Athletes to Compete In 2023 USATF Masters12 Km Championships on the Jersey Shore

 September 16, 2023. This coming Sunday will see the Sandy Hook National Park provide a spectacular setting for the Masters 12 Km National Championships. A spit of land jutting north towards the Statue of Liberty, it provides glimpses of water and sand and various shore birds. Once the gun goes off, all the focus will be on the race. The USATF-NJ Association hosts the event as part of its By Hook Or By Crook Run; this is their third consecutive year to host the national championship.

Masters athletes from across the country converge to compete, as individuals and teams, for national glory. The competition and camaraderie bring out the best in us. This course can be fast; records were set here two years ago. It looks like several could fall this year if the weather stays moderate. Last year it was warm; athletes dialed back their efforts or struggled. This year the race starts a half hour earlier and the forecast is relatively favorable. Last September it was already 72F at race time and humid, with a dewpoint of 64. This year it is predicted to be 66F at race time; the dewpoint of 53 suggests extra humidity should not be the problem it was last year. It will be sunny again, and the course has little shade.

Record Possibilities. The American Record that seems most certain to fall is Women 75-79. That is because Jeannie Rice is entered. This will be her final tune-up race before going for the Marathon World Record at Chicago. She ran faster than the 75-79 World Record when she clocked 3:33:15 at Boston this past April. Because of a technicality, the course at Boston is not record eligible, although it is known to be, usually, one of the tougher marathons. Should she run an equivalent age grade at this 12 Km, she would break the existing 75-79 record by over 5 minutes.

Jeannie Rice on the Track--Taking the Bell for another Gold medal!

 That is probably too optimistic, but Libby James's 2014 record seems almost certain to fall. Roberta Groner is also entered. The first US finisher at the Women's Marathon at the Doha World Championships, Groner has been taking down 45-49 records this year. She now owns the 10 Mile record at 55:13 and has marks in the 10 Km, 33:41, and the Half Marathon, 1:11:28, that are pending final ratification. She ran a minute faster than the current 12 Km record on this course two years ago. She is running even better now. Should she age grade at the same level as her half marathon, she would be more than three minutes under the record. It is probably too warm and sunny for that kind of performance, but Groner running faster than the current 43:38 record seems very likely. 

Roberta Groner winning the Overall 12 Km Championship in 2021 Photo Credit for this and all other 12 Km Pictures, both 2021 and 2022 go to Jason Timochko

The Record for Women 55-59 is held by Lisa Veneziano, set here in 2021 at 46:13. Veneziano is not entered but Fiona Bayly is. Bayly won the division last year in 47:38, under tough conditions. Her performances this year at the 10 Mile and the 10 Km championships suggests that a time well under 46:30 is more likely this year. Whether the day is good enough to allow Bayly to get under 46:13 is an open question. The record in 50-54 is 44:56, set in 1993. Perry Shoemaker finished 3rd overall here in 2021, clocking 46:08. But she has been running faster recently. She has always run well at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in Washington DC and this year was no exception. She won the Masters race with a 1:00:37. If she can match the age grade she scored there, Shoemaker would be under the record by 20 seconds or so, not a lot of room for error. On the other hand, she will have Abby Dean to push her. Dean finished 2nd overall last year, and first in 50-54, in 46:42; she could well run faster than that this year. Nora Cary could make a run at her own record of 51:09, set here in 2021, but she may not be fully at the top of her game after recovering from an injury earlier this year. Sabra Harvey, the 2017 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, started competing again after an absence from national championships; her main goal was to help Team Red Lizard in the team championships. That is still her goal but her fitness has returned. Harvey is definitely a threat to acquire the 12 Km record for 70-74; it currently stands at 58:22. Harvey ran 1:16:57 at the Space City Ten Miler in October and 1:44:24 at the Houston Half Marathon. Both performances suggest the 12 Km record is within her grasp. The record at risk on the Men's side is 60-64. Nat Larson has taken down 60-64 American Records from the Mile to the Half Marathon this year. He won here last year on a hot day in 43:43, which is almost a minute slower than the current record of 42:50, set in 2014 by Tom McCormack. 

