Recap of USATF 5K Masters Championships-Age Division Contests

October 12 2016. Top runners from all over the US converged in upstate New York for the USATF 5K Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races on October 2nd. The competition among the runners to emerge as a National Champion were inspiring!

Note: All times noted below are gun times; net times were from 0 to 5 seconds faster, depending on where the individual runner started.

Start of the Men's Race at theh 2016 USATF 5K Masters Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races [photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Men 40-44. Of the top 6 contenders only one ran close to an even split, Musa Gwanzura. The rest laid it all on the line and then held on. Kevin Castille was going for the Overall Win as well as the Overall Masters Win so he was not going to let the Overall Leader, Omar Boulama, half his age at 22, get a gap on him. Castile hit the halfway mark in 7:21, right on Boulama's shoulder.

Omar Boulama, 22 (L), and Kevin Castille, 44  (R), vie for the lead at the Syracuse Festival of Races- Castille had a commanding lead in the USATF 5K Masters Championship [Photo by Christopher Patruno, age 8/PatrunoElectric@aol.com]

For most of the first half of the race John Gardiner had a couple of steps on David Angell but Angell was hanging in there hoping to at least wind up on the podium on his 40th birthday. By the half way mark it was Gardiner 7:27 and Angell 7:28. Other challengers included Aaron Totten-Lancaster, Christopher Shaw and Gwanzura. But Gardiner and Angell had a gap on them before the 2nd kilometer split.

John Gardiner (R) and David Angell (L), running 2nd and 3rd just past the 2K mark at the USATF 5K Masters Championship [Photo by Gavin Liddell]

At the halfway point Shaw, Totten-Lancaster, and Gwanzura crossed the timing mat in 7:45, 7:47 and 7:55 respectively. With that kind of gap their only hope was that one of the three leaders would fade badly. But not on this day. As noted earlier, Castille rang up a 14:46 for the Masters win, with Gardiner 2nd and Angell in 3rd. At ages 44, 44, and 40, they also comprised the 40-44 podium. I also just learned that Castille took down the US single age 5K record for 44 year old men, replacing Paul Aufdemberge's name on the list.

Kevin Castille wins the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship while setting a US 5K Record for Men 44 Years of Age [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Next year Castille and Gardiner will be competing in the 45-49 division. Totten-Lancaster passed Shaw to finish 4th in 15:42 with Shaw 5th in 15:46 and Gwanzura at 15:51.  
Castille 14:46, Gardiner 15:13, Angell 15:20.

Start of the Women's race at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships at the Syracuse Festival of Races [photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Women 40-44. Sascha Scott, the Elite Masters Runner from Syracuse, led the field out and opened a gap of a few meters over the first two kilometers. Although she was a few meters back, the Pacific Northwest's Janet McDevitt was determined to keep close to Scott.

Sascha Scott, leading all runners at the USATF 5K Masters Championship, followed by Open Runner, Catherine Beck (1) and Janet McDevitt (orange singlet) [photo by Gavin Liddell]

Another few meters back from McDevitt was a small chase pack consisting of Holly Ortlund, Heather Webster, and Christy Peterson. McDevitt had closed the gap to Scott by the time they swung 180 degrees to head back to Manley Field House. By the time they crossed the halfway mat, McDevitt and Scott were given the same time of 8:45. Shortly thereafter, McDevitt pushed ahead and then it was Scott on McDevitt's shoulder. Ortlund was 8 seconds back in 8:53 with Webster right on her heels, and Peterson another 5 seconds back. McDevitt gradually pulled away and won the Masters race in 17:41; Scott was only 4 seconds back in 17:45. Ortlund and Webster had quite a duel for the final age division podium spot. But no matter how hard Webster tried, Ortlund held tough and claimed 3rd, two seconds in front of Webster, with Peterson in 5th.

Holly Ortlund happy with her Women's 40-44 Bronze Medal finish just ahead of Heather Webster at the 2016 USATF 5K Masters Championships [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

McDevitt 17:41, Scott 17:45, Ortlund 18:02.

Janet McDevitt wins the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Men 45-49. The USATF 10K Champion, Mark Andrews, led the way out for this group as he was trying to stay in contention for an overall Masters medal. Craig Greenslit, Greg Putnam, Tim Van Orden, and Jonathan Frieder were all trying to hang in tight. Andrews crossed the halfway mat in 7:43 with Greenslit three seconds back in 2nd. Putnam was another 3 seconds back with his teammate, Van Orden on his shoulder, and Frieder 4 seconds behind Van Orden. Andrews pulled away over the second half of the race to win the division handily. Putnam and Van Orden were both able to kick it in past  Greenslit, finishing 2nd and 3rd five seconds apart.

