factor is tat he ran the Crescent City Classic 10K in 39:19 and the USATF 10K Championships in 39:41. If he does not break 19 this weekend he should at least be close.Kirk Larson, who ran a 19:54 at Atlanta's Finest 5K, will push the others and could wind up on the podium if anyone has an off day. The only other possible wrinkle is if Bill Dixon comes over from Vermont and registers on site. If so, even in his last year in the age group, he will need to be factored into the equation. He ran 18:32 here last year. But both Bell and Mullin were able to get the better of him at the USATF 10K Championships, although with Mullin it was a mere 4 seconds.
Bernhard, Bell, Mullin.

Women 65-69. Kathy Martin is gunning for Sabra Harvey's US record of 20:27. Martin won the 60-64 age group here last year in 19:24. She is a bit off her peak fitness as her times have been slightly slower than her phenomenal norm. She was eleven seconds slower at the 5th Avenue Mile this year though still the age grade winner and age-grading over 100%! And she ran 20:37 at the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K in August. Still it seems like breaking 20 is certainly in the cards. In any case she should take the age group gold medal by over a minute.Edie Stevenson who ran 21:34 here last year is a strong favorite to  take 2nd and, as usual , age grade well above 90%. Jo Anne Rowland and Colleen Steinbach who has moved up from the 60-64 group, should battle for the final podium spot. Steinbach ran 22:01 here last year and generally seems to run her 5K's in the low 22's. Rowland prefers longer distances, running 48:45 at the USATF 10K Championships. She ran 23:45 at the Carlsbad 5000 and 23:33 at a local 5K earlier this year.
Martin, Stevenson, Steinbach.

Men 70-74. This should be Gary Patton's to lose. The remarkable track specialist decided to run a few cross country and road races and to participate in the Masters Grand Prix. It has been a great run for him. He leads the Grand Prix and can pretty much sew it up if he runs well here. Patton took 2nd at the USATF 8K Championship in 34:04 and in the USATF 10K Championships in 43:03. Neither of those races is in his comfort zone; this race is. If he is on his game he has a chance to take down Jan Frisby's single age Syracuse Festival of Races record which stands at 20:20. Ironically the one runner who might be able to throw a monkey wrench into Patton's plans is that very runner, Jan Frisby. Frisby started the season out of condition by his own admission. He finished way back at the 8K but by the time of the 10K Masters Championships in April, was able to manage to stay within a couple of minutes of Patton. The big question is how Frisby's training and fitness has progressed since then. If it has improved back to his long-term norms, he will be able to give Patton a battle. But if old injuries have cropped up to slow his improvement, then it is another story. We will find out soon. Many might think that Paul Carlin, yours truly, who bested Patton by a half minute at the 10K in Dedham should be mentioned. Unfortunately a few days after that race he strained his hamstring and that curtailed his training for the entire summer. Finally free of PT a couple of weeks ago I was able to break 22 minutes (just) at a flat, fast local 5K last weekend. But Patton should certainly run under 21 and I have a sneaking suspicion that Frisby may be right with him or ahead of him. With Patton you always need a cushion because of his ferocious kick! Przemek Nowicki is also in the hunt for the podium. He had an issue with his quads at the CRIM 1 Mile Championships but has since recovered and gotten some good training in. My guess is he should run at least as well as last year when he covered the Syracuse course in 21:13. Another runner who could factor in is Jim May who ran 21:08 on the track at the 2016 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Michigan an has since run two 5K's in 21:12 and 21:23.
Patton, Frisby, Nowicki.

Women 70-74. Originally this looked like another tour de force for Jan Holmquist but she had to pull out injured. So we will have a new Champion. It should come from one of the following: Dianne Anderson, Mary Casey and Sue Gardinier. Gardinier ran 27:49 here last year and generally ran her 5K's in the 27-28 minute range. But I can find no results for her for 2016. Casey ran 29:41 here last year and has also run a 31:14 5K this year. Anderson has been active on the circuit, running 47:40 at the USATF 8K Championships. That is roughly equivalent to a 28:45. Her 10K at the Championships at Dedham was not as good at 1:11:56 but was still good enough for a silver medal. This is a tough one to call. I will go with Anderson. If she can replicate her 8K race she might well take it all. I would pick Gardinier but the lack of races is often a sign that one's fitness is off a bit, either because of injury or other complications.
Anderson, Gardinier, Casey.