Nat Larson winning the 60-64 12K Championship in 2022 

If the weather is cool enough, Larson could well run fast enough to beat that record. If he equals the performance he had in May when he broke the Half Marathon record, Larson could be a minute under it. And he will have competitive pressure from Rick Lee and Steve Schmidt, both of whom should crack 45 minutes!

Overall Championships. MEN The primary contenders appear to be: Fabian Eduardo Daza, Michael Dixon, Dickson Mercer, and David Angell. If any of those three have an off day, others who might factor into the podium race include: Peter Anzovino, Joseph Gaynor, Aaron Totten-Lancaster, Gregory Putnam and Chuck Terry. 

Daza, Mercer, and Angell finished 5th, 6th and 8th last year. Daza clocked 40:21. His Masters win at the Ridgewood 10K this May in 33:24 suggests his fitness is similar. In April of 2022 Daza ran 1:10:31to take top Masters finisher at the Dick's Sporting Goods Half Marathon. If he could rekindle the flame that burned that day, he might even crack 40 minutes! 

David Angell #305 and Aaron Totten-Lancaster #261 leading out some of the top contenders in 2022

Mercer ran 40:42 last year. He finished 5th at the Masters Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse in April but has been up and down since. He rehabbed a hip issue over the summer and then dealt with some hamstring tightness. Mercer appears to be rounding into good shape again but has not been tested in a recent race. Angell has also had issues, but his injury was further back and involved ankle and Achilles problems. 

He was not fully recovered last year when he ran 41:00; he should be a more formidable opponent this Sunday. His 3rd place finish in the Masters 10 Km Championships in Dedham Ma in April suggest that a time under 41:00 and perhaps under 40:30 is within his grasp. Dickson finished 5th overall at the Spring Distance Classic 15K in 51:29. That equates via age grading to a 40:43 12K. His 33:23 10K at the Ridgewood Run on Memorial Day equates to a 41:09. Those performances suggest he is firmly in the mix. 

Fabian Daza 5th overall in last year's Championship

Anzovino clocked a 1:15:11 half marathon at the April 2022 Delaware Run Fest, which equates to a 41:44 12K. In November he ran the NYC Marathon in 2:51:34. Gaynor ran 41:26 to finish 11th overall last year. His 27:22 at the Tom Fleming Sunset 5 Miler in late June equates to a 41:24. But he finished a minute behind Dixon at the Ridgewood Run. Totten-Lancaster ran well last year at 41:52, right after moving from Colorado to New Jersey. His training has gone well recently but he has not targeted this race for peak fitness. His most recent indicator of fitness for an intermediate distanced race is his Garden State 10 Mile Relay time of 57:13 in March. That equates, roughly, to a 42:00 effort over 12 Km. Putnam, out of the 50-54 division, is a longshot. But he did land on the podium at the Half Marathon championships. It would be a mistake to ignore him. In finishing 7th overall at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham, his 34:21 suggests 41:30 would not be an implausible goal for this Sunday. Terry finished 4 seconds behind Putnam at Dedham. His 53:26 15K at the Stockade-a-thon equates to a 42:17 12K.

Based on this review it appears that Angell and Daza will duel for the win. I opt for Angell taking the win because he is on the upswing. He has won several prior Masters National Overall championships which may provide some advantage. This would be a first for Daza. Mercer could well be the 3rd athlete on the podium, but I will opt for Dixon because Mercer is coming out of rehabbing an injury.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order:

David Angell     Fabian Eduardo Daza     Michael Dixon

WOMEN Roberta Groner is the clear favorite for the win. Her credentials are listed above in terms of her very good chance to break the 45-49 American Record. If she runs close to her potential, under 43 minutes, no one will be able to stay with her. But we still have to run the race; nothing is ever certain.  Kristen Prendergast returns to defend her title; she took the Overall title last year in 46:07. She was the 2^nd Masters finisher at the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March, at 1:21:57, and took top women’s honors at the Clinton Township Country Run over 15 K in April. Those two races suggest a time around or under 46:00 would not be a stretch. 