Tim Van Orden (R) and Greg Putnam (600) headed for 3rd and 2nd respectively in the Men's 45-49 Division at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Gavin Liddell]

Greenslit was just off the podium in 15:59 followed by Frieder in 5th. Who would have guessed you could run a sub-16 minute 5K and not finish in the top 3 in the Men's 45-49 age division?

Mark Andrews wins the Gold Medal for Men 45-49 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Andrews 15:39, Putnam 15:53, Van Orden 15:58.

Women 45-49. Knowing that Sonja Friend-Uhl had been out with an injury from early May to early September, and had only one race under her belt, I was reluctant to pick her for an overall medal but given her time in her trial race, thought sure she could manage an age division medal. But Fiona Bayly, Irma Dennard, and Cassandra Henkiel would have something to say about that. Friend-Uhl was not having any of this not contending for an overall medal as she stayed in contention for an overall medal through the first half of the race. She crossed the halfway mat in 3rd overall with a time of 8:48 with Bayly on her heels. It was another 8 seconds back to Dennard, and two more to Henkiel. Friend-Uhl stayed strong over the second half of the race to claim the Bronze medal overall and the Age Division gold in 17:46. Bayly held on for 2nd, six seconds ahead of a hard-charging Henkiel, who had passed and pulled away from Dennard to claim the bronze medal.

Fiona Bayly (413) leading Marisa Sutera Strange (L) and Sonja Friend-Uhl (R) at the 2016 USATF 5K Masters Championships [Photo by Gavin Liddell]

Friend-Uhl 17:46, Bayly 18:02, Henkiel 18:08.

Sonja Friend-Uhl captures the Women's 45-49 Gold Medal and the Masters Bronze Medal at the 2016 USATF 5K Masters Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Men 50-54. Three of the top 6 men for Age-Grading came from this division so that shows how tough it is. Kristian Blaich won two national championships last year at 10K and 12K before ending the year with an injury. With no races on the books yet this year it seemed unlikely that Blaich would be in prime race condition. Nat Larson has been a top age grader, nearly winning two overall age-grading titles and finishing 2nd in the division at the USATF 10K Championship and winning the Age Division at the USATF 1 Mile championships at the CRIM Festival. Carl Combs has also had a stellar year, finishing among the top 5 age graders at the 8K Championships and finishing first in the division at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Bend OR and at the 8K road Championships at Brea CA. Cal Coast's Rob Arsenault has finished on the podium in the two USATF races he contested earlier this year at 8K and the Half Marathon. Once the gun went off it was clear that Blaich was ready to roll. Larson was able to go with him, with Combs just behind, but Blaich was definitely not nursing an injury. Blaich and Larson crossed the 2.5K timing mat in tandem at 7:51, with Combs 2 seconds back and another 3 seconds back to Arsenault. On the way back Blaich was able to pull away for a comfortable win, 6 seconds ahead of Combs, who had passed and kicked away from Larson to nip him by 2 seconds.

Carl Combs (451) and Nat Larson (454) heading for 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Men's 50-54 division while competing with M40's Weeks (657) and Marcini (564) for the Masters Overall Title at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Gavin Liddell]

Arsenault was not able to close  the gap and finished just off the podium in 16:08. As it turned out, if you could not run a sub-16 minute 5K you could not earn a medal in the 50-54 division either. Wow!

Kristian Blaich captures the Gold Medal for Men 50-54 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Blaich 15:49, Combs 15:55, Larson 15:57.

Women 50-54. Marisa Sutera Strange was the defending overall and 50-54 age division champion, a heavy favorite.Those in contention for the other podium spots were Trish Butler, Kathleen Hayden, Suzanna LaBurt, and Karyl Sargent. Strange went right to the front so she could contend with Scott, McDevitt, Friend-Uhl and Bayly for the overall Masters win. She crossed the halfway mat in 8:49 with a half minute age division lead over Butler. Sargent  crossed the mat 5 seconds later, with LaBurt 7 seconds further back in 9:31, and Hayden trailing her by 5 seconds. Strange built her lead the rest of the way, finishing 4th overall and winning the division by over a minute.