Men 75-79. Ron Mastin won this last year in 23:07 and ran a 49:41 at the 2016 USATF 10K Championships but then he got injured. He ran for the team at the 1 Mile Road Championships, jogging around the course in 8:14. Will he have recovered enough over the last month? It seems unlikely although I would not be amazed to see him on the podium at the end of the day. That opens it up for Matt Lalumia, Joseph Saley and George Tooker.Lalumia ran 26:46 here last year and ran 55:41 at the 10K Masters Championships. In the spring he was running in the 26 to 27 minute range but has been slower more recently. Saley ran 27:57 here last year. Saley tens to run mostly half marathons and cross country so it is difficult to gauge 5K fitness.Tooker ran a 24:10 5K at a local 5K in September 2015 and ran that same race two weeks ago in 25:23. Tooker looks to have the wheels to claim the gold in this category.
Tooker, Lalumia, Saley.

Women 75-79. The defending champion, Madeline Bost, took a fall on a training run on a poorly lit part of a course that has apparently seen a number of similar falls to runners of all ages. She may not be able to compete this year but we can expect to see her back at our races soon, perhaps as soon as one of the Cross Country races in Florida. That makes it easier for the rest to claim medals. The likely gold medalist is Margie Stoll who typically runs her 5K's under 30 minutes.Estelle Hahn ran 35:37 in this race last year and had a 36:44 5K last fall, but I can find no 2016 races. Christa Maier ran 34:54 at the 2014 USATF 5K Championships and has two 5K's this year in 37:39 and 37:25. Fran Rowe was running 37:52 and 39:53 in ealry summer but ran 41:38 in August.
Stoll, Hahn, Maier

Men 80-84. The defending champion is Wade Stockman and he should make it two in a row. He ran 28:58 last year. His times this year are slower, in the 30 to 31 minute range but that should still be fast enough to defend the title.Jon Desenberg has been running his 5K's in the mid-33 to mid-34 minute range and ran teh USATF 10K at Dedham in 1:10:20. Sam Graceffo ran 35:03 here last year but has nothing in 2016. Fritz Schlereth ran 37:43 last year and has a 24:19 3K this year.
Stockman, Desenberg, Graceffo.

Women 80-84. Our most likely US Record smasher is in this age group. The celebrated Masters runner out of Colorado, Libby James, looks to add the W80-84 record to the W75-79 record she already holds. She has a few 5K's in the 25 minute range this year, not to mention a 55:06 in the tough Bolder Boulder 10K. All she needs for the record is to better 29:23. If she can get down around 25, she will age grade above 98%-Wow! Three others will sort out the other two medals between them. Tami Graf has run her 5K's in the 36 to 39 minute range this year. Edna Hyer ran 38:20 in this race last year but has run in the 41 to 42 minute range this summer. Anny Stockman has run her 5K's this year in the mid-38 to mid 40 minute range.
James, Graf, Stockman.

Men 85-89. Edward Doucette, Sheldon Kall, and David Rider will contest this age division.Rider ran 33:06 in the 2014 edition of this race but I can find no races since. Doucette has two races at odd distances this year, a 3.5 mile run in 44:42 and a 3.8 Mile run in 52:31. Kall ran 56:38 in this race last year and ran 2:38:45 in the Boilermaker 15K at Utica this year.
Rider, Doucette, Kall.

Men 90-94. Just when he was going to get some company, Willis Moses went and aged another year. He will take the Gold Medal in this category by default although one could also say by acclamation, at least at the Awards Brunch! Moses ran 34:53 last year and has not slowed much this year. He ran 5K's in 37:05 and 35:37 this year. Astounding--Way to go, Willis!