Kristen Prendergast taking the Overall win last year

Abby Dean finished in 2nd, just a half minute back from Prendergast, last year. She had some ups and downs over the winter but came back strong to finish 4th at the 10 Km Masters Championships in Dedham in 38:15. A tough outing at Grandma's Marathon meant her subsequent performances at the Mile Championships and the Beach to beacon 10K were not her best. Another 5 weeks of recovery should do wonders though. No doubt she will be in the hunt! Alexandra Niles, new to the Masters division, finished 10^th overall and first woman at the Eversource Hartford Marathon last October in 2:43:23. If she can run well enough on Sunday to earn the same age grade, she would need to run around 44:30. A 2020 Olympic Trials Qualifier, Niles knows how to compete. I have no recent results to parse any further. Jennifer Pesce, the Masters 5 Km National Champion, will also challenge at this longer distance. Her 2^nd place Masters finish at the Blue Cross Broad Street Run over 10 Miles last May. in 59:16 shows that she can handle the distance! That time is age-grade equivalent to a 43:38. That might be a bit optimistic because the Broad Street Run is known as a fast course. But a time around 44:00 seems plausible. 

Jennifer Pesce winning the 2023 5 Km Overall Championship in Atlanta

Perry Shoemaker, out of the 50-54 division, who ran 46:08 to finish 3^rd here in 2021 cannot be ignored. She was the first Masters finisher at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler this past April in 1:00:37. That is age grade equivalent to a 44:33 12K.  A 37:31 at the New York Mini 10K in June suggests a sub-46 12K is likely for Shoemaker on Sunday. Fiona Bayly, now in the 55-59 division, is still a threat for the podium. She finished 5^th here last year in 47:38. But she took the Overall bronze medal at the 10 Km Masters Championships last April in 38:10, suggesting something close to 46 might be possible. She also finished 4th overall at the Masters Ten Mile Championships in Sacramento. Her 1:03:06 is also consistent with something under 46:30 for a 12K. 

As noted, Groner is the favorite for the win. After that it is more difficult. I will go for Pesce to take 2nd, followed by Niles. But Prendergast is the defending champion, and she knows the course better than Niles and Pesce. Shoemaker, Bayly and Dean, possibly in that order, will press the other four for the podium!

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order:

Roberta Groner     Alexandra Niles     Jennifer Pesce

Age Grading Championships. The age grade medals recognize the fastest runners for their age across all age divisions. The Performance Level Percentage PLP measures, in percentage terms, how the fast the athlete's time is compared to the projected fastest time for an athlete of that age, in years. If the World's best time is 40:00 and you run 50:00, your age grade score is 80% because the best time, in seconds, 2400, is 80% of your time in seconds, 3000. The Masters LDR Committee recommends the calculator at MLDR Road age-grading calculator (howardgrubb.co.uk), which is calibrated to the USATF approved road race age grading tables for 2020. The Masters LDR Committee has also promoted the language that a 90% or above is a World Class time, with 80% and above a national class time. 

WOMEN: Top favorites for the overall age grade awards include: Rice 75, Harvey 74, Groner 45, Shoemaker 52, Bayly 56, Nora Cary 68, and Kris Clark 60.  Rice's Boston Marathon time age grades at over 100%. She has competed at some local races over the summer, including a 38:09 5 Miler, that grades at 97.74%, and a 1:41:57 Half Marathon that graded at 101.5%. Harvey's Space City ten Miler grades at 98.33%, and her Houston Aramco Half Marathon at 95.91%. Harvey clearly put in the miles for those efforts. Groner is not far back; her 1:11:27 half marathon graded at 96.87. Her 10 Mile record run graded at 95.38 and her 10 Km record at 95.09%! Shoemaker's Cherry Blossom Ten Miler graded at 93.72. 