Marisa Sutera Strange defending her Masters Championship t the 2016 USATF 5K Masters Championship [Photo: Gavin Liddell]

Butler kept hammering and finished 2nd with a half minute gap back to LaBurt.

Trish Butler claims the Women's 50-54 Silver Medal at the USATF 5K Masters Championships [Photo by Bob Brocl Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Hayden passed Sargent but could not get any closer to LaBurt than a final 39 second margin as she finished 4th.
Strange 17:55, Butler 19:02, LaBurt 19:34.

Men 55-59. Defending champion, Dave Bussard, must have felt like he had a target on his back. Not only did he have to worry about his teammate, Kerry Barnett, but knew that Casey Carlstrom would be putting on the pressure and that long distance specialists, Hugh Enicks and Fred Zalokar were dropping down in distance and would likely finish well over the second half of the race unless they got pulled out too fast. And veterans Gary Droze, Matt Ebiner, and Joseph Mora would also be in the hunt. When the gun went off, Barnett, Bussard, Carlstrom and Zalokar surged toward the front of the field, with Ebiner and Enicks not far back and  Droze and Mora hanging back a bit, biding their time.  Barnett and Bussard crossed the halfway mat at 8:18 with Zalokar two seconds back and Carlstrom another 3 seconds back.

Dave Bussard (456) and his teammate, Kerry Barnett (412) leading the way for the Men 55-59 all the way to the finish where they cross in Gold and Silver respectively at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo by Gavin Liddell]

Next it was 3 seconds back to Enicks and Ebiner, with Droze and Mora another 8 seconds back. Bussard was able to out-kick Barnett to defend his title by a single second; Carlstrom was 3 seconds further back in 3rd, but all 3 had broken 17 minutes, pretty amazing! Zalokar was not able to maintain the killer early pace but hung tough to hold off a fast-closing Droze as they got 4th and 5th respectively. Ebiner, Mora and Enicks rounded out the top 8.
Bussard 16:54, Barnett 16:55, Carlstrom 16:59.

Women 55-59. It is not often that Hall of Famer and defending champion, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso is challenged in age group contests but she knew she would have to fly to retain her title. Last year she ran 19:14 but the only 2016 race result I could find for her was a 21:07 5K in February. That is normally a time when the Austin, Texas runner would be in top condition. With no races since that time it seemed possible she might be a bit off her best. Several challengers were eager to toe the starting line, including Patrice Combs, Susan 'Lynn' Cooke, Paula Johnson, and Mary Swan. Cooke ran a 19:20 earlier in the year. Although she was the only one with a sub-20, most of the others hould be in under 21 minutes. Ayala-Troncoso took off when the gun went off; she looked like she expected to run a sub-19:30. Cooke, of the Tampa New Balance team was in hot pursuit, with a gap back to Combs, Johnson and Swan. Ayala-Troncoso flew past the halfway mark in 9:39 with Cooke 4 seconds back. It was 8 seconds back to Swan and another dozen back to Combs and Johnson. But Ayala-Troncoso slowed and the wheels came off for Cooke, who had an off day. Swan's 19:51 first half was looking pretty good; she also slowed slightly over the 2nd half but still found herself gaining on the two leaders. Then she was finally past them both, kicking it in to gain a 5 second victory in 19:55.

Mary Swan takes the Women's 55-59 Gold Medal at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Ayala-Troncoso hung tough for second nonetheless coming in way ahead of Cooke.  The Tampa runner also showed herself to be a gritty competitor as she hung on to close out the race against Johnson and Combs, who were closing fast and were only 7 seconds back by the finish.
Swan 19:55, Ayala-Troncoso 20:00, Cooke 20:27.