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This concludes my previews of individual runners. My apologies-not enough time left to produce a reasonable prediction for the Team Races.

USATF 2016 Masters 5K Championships Preview-Part III: Individual Age Group Competition-Ages 40-59

September 30 2016. [Part III] Online registration is closed; we have 270 Elite Masters Athletes entered for the USATF 5K Masters Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races this coming Sunday. A small number usually register on site so the final total of registrants should be a little higher--a great turnout for this excellent championship!  Dave Oja and his dedicated staff are ecstatic about the quantity and quality of the turnout for the 2016 edition of the Championship. The weather forecast is still tricky but looks a little better. Light rain showers overnight give way to a morning of partly cloudy skies with rain not returning until noontime. Let's hope the rain clouds take a little break for our races. The earlier blogs hit the record-chasers, the overall race and the age-grading contests. It's time to look at the 40-44 through the 55-59 age groups--very deep and quality fields for almost every group.

Men 40-44. Kevin Castille, John Gardiner and David Angell, who were featured as the primary contenders for the Overall Championships are also favored for the M40 age group. As most Masters Runners know, at USATF Masters Championships winning a prize in one category does not disqualify one from winning prizes in other categories.Clearly Brent Fields and Aaron Totten-Lancaster, whose qualifications were also mentioned in the Overall Competition hope to derail those predictions. Other top quality competitors who could surprise include  Musa Gwanzura who finished 5th at the 2015 USATF Masters 12K Championships in 41:10 and posted a 15:53 5K earlier this year and Ethan Nedeau who claimed 4th place overall in the 2014 USATF Masters 10K Championship in 33:59. If the Scott Weeks who is entered is the same athlete who ran 53:04 in the Army 10 Miler and had a couple of 5K's in the high 15's this summer, he could also make things interesting. Castille, Gardiner, Angell.

Women 40-44. As suggested in the discussion of the Overall Race, Janet McDevitt, Holly Ortlund and Sascha Scott are the favorites for the podium. McDevitt's prediction is based in part on a 17:33 at Carlsbad and a 37:44 10K this summer as well as top finishes at Club Cross the last two years. Ortlund actually has a faster 5K and 10K this year, with a 17:27 at the Macon Labor Day 5K and a 37:19 10K in February. And Scott finished 8 seconds ahead of Ortlund at the 2014 USATF Masters 5K. Scott has no recent flat 5K's though as she has been focusing on Triathlons. Does that help or hurt? Heather Webster who finished 4th last year here in 18:16 will surely be there if anyone falters; she has two 5Ks in the mid 18's this summer. Christy Peterson could also be a factor. She ran 17:48 at the 2015 Freihofer's 5K. But her 5K's this year have been slower, perhaps because she was emphasizing distance conditioning over speed. She ran a 1:25:02 at the Bjorklund Half Marathon and a 1:20:15 20K at the Stratton-Faxon race on Labor Day. She ran an 18:37 earlier and on August 13 an 18:53, but that was in the lead-up to the 20K. If she can fire off another sub-18 5K Peterson might find her way onto the podium.
McDevitt, Ortlund, Scott.

Men 45-49. Since I picked Mark Andrews to finish 3rd overall, I had better pick him to win the M45 group. He took 1st place at the USATF Masters 10K in 32:45 in April and over the summer was running high 15's to low 16's for 5K. Elliott and Jonathan Frieder (who are apparently twins) will try to take the top spot as well. Jonathan  finished just off the podium at the 2015 USATF Masters 12K Championships in 40:59 so that gives him some credibility but Elliott just finished 6 seconds ahead of Jonathan at the NJ 5KM XC Championships. Both have 5K's in the 16:15-16:30 range this year. Craig Greenslit has been absent from the roads for the past year and a half but ran 15:44 in the 2014 5K Masters Championships. It's a long way to come from Colorado so he is probably ready to roll! Greg Putnam will try to upset these predictions and has plenty of evidence in his favor. He finished 3rd in the 10K Masters Championships in Dedham in 33:08 and has run 5K's in the 16 to 16:30 range this year.
Andrews, Greenslit, Putnam.