Perry Shoemaker finishing 3rd overall in 2021

Bayly's 10K graded a tad lower at 93.52. Cary set the 65-69 American record here two years ago; she is running well again after being injured. Her most recent outing shows she has recovered, at least for the 5K. She clocked 21:55 at the Verona Labor Day 5K.  That age grades at: 93.51! Amazing as that is, Cary will need to improve on that to have a chance at top 5! Clark took 4th in age grading at the 5Km in Atlanta with a 93.75 but then sustained an injury shortly before the 10 Mile Championships in Sacramento. This will be her first national championship since that time; it will be interesting to see if she is as fit now as in Atlanta. And there are many other fine athletes who will grade near or above World Class, including: Mary Cass, Abby Dean, Jeanette Groesz, and Suzanne La Burt. I will let the numbers guide me on this one but, of course, it comes down to the unknown mix of preparation and performance on the day. The favorites are Rice, Harvey and Groner in that order. 

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order:

Roberta Groner     Sabra Harvey     Jeannie Rice

MEN Only one runner is missing from the top 7 last year; Rick Becker, who finished first, just .04% points above 2nd place, is in Eugene, Oregon for the final Diamond league meet of the season. Nat Larson 61, Brian Crowley 58, Gene Dykes 75, Henry Notaro 61, Roger Sayre 65, and Dave Glass 77 finished in that order last year, in 2nd through 7th. Larson is a slim favorite. Dykes has gotten a blood platelet issue under control and seems to be running better than last year. He just took home four gold medals from the Masters Track and Field Championships this July, including the steeplechase. Rick Lee 62, the American Record 60-64 holder over 50K and 50 Miles, and 60-64 winner at Boston this past Patriot’s Day, also took steeplechase honors in July. Since then he came in ahead of Larson at the Faxon 20K in New Haven on Labor Day and won his division handily at the Fifth Avenue Mile in the rain.  Steve Schmidt 62, who beat Lee and Notaro in the downpour at the Club Cross Country Championships, will try to rekindle that magic on the roads. 

Larson graded at 90.44% here last year. With cooler weather in the offing, Larson should come closer to his usual level. His 60-64 record performance in the half marathon graded at 94.41%. His 34:24 net time at the 10K championships scored a 94.33. On a warm Labor Day in New Haven, Larson still managed an 89.58%. My guess is that Larson, this Sunday, will be closer to 94% than 90%. 

Crowley's grade last year was 90.40%. Like others in this list, Crowley had some issues to work on these past months. His performances this spring were close to his 12Km performance. His 35:49 10K at the Ridgewood Run in May and his 17:37 5K and his June 17:37 5k both graded at almost 89%. But there have been few races since. It will be interesting to see on Sunday if he is closer to what he was running in the spring or if his fitness is still a bit off. He was rehabbing during that time. He logged good milage from the last week in July 50-60 per week through Labor Day before taking some time off for a family vacation. He should be ready for a good run!

Dykes graded at 89.60% last year, well below his norm. But this has been an up and down year for Dykes. In January he thought he had his problems licked when he ran a modest, for him, 1:31:43 Half marathon in Naples FL. That graded at 89.06%. He expected things to go better. But that has not shown up in races yet. He ran in some 5K's and graded similarly in the high 80's. great for most runners but below what he expects of himself. His workouts have improved dramatically lately. He is building toward the Berlin Marathon later in the month. If he comes in healthy, he could rip off a 12K time that would put him back several percentage points above 90, where he was regularly in 2017-2019. 

Notaro has not been as active this year as last. He apparently had a knee issue in the spring but has come back from that. He has logged a lot of miles over the past two months to get ready for Chicago.  He is no doubt running for team points this year. My guess is that he is also fit enough to compete as well as in the recent past as an individual. 

Sayre graded at 88.39% last year. My guess is that Sayre could move up. His 1:01:09 at the 10 Mile national championships graded at 92.24%. Like Notaro, Sayre has been logging the miles to prep for Chicago. He should be ready for a fast 12K.