Men 60-64. In this division, 2012 and 2013 Long Distance Runner of the Year, Brian Pilcher, was going for the American record. He has finally recovered fully from his second bout with a hamstring issue that had interrupted his training and racing in both 2014 and 2015. A few weeks before his 60th birthday he had run a 5K race in California six seconds under Tom McCormack's 16:58 record for the 60-64 group. No one doubted Pilcher's ability to bring down the record. But just to make it more challenging, Pilcher and his coach decided he should go for the 5K record on the 2nd of October and try for the Marathon record 7 days later. That meant he would be going for the record on the heavy legs associated with marathon training. On the other hand, Pilcher argued that the 5K would be a good 'shake-out' run for the Marathon in any case, whether he got the 5K record or not. Top contenders for the remaining spots on the podium included Brian Cummins, Perry Forrester, John Holcomb, Kyle Hubbart, Tom Ryan, and Mark Rybinski. Ordinarily Rybinski would be right at the top of that group; last year he finished 3rd in 18:27. But Rybinski has been rehabbing a hamstring injury and as recently as late August could only jog around the one mile course to help his team score some Grand Prix points. But Rybinski is a game runner and gave it all he had. Pilcher shot out just behind the lead group of the 50-54 year olds, crossing the midway point at 8:07. He slowed a bit thereafter but still had plenty enough in the tank to cruise across the finish line, crushing the record and gaining the age group gold in 16:39 (gun time).  Ryan was in no man's land as far as the 60-64 year old's were concerned for much of the race. He had a 20 second lead on the 60-64 field when he crossed the halfway mat in 8:52. Then it was Hubbart, Holcomb, Forrester, Rybinski and Cummins in a tight pack crossing between 9:12 and 9:17. Ryan stayed strong over the second half of the race, claiming the silver medal with a 7 second gap over the hard-charging Hubbart, who was one of the few runners on the day to run negative splits. As a result Hubbart had almost a half minute edge over Cummins, Rybinski, Holcomb and Forrester who finished in that order within 15 seconds of one another.

One New US Record in the Books for Brian Pilcher, winner of the Men's 60-64 Gold medal and the Age Grading Gold Medal at the USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Pilcher 16:39, Ryan 18:14, Hubbart 18:21.
[Note: Records are based on net time so Pilcher's new record is 16:38]

Women 60-64. The primary contenders in this division appeared to be Nora Cary, Jill Miller-Robinett, Nancy Stewart. Stewart's two Atlanta track Club teammates, Margaret Taylor and Cynthia Williams, appeared to have an outside shot at a podium finish. Stewart has the only recent sub-20 5K and also has the distinction of being the 2016 W60 10K Champion. Cary has a 5K in the high 20's with Miller-Robinett and the two others in the upper 22 to low 23 range. Once the gun went off and the race was under way it was clear that the only one who was going to stop Stewart today would be Stewart herself. She headed out with the top 55-59 year old runners, crossing the halfway mat in 9:43. She already had a 20 second gap on Cary who, in turn, had a 40 second lead over Miller-Robinett. and then Taylor and Williams followed 15 seconds back. From there the gaps grew a bit but the places remained the same. In the end it was Stewart with a 27 victory over Cary. It was over a minute back to Miller-Robinett who hung on gamely to take the bronze by nearly a minute over Williams and Taylor.

Nancy Stewart wins the Women's 60-64 Gold medal at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Stewart 20:03, Cary 20:30, Miller-Robinett 21:53.

Men 65-69. Tom Bernhard was gunning for Bill Borla's M65 US record of 18:12. This one seemed even more certain than Pilcher's as Bernhard won this race last year as a 64 year old in 17:36 and ran 17:16 just before his 65th birthday. No one else would likely be close to Bernhard but Hall of Famer, Doug Bell who ran 18:39 here last year and has an 18:47 5K this year was favored to be as close as anyone could get. Not far back from Bell, a rejuvenated Peter Mullin was expected to contend. He took a 3rd in the USATF 10K Championships in 39:42, defeating the great Vermont runner, Bill Dixon, in the process. Bell came in right ahead of Mullin in that race. Although not quite in the same class as those 3, Kirk Larson would be pushing the pace and has an outside shot at a podium spot should any of the others have an off day. Bernhard was actually disappointed in himself as he ran what he called the 'most poorly paced race of my life.' He shot off at the gun, feeling comfortable with his pace but was amazed to find he had overcooked it, hitting the 1 mile mark in 5:20 and the halfway mat in 8:26, at least ten seconds ahead of where he wanted to be. Luckily for Bernhard, his ability is such that even though he 'died' over the last half of the race he still had enough gas to crush the record by well over half a minute and win the age group by 44 seconds. 

Tom Bernhard sets the US 5K Record  for Men 65-69 and takes the Division Gold Medal at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

The race between Bell and Mullin turned out to be tighter than expected. Mullin surprised Bell by hitting the halfway point in under 9 minutes! Bell flashed across the mat seven seconds later. Try as he might, Bell could not gain on Mullin this time.  