 Women 45-49. Although it is hard to see Sonja Friend-Uhl making the podium for the Overall Race, it is hard to see her not making it for this age group. Her 18:49 in her first race in several months suggests she might be able to flirt with 18:30. If she can do that, she is definitely a threat for age group glory. Who can keep her off the podium? Fiona Bayly and Cassandra Henkiel are favorites for 1-2 but ti is hard to see anyone else beating Friend-Uhl if she can come close to 18:30. Bayly  took the 45-49 group bronze at the 2014 Club XC Championships 16 seconds ahead of Henkiel, ran 1:23:55 at the 2016 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon and 18:05 at the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K in late August. Henkiel won this age group last year in 18:14 and ran 18:07 at Carlsbad last spring. But she has no races since then; that could make her vulnerable or just hard to predict.Others who could factor in are Irma Dennard who has some 5K's this summer in the high 19's and a 41:53 10K and Laurie Wisotsky who ran 19:56 here last year.
Bayly, Henkiel, Friend-Uhl.

Men 50-54. The long list of contenders from those entered in this group would ordinarily include Rob Arsenault, Kristian Blaich, Francis Burdett, Carl Combs, Alan Evans, Ruben Henderson, Nat Larson and Mike Nier. Let's make the job a little easier by pulling Blaich and Evans out of the list. Both have been injured most of the year; this is their first race of 2016 as far as I can tell. Most likely they are running to support their team effort. The race for the gold should be between Combs and Larson and it should be a beauty of a race. If Larson can repeat his 16:10 from last year or get close, as seems likely, the only one who can stay with him is Combs, although Arsenault, Burdett, and maybe Henderson can, if they have one of their better days. Combs came in 27 seconds ahead of Arsenault at the 8K Championships in Brea in 26:20 when Burdett had an off day and was further back. I figure Combs's 8K time is roughly equivalent to a 15:55 5K. Also Combs must be running well or he would not come all the way from Cheney Washington for the race. And Burdett had the better of Arsenault at Carlsbad so it will depend on relative fitness and how the day goes. Henderson only ran 16:54 here last year but he seems to be in better condition this fall. Nier is always in the mix and is a tough competitor so one can never count him out. He ran 16:33 here last year.
Combs, Larson, Nier.

Women 50-54. As I picked Marisa Sutera Strange to take the overall crown, I had better pick her to win the age group crown. Strange is almost certain to run well under 18 even if she would have an off day. Lorraine Jasper and Karyl Sargent typically run in the high 19' or low 20's and will certainly contend for the next two spots on the podium. Sargent beat Jasper last year in this race. Jasper had her revenge on the cross country course a few weeks later. Suzanne LaBurt could figure into the race. Usually in the low 20's she ran 19:34 in a recent local 5K. The same is true for Laurie Wharton whose 5K's have been in the low 20's but she ran a 19:29 in the Macon Labor Day 5K. Laura Delea and Julie Pangburn have both run in the low to mid-20's for 5K's but that will probably not be fast enough for the podium.
Strange, Sargent, Jasper.

Men 55-59. This group lost their headliner when Pete Magill had to pull out because of a hamstring issue. But there is still more than enough quality to make this an outstanding age group contest. Dave Bussard is the defending champion; he took the crown last year in 16:55. But his fitness may be off a bit as his times in a couple of local 5K's this year were a half minute or more off his 2015 times. If a time just under 17 is going to win it there are a few other contenders. Kerry Barnett has run 5K's in the high 16's to low 17's. Gary Droze ran 16:59 in this race last year although his recent 5K times have been up in the 17's but that was true last year as well. Fred Zalokar who is focused on winning his age group in the major marathons occasionally finds time for a shorter race just for fun. He ran a 28:24 8K in the Masters Championships at Brea; that equates roughly to a 17:00 5K. William 'Hugh' Enicks also focuses mostly on the longer distances but he ran 28:50 at Brea, equating to about a 17:20 5K.
Bussard, Zalokar, Barnett.

Women 55-59. Hall of Famer and defending champion, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso is the favorite; she took the crown in 19:14 last year. Susan 'Lynn' Cooke, of the newly formed New Balance Tampa Masters Women's team will not give up the gold without a fight. She ran 19:20 at a 5K in April and clocked 2:46 and 5:33 on the track at the Outdoor Masters Championships in the 800 and 1500 meters. After those two, several runners could take 3rd. The likely contenders are Patrice Combs, Paula Johnson, Colleen Magnussen, and Mary Swan. Magnussen ran 21:59 here last year but has run slower times this year. Combs has run her 5K's in the high 21's while Johnson generally hits the lower 22 range. Swan has run from the mid-20's to low 21's this year.
Ayala-Troncoso, Cooke, Swan.
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There are terrific races in the 60 and up age groups too. That is in the next installment, Part IV.

[Sorry--No time for pictures now. I will try to go back and add them later.] 

USATF 2016 Masters 5K Championships Preview-Part II- Overall Race and Age-Grading Contest

September 29 2016. [Part II] As of today there are 260 [9-29 10:30 PM] Elite Masters Athletes entered for the USATF 5K Masters Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races this coming Sunday. We could be headed to a record number of entrants! Dave Oja and his dedicated staff put on a terrific athlete-centered race. As a result, this could be one of the best in recent years, both in terms of depth and quality. The weather forecast is still patchy. No difficulty with temperature or wind but the chance of (light) rain is 40%. Let's look first at the contest to be first Masters Runner across the finish line, and then at the Age-Grading contest.

Overall Races.

Men. It is an impressive field. The 2015 champion, Greg Mitchell could not make it back this year but even if he could, the clear favorite would be Kevin Castille. He set the Men's Masters record of 14:25 when he ran in this race in 2012. He focuses mostly on the 10K to Half Marathon races these days, and qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon. But he does occasionally run a 5K; in 2015 Castille ran a 14:18, a 14:42 and a 15:04. He runs the Peachtree 10K every year and, if it is any consolation to his rivals, Castille's time has been getting a tad slower recently. But he still won the 2016 Masters crown in 31:17. The 2nd place finisher was 2 and a half minutes back. The big question is whether Castille can break 15:00 again.

Kevin Castille claiming a Masters win at the Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon [Photo Credit: Victor Sailer/PhotoRun]

The race for 2nd should be a doozy! A number of runners could well break 15:30. Mark Andrews, who won the USATF 10K in Dedham in 32:45 should be a factor.

Mark Andrews gritting his teeth as he strives to maintain the gap heading to the finish line at the 2016 USATF Masters 10K Championship [photo crdit: Scott Mason]

Earlier this month he ran a 15:36. David Angell turns 40 the day of the race. He ran a 15:29 5K and a 34:05 10K earlier this year. Plus he has some staying power as evidenced by his 54:43 at the 2016 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. John Gardiner was working his way back from injury at the beginning of the year but was still able to run 15:21 at Carlsbad. More recently he took his first overall Masters Championship over a tough course at the USATF 1 Mile Road race in Flint in 4:30.

John Gardiner heading for another podium finish at the 2015 USATF Masters 8K Championship [Photo Credit: Thuc Tran]

Two others who could contest for the podium if any of those above falter are Brent Fields and Aaron Totten-Lancaster, both of the Atlanta Track Club. Fields was a little off his usual pace at the USATF 10K where he could only muster a 36:17 but he ran the Macon Labor Day 5K this year 40 seconds faster than in 2015, cooking it in 15:34. Totten-Lancaster was a top finisher in the USATF 10K at 33:22 and nearly matched it at Peachtree with a 33:43. He does not have a fast 5K this summer but he may prefer the cooler weather in Syracuse. Ordinarily I would mention Kristian Blaich as a contender but he has been out with an injury all year and it is unlikely he has recovered full race fitness. 
Castille, Gardiner, Andrews. 