Kirk Larson heading to a top-4 finish in the Men's 65-69 Division with a sub-20 minute 5K at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Katherine Frontino]

Mullin had a lead of 15 seconds at the finish line. Larson ran a strong second half to keep the rest of the field at bay but could not break onto the podium. 
Bernhard  17:32, Mullin 18:16, Bell 18:31.
[Note: Records are based on net time so Bernhard's new record is 17:31] 

Women 65-69. Kathryn 'Kathy' Martin was aiming to take down Sabra Harvey's two year old US record for the age group of 20:27. Because of the heavy training she was doing to be ready for this record attempt and the World Masters Athletics Championships at Perth Australia later in October, she had posted slower times than usual in her late summer/early autumn races. She ran 19:24 here last year so the record seemed almost sure to fall but there was still a little suspense. No one is quite in Martin's class but Edie Stevenson is not far off. She has three age group national championships already and three World Class times. She ran 21:34 here last year. Behind Martin and Stevenson, Coreen Steinbach and Jo Anne Rowland should battle for the bronze. Steinbach has just moved up from the 55-59 group and appears to have the edge with several 5K races in the 22 minute range. Rowland's best 5K times are in the low 23's but she is a real competitor and will not be counted out. Martin went out at her usual pace, running with the top women from the 55-59 and 60-64 groups, hitting the halfway mark in 9:46. It would be a full minute before Stevenson would cross that mat and another half minute back to Steinbach. She had 16 seconds on Rowland. Martin slowed over the second half of the race but still smashed the record by 30 seconds and claimed the age group gold by well over a minute. 

Kathy Martin sets a new US Record while winning the Gold Medal for Women 65-69 at the 2016 USATF 5K Championships [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Stevenson had no trouble although she did run a bit slower than last year; she claimed silver with well over a minute's cushion. Not only that, she claimed the US single age 5K record for Women 67 years of age by 14 seconds, replacing Jan Holmquist. 

Edie Stevenson tkes the Silver Medal in the Women's 65-69 Division while setting the US 5K Record for Women 67 Years of Age at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Steinbach ran a nice second half of the race to keep Rowland and Nonie Hudnall off the podium. Hudnall ran a perfectly even pace and so made up 14 seconds on Rowland over the latter part of the course.
Martin 19:57, Stevenson 21:56, Steinbach 23:20.
[Note: Martin's gun and net times were both 19:57 so that is her new record time.]

Men 70-74. It appeared this would be a cakewalk for Gary Patton, the track specialist who decided to contest a few more road races this year than most years to celebrate turning 70.  He has run strong all year, winning the 8K XC and 1 Mile road Championships and finishing 2nd at the 8K and 10K. The last runner to beat him this year, Paul Carlin (yours truly), sustained a hamstring injury right after the 10K championships and still lacked a full push-off on the left side. It seemed that the only other runner with a chance might be Jan Frisby who is the current holder of the single age 5K record for 70 year old's, 20:20, at the Syracuse Festival of Races. If he had worked hard over the summer, lost a little weight, and regained some of his 2016 fitness, he could definitely push Patton. Przemek Nowicki, who had a quad problem at the 1 Mile Championships in August, had recovered from that and had a good month of training. He ran 21:13 here last year and I expected him to run that fast or faster. Jim May ran 21:08 on the track and had two recent road 5K's in 21:12 and 21:23. My notes on another contender, Dave Glass, a newcomer to USATF competition, was that he had run his 5K's in the low 21's and had a 27:28 4 mile run. It seemed unlikely he would be able to match Patton, Frisby, May and Nowicki. When the gun went off, Patton surged away from the field, with May and Glass not far behind. Then came Nowicki, followed by Frisby and then me. When I passed Frisby after the first 400 meters, it was clear Frisby had not had a productive summer of training. Patton kept pushing and crossed the halfway mark in 9:48. Still Glass was only 7 seconds back with May another 5 seconds back from him. Although Nowicki was 24 seconds back from May, if he were focusing on negative splits he would be in good position to contend for the podium. I was happy to come along 20 seconds after Nowicki, with the same time as Richard Kutzner, the long distance specialist from Arizona who won the M70 division at the USATF Half Marathon Championship this year. Glass could not hang with Patton over the 2nd half of the race as Patton unleashed his ferocious kick when he got close to the finish and grew his winning margin to 13 seconds. 