Women. Although smaller in quantity there is plenty of quality in the Women's race. Marisa Sutera Strange is back to defend her 2015 crown; she captured it all last year in 17:38. She won the USATF Masters 10K crown earlier this year in a thrilling duel with Sonja Friend-Uhl, winning by a single second in 36:48. She  appears to be ready and, despite being on the long side of 50, is the favorite. Strange finished a very close second a month ago in the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships at Flint in 5:27 and ran 17:41 at the Freihofer's 5K in June.

Marisa Sutera Strange drives for the finish line and the win at the USATF Masters 10K Championships [photo credit: Scott Mason]

 The main challenger appears to be Janet McDevitt, with Holly Ortlund and Sascha Scott also possibly in the mix. McDevitt finished 2nd at the Carlsbad 5000 in 17:33 this spring, so that puts her in the ballpark. She won a local 5K in Washington this summer in 17:52 but there was no competition to push her. It will be interesting to see how she does when she is back in a competitive race.

Janet McDevitt finishing second at the 2015 USATF Masters Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco [Photo credit: Michael Scott]

In her first race since February, Ortlund's  17:27 in the Macon Labor Day race means she cannot be ignored. That may be a fast course but so is Syracuse. Others who might be in the mix include the 4th and 5th place finishers from last year in 18:14 and 18:16, Cassandra Henkiel and Heather Webster. They will need to raise their game a bit to get on the podium. Henkiel ran 18:07 at Carlsbad but I can find no results since. Webster has been running her 5K's this summer in the mid 18's. Another name to keep in mind is Sascha Scott who ran this race in 2014 as a 39 year old in 17:59. last November she hoisted a trophy at a local 5K in 17:35. She has not run a flat 5K since and has recently been experimenting with triathlons. Perhaps the added strength and core fitness will help her this weekend. Friend-Uhl would usually be considered a crack contender for the podium. But she has been out injured since her 2nd place finish to Strange in the 10K championship. Even though she has a cross country race in the books, Friend-Uhl is probably not ready to contend yet. Her current efforts in the mid-18's would be outstanding for most athletes but not for someone used to running in the mid 17's. But it should not be long before we see her back at the front of the pack at national championship races.
Strange, McDevitt, Scott.

Age-Grading Competition.

Men. The top contenders are Tom Bernhard, 65, Kevin Castille, 44, Brian Pilcher, 60, and Nat Larson, 54. Before a couple of injury filled years it would have been easy to go with Castille as the likely winner. Although he is still the fastest of the masters runners apart from Meb Keflezighi and Bernard Lagat, his recent age-grades have been within the reach of the others. His Peachtree age grade this year was 91.4 and his USATF Half Marathon championship age graded at 91.8. It is hard to know if those 'mere mortal' age grades were due to lower fitness and how much to a lack of being pressed. The last time Castille broke 15 minutes in a 5K was in April 2015; if he can crack 15 on Sunday, he will age grade above 94.0%. That may well be required to take the Age-Grading crown. Bernhard captured the 8K age-grading crown with a 91.7% and finished 3rd at the USATF 1 Mile with a 91.6%. If he can run around 17:40, as he did last year and earlier this year, he too could age grade above 94.0%. As noted above, Pilcher missed the second half of the 2015 season and was rounding into shape over the first half of this year. Nonetheless, in his first serious outing in February, he managed an 89.6% at the 8K Championships, and followed that with a winning 92.9% at the 10K Championships in late April. His 16:52 when 59 earlier this year age grades at 93.9%. Were he to break McCormack's 16:58 record, he would come in just over 94%. Larson finished second to Pilcher at the 10K championships with a 91.0% and finished 2nd to Jerome Vermeulen in the 1 Mile Road Championship by .02% in 91.75%.

Nat Larson claims the second Age-Grading spot at the 2016 USATF Masters 10K Championships [Photo Credit: Scott Mason]

He needs to run 16:10 or better to crack the 94.0% barrier. That's what he ran here last year when he finished 8th overall. And running just behind this group is Carl Combs, 51, who nailed a 90.9% at the Masters 8K Championships in February, just off the podium. I cannot imagine he would be making the cross country trip from the state of Washington unless he is primed for a good run. This is a tough, tough race to pick; all of these times and age grades are amazing! I will do Pilcher the favor of picking against him because of his Marathon training. If that gives him a little extra incentive to run a great race and take down McCormack's record, that would be excellent. Records are there to be broken.
Bernhard, Castille, Larson.

Women. The top contenders appear to be Libby James, 80, Kathy Martin, 65, Edie Stevenson, 67, and Marisa Sutera Strange, 53. Stevenson was the top age-grader at the 8K Championship with 92.7% and the Half Marathon at 92.6%. She achieved a mark of 93.7% to finish second to Strange's top age grade of 95.4% at the 10K Championship. Strange also finished atop the leader board at the 1 Mile Road Championship with 91.3%.

Edie Stevenson capturing 2nd place in the Age Grading competition at the USATF 2016 Masters 10K Championship [Photo Credit: Scott Mason]

If Strange can match the 17:41 she ran at the Freihofer's race, she will age grade at 96.6%. Stevenson would need too crack 21 minutes to achieve that level which seems a lot to ask. She won the W65 group here last year in 21:34. If she can manage a 21:30 she would age grade at 94.3%. James and Martin are renowned for age grading above 100% but that may be a tall order with the new age grading tables. James's 25:28 at Freihofer's this year when she was 79 age graded at 94.8%. If she can match that on Sunday at age 80, the age grade rises to 96.4%.

Kathy Martin crossing the finish line, breaking the W60 record and winning the Age-Grading Championship at the 2014 USATF Masters 12K Championship [Photo by USATF-Marlene Van den Neste]

What about Martin? If she can just break Harvey's record by a second or two, she would age grade at 96.7%. But if she can run down around 20 minutes, or below, as we would normally expect, she can elevate that to 98.7%. How does one pick among such outstanding World Class runners?
Martin, Strange, James.

What an amazing group of runners! We are in for a real treat this Sunday when they toe the line to compete head to head.

The next installment, part III, will consist of the Individual Age Group contests.

2016 USATF 5K Masters Championship at the Syracuse Festival of Races-Preview 1- RECORDS TO FALL

September 28 2016. [Part I] As of today there are 251 [9-28 midday] Elite Masters Athletes entered for the USATF 5K Masters Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races this coming Sunday, proving once more its popularity among Masters runners. We could be headed to a record number of entrants! Dave Oja and his dedicated staff put on a terrific athlete-centered race. As a result, this could be one of the best in recent years, both in terms of depth and quality. Initially it looked as if six age-group national records might fall. While two late scratches will have an impact we still expect records to fall for both women and men. We look forward to exciting races, both overall and in the age groups, not to mention spirited team competition.

Ten days ahead the weather forecast was favorable, with partly sunny skies predicted. More recently the forecast is a bit patchier. The logo at Weather Underground shows a bit of sun, a bit of cloud and rain beneath, putting the precipitation % at just over 30. On the bright side that means the odds of no rain are 2:1. Even if there is rain it looks like it would be light. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Chances for New US Age Group Records.

Ordinarily when you see the name, Kevin Castille, in the Status of Entries, you figure that means a record-breaking performance could be in sight. But Bernard Lagat put that out of reach for a while to come with his 13:41 at Carlsbad in 2015 and, if that were not enough, lowered it to 13:39 this year. Castille will have to wait until next year to see if he can take down Dennis Simonaitis's M45 record of 14:45. So who will take on the Age Group records? The initial list included Tom Bernhard, Jan Holmquist, Pete Magill, Kathryn Martin, Brian Pilcher and Libby James.