Gary Patton going at full tilt well past the finish line. No one will catch him at the tape! He wins the Gold Medal for Men 70-74 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Glass proved that he was no fluke however. His earlier times were probably in races where he was not pushed; when competing with strong runners Glass showed he could compete and earned a Silver Medal in the process. May could not hang with Glass but he hung tough and took the bronze with over a half minute to spare. 

Dave Glass takes the Silver Medal for Men 70-74 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

I surprised myself by coming up next to Nowicki with 600 yards to go. Nowicki was having an off day despite his good training, but when he saw me, that woke him up and he roused himself, kicked it in and took 4th by a second. I got 5th with Kutzner now 24 seconds back in 6th.
Patton 20:03, Glass 20:16, May 20:55. 
[And yep, Patton did get Frisby's single age SFoR record with his net time of 20:00.] 

Women 70-74. With record-holder and defending champion, Jan Holmquist, out with an injury, the podium was open for a terrific competition between Dianne Anderson, Mary Casey, and Sue Gardinier. Gardinier ran 27:49 last year but has no races in 2016. Anderson had not run as fast as Gardinier but has been active on the USATF circuit this year. Her 47:40 8K at Brea would be roughly equivalent to a 28:45 5K. If Gardinier is not at her best, a 28 minute 5K might be good enough to win it all. Casey should not be in contention with those two but appears to be strong enough to take 3rd handily. Anderson was certainly game. She hit the halfway mark in 13:04 with no F70 bibs in sight. Gardinier was indeed not at her best as she struggled across the same mat in 14:32, 5 seconds behind Casey. Anderson had no trouble over the second half waltzing across the finish line in 27:16 for a strong win. Even if Gardinier had been able to match her 2015 time, Anderson would have had a handsome win. As it happened, Gardinier showed her pluck in coming from behind at the halfway point, surging past Casey to claim the Silver medal with a 16 second edge over Casey. Casey had no trouble keeping the rest of the W70 field at bay and off the podium.

Sue Gardinier takes the Silver Medal in the women's 70-74 Division at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Anderson 27:16, Gardinier 28:58, Casey 29:14.

Men 75-79. The defending champion, Ron Mastin, who ran 23:07 last year, has been injured since April; it seemed unlikely he could compete for the podium. That left it open for contenders Matt Lalumia, Joseph Saley,  and George Tooker. Tooker seemed capable of breaking 26 ith lalumia capable of breaking 27 minutes and Saley perhaps under 27:30. I had not prepared a prediction for a late entrant, Roger Robinson. Had I known he would enter and had I seen his 23:10 at a recent 5K, I would certainly have installed him as the favorite. Robinson certainly ran as if he expected to win. He hit the halfway mark in 11:07. His closest competitor, Tooker, was a minute behind, with it being another half minute back to Tony Fiory who was having a terrific day. Not predicted to be in contention, Fiory had 43 seconds on Saley and 46 on Lalumia. Robinson had no problem, rolling home in under 23:00, serving notice to Mastin that even if he is fully recovered next year, he may well have a battle on his hands. 

Roger Robinson wins the Gold Medal for Men 75-79 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Over two minutes later Tooker came across the line to claim the Silver medal. Tooker had run strongly over the second half of the course, building his margin over Fiory from a half to a full minute. And Fiory had also built his margin over Lalumia to a minute and 24 seconds, as Lalumia had passed and stayed ahead of Saley over the second half.
Robinson 22:45, Tooker 25:13, Fiory 26:14.

Women 75-79.  The defending champion, Madeline Bost, was not able to cme to Syracuse to defend her title. Margie Stoll was the favorite as the only entered runner who regularly runs 5K races in under 30 minutes and she did not disappoint. She crossed the halfway mat in 13:13. Four minutes later Christa Maier, whom I had picked for 3rd, came across in 2nd place. My pick for 2nd, Estelle Hahn, took a more measured approach and crossed the mat 9 seconds later in 4th. I had been worried that Fran Rowe, who looked like a contender based on her spring races, but had a slow 5K recently, might not be in the hunt for a podium finish here. But she showed that I might well be wrong by hitting the halfway point 6 seconds ahead of Hahn in 3rd.  Stoll kept up her pace over the latter part of the race, claiming the gold medal with a margin of victory of over 8 minutes. At some point over the last half of the race, Hahn must have caught up with Rowe and then they went forward together from there. They passed Meier and finished with the same timme although Rowe, in second, must have had a fraction of a second lead.

Fran Rowe (L) earns 2nd place by a fraction of a second over Estelle Hahn (R) in the Women's 75-79 Division at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Stoll 27:18,  Rowe 35:54, Hahn 35:54.