Unfortunately Holmquist and Magill have had to scratch due to injuries which have curtailed their training. Holmquist set the women’s only 5K record at 22:16 in 2014 and lowered it two seconds last year; we were looking to see if she could manage 3 record years in a row. Unfortunately we will have to wait till next year for her next attempt. Magill was returning from a self-imposed exile year of building core fitness, working on books, and his many other running enterprises. His 16:08 at Carlsbad gave us hope that his year off had led to a successful return to form. I hope the current injury is just temporary and that he is soon back pushing the pace in road and cross country races.

A two-time winner of Age Group Runner of the Year awards, Tom Bernhard has his sights set on bettering Bill Borla’s M65 mark of 18:12. That should be well within his range, given his 17:36 last year at this race as a spry 64-yar old. And he has been burning up the roads this year as well. Five days before his 65^th birthday he uncorked a smoking fast 17:16 at the Morgan Hill Freedom Fest. Earlier in the year he ran 37:18 at the Marin Memorial Day 10K. And despite being 3 seconds faster at the USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships this year with a 5:18, Bernhard said he thought he was in shape to run even faster.

Tom Bernhard heading for the fine line to take the M60 title at the 2015 USATF 5K Championships in 17:36 [Photo credit: Bob Brock]

As of today, Kathy Martin is not entered but she has often waited until late in the process to register and in a Messenger exchange she did not correct me when I said she seemed to be primed for Syracuse. The 2013 and 2015 Masters Road Runner of the Year, Martin holds the Women’s 60-64 record at 19:04 and is chasing Sabra Harvey’s 20:27 for W65, set on this course two years ago. She ran 19:24 last year so it should be a safe bet. But there is some suspense. Martin’s fitness seems to be just slightly off her peak. Last year she ran the Fifth Avenue Mile in 5:39 but this year it was 5:50. In late August she ran the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K in 20:37. It is advertised as fast but does have a climb in the first mile. My bet is with Martin to take the record; after all, she has had a month to fine-tune her training since that outing.

Kathy Martin headed to victory at the 2015 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco [photo credit: Michael Scott]

2012 and 2013 Masters Road Runner of the Year, Brian Pilcher, takes aim at Tom McCormack’s 16:58, set on this same course two years ago. If he can get it he would hold both the M55 and M60 5K records, a worthy goal to say the least. Seven weeks before his 60^th birthday, Pilcher ran 16:52 at the Morgan Hill Freedom Fest 5K. As he is on the comeback trail from a lost 2014 season and much of 2015, one would think he is still improving his fitness. Never one to take the easy path, Pilcher is not focused just on taking the 5K record, he is entered in the Chicago Marathon on October 9th. He is hoping to take down the 2:42:44 M60 Marathon record of Clive Davies which has stood since 1979. That would be some accomplishment. Nonetheless it means Pilcher has been focused on building marathon base rather than honing his 5K speed.  If he could actually take both records, that would provide a song for the ages!

Brian Pilcher headed for the finish line at the USATF 10K Championships in Dedham MA, chalking up another Age Grade 1st place [Photo Credit: Scott Mason]

Libby James has been named Age Group Runner of the Year each of the last five years and is the favorite to take the title again this year. Current holder of the Women’s 75-79 5K records, 23:34 (Women only) and 23:30 (outright), James is trying for the W80 record of 29:23 established by Anne Clarke in 1989. James has run two 5K’s this summer under 25:30, one at altitude and the other at the Freihofer’s 5K in Albany NY a month before her 80^th birthday. With four minutes to play with, this seems the most certain of the four age group records to fall. Count yourself lucky if you get to see this legend of Masters Road Running crossing the finish line this coming Sunday.

Libby James competing in the Bolder Boulder 10K [Photo Credit: Gameface Media--appearing in Boulder's DailyCamera.com]

That's part I of the Preview--the aspiring Record Busters!

Part II will focus on Overall Races and some of the Age group races--hope to post by late evening on Thursday September 29.