Men 80-84. I had the order picked well in this one but it was much closer for the gold medal than I had thought. Wade Stockman was the defending champion;  I thought he would win easily. Jon Desenberg gave him a lot to think about. Stockman went out in the lead but Desenberg was determined to stick with him. Stockman crossed the halfway point in 15:12 with Desenberg only two seconds back. Two minutes later we discovered a similar battle for the last podium spot. Sam Graceffo hit the halfway point in 17:15; I thought Fritz Schlereth would be quite a bit behind at that point but he, too, was running a gritty race and was only 5 seconds back. Graceffo could take no more for granted than Stockman could. Stockman held strong, pulling away from Desenberg over the last 2 kilometers to claim gold with nearly a minute margin. 

Wade Stockman successfully defends his 2015 title, taking the Gold medal for Men 80-84 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Desenberg was in 2nd, well ahead of Graceffo. Like Stockman, Graceffo pulled away after the halfway point to claim the third podium spot with a wide margin.
Stockman 31:16, Desenberg 32:12, Graceffo 35:49. 

Women 80-84. The top woman in this division was the remarkable Libby James from Boulder Colorado. We noted earlier that she broke the US record for this division by over 4 minutes. Naturally she won the division handily. She had well over a 4 minute lead by the time she hit the halfway mark in 12:19. She did not slow down much thereafter claiming her record and her division title in 25:14. 

Libby James (yellow singlet) Heads to the Finish Line and a new US 5K record for Women 80-84 and the Division Gold Medal as well at the 2016 USATF 5K Championship [Photo by Katherine Frontino]

Tami Graf had almost as strong a hold on the silver medal. She crossed the halfway point in 16:53, nearly two minutes ahead of Anny Stockman who was the third runner across the mat but Edna Hyer was only a half minute back in 4th. There was plenty of time to make up that sort of deficit. Graf did not falter in the second half, clipping along to take second place with three minutes to spare. Hyer ran a good second half of the race but not as strong as Stockman, who pulled away to claim the bronze medal by over a minute.
James 25:14, Graf 35:02, Stockman 38:13.
[Note: James's record time is her net time, 25:11]

Men 85-89.  USATF hardly ever has a race where there are three or more 85-89 year olds contesting the top spots but that's what the Syracuse Festival of Races had this year. David Rider had won this race in 2014 with a time of 33:06 but had not raced since then as far as I could tell. Still that seemed strong enough to make him the favorite. Edward Doucette had run a 3.5 mile and a 3.8 mile race this year but his times suggested he would be pressed to break 38 minutes in a 5K. Those two clearly had an expected gap on Sheldon Kall who ran 52:31 here last year. It turned out to be much closer than I anticipated. Apparently Rider had not lost too much ground during his two year layoff from road racing. He crossed the halfway mat at 17:11 but far from running at 12:15 per mile pace, Doucette was clipping the miles off at 11:15 per mile pace and was only 16 seconds behind Rider. That was not much of a cushion. At least that is what rider must have thought as he put a little more distance between him and Doucette over the last mile and a half. In the end Rider had the gold medal with 22 seconds to spare. Doucette took 2nd with no trouble; Kall claimed the gold medal. Kall ran faster than his 2015 time by over 5 minutes.

David Rider takes the Gold Medal for Men 85-89 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championship [Photo by Bob Brock Images/rhbrockj11@me.com]

Rider 35:43, Doucette 36:05, Kall 47:15.

Men 90 and up. Just when  Willis Moses was finally going to get some competition in his 85-89 age group, he left it and moved up to 90 and over where he took the gold medal unopposed. But any 90 year old and many younger men would have had a tough time taking the medal from him if they had been fit enough to show up. Moses hit the halfway point in 18:15 and did not slow much over the second half of the course. He finished in 39:13 for a fine race. Breaking 45 minutes at 90 would be great; breaking 40 is really something!

Willis Moses headed to the Finish Line and another Age Division Gold Medal, this time for Men 90-94 at the 2016 USATF Masters 5K Championships [Photo by Katherine Frontino]

 Moses 39:13 

This was a tremendous Championship Event with highly competitive runners in every Age Division. Congratulations to all who came to Syracuse and competed!

 The final post for the 5K Championship will cover Teams, Elite Performance Medals and my Overall Masters Race and Age-Grading Grand Prix computations.

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.