Glass graded at 88.11% last year. But this has been a difficult year for Glass, starting with Club Cross where Gary Ostwald outran him. That was not too big a surprise on the turf. But when Ostwald started beating him on the roads, that was a surprise. And Glass's age grades fell. Glass is a fine runner and may yet come back to run high 80's again. He has had some months to recover his fitness.

Lee, as noted, came in ahead of Larson at the 20K on Labor Day, running a 1:15:06 for a 91.63%. That is a fairly typical age grade for Lee. Like anyone he has had his bad days. He races frequently at any distance from 800 meters to 50 Miles. His 2021 12K on this course graded at 89.07% but his half marathon at Gasparilla this February, a 1:19:06, graded at 90.92%. His winning effort at Boston in 2:46:36 graded at 91.40%.

Rick Lee winning the 60-64 12K Championship in 2021

Scmidt, known more as a marathoner, actually had his highest age grade this year at the 5K championships in Atlanta, scoring a 91.50% on that 'Atlanta Flat' course. One of the first members of Amby Burfoot's 6DS3 club 6 decades of sub-3 hour marathons, Schmidt joined the Ann Arbor Track Club's 60+ team this year and has made a big contribution. He has been on the age-grading podium in each of the road championships he has contested, finishing 2nd at the 5K, ahead of Lee and Sayre; 2nd at the Half Marathon on the hilly course in Syracuse, ahead of Sayre; and 3rd at the 10 Km championship behind Larson. Based on those outings, Schmidt seems a good bet for the age grading podium.

I think Larson will rise to the top again. It could be another 1-2-3 for the 60-64 group as it was at the 10 Km in Dedham. Lee and Schmidt should be close and either could come in ahead of him in age grading. If they can stay close in real time, they can outpoint Larson in age grading; they are each 62 while Larson is 60. Crowley or Dykes could break them up. but I go with Larson-Lee-Schmidt in that order. But it could be like last year where the top three are separated by just hundredths of a percentage point.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Nat Larson     Rick Lee     Steve Schmidt

Age Division Championships. MEN 40-44 Daza, Dixon, Gaynor, Mercer and Terry were all mentioned in the analysis of the Overall Championships above. That analysis suggests Daza, Dixon, and Mercer could well go 1-2-3 in that order, but Gaynor and Terry will certainly be in the mix and could easily upset that prediction.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Fabian Eduardo Daza     Michael Dixon     Dickson Mercer

45-49 Angell and Totten-Lancaster T-L, both mentioned for consideration in the Overall Championships, appear to be the strongest two in the field, with Angell likely ahead of T-L. They took gold and bronze in the division, in that order last year, at 41 flat and 41:52. If Angell runs as well as he did at Dedham, a time in the low 40's could be his. Several others look like they could get close to those two. Matthew DiPretore finished two places and a minute and a half behind Angell at the 10 Km Championships. That time suggests a rough 12K equivalent of 42:30. Like many high-altitude runners, Robbie Genzel likes the trails more than the roads. But he ran a road race in March, the Running of the Green Lucky 7K in Denver, in 24:57. That equates to a 43:32 12K. But as that was done at altitude, it suggests a sub-43 is within his reach at sea level if the humidity stays low, as predicted. Christopher Hernandez finished 6th in the division last year, a minute and a half behind T-L. He finished better in Atlanta over a hilly 5K course, suggesting he has the potential to go under 43.  Joseph Maranzani, and Shawn Williams will need to run a little faster than they have been to break up those five. Maranzani finished 7th in the division last year in 44:23. His 1:19:53 performance at the Seaside Half Marathon last October was very comparable in age grading terms. It will probably take a sub-43 to make the podium in this division. Williams's 35:07 at the 10 Km Championships in Dedham was only 8 seconds slower than Di Pretore's time. But I can find no other race results for him since the end of April, which raises some doubts about race fitness for this weekend. There is clearly a fair amount of guess work going on, but I will opt for DiPretore to prevail as final athlete on the 45-49 podium, ahead of Genzel and Hernandez.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

David Angell     Matthew DiPretore     Aaron Totten-Lancaster

50-54 Steve Bell and Gregory Putnam renew their rivalry. They met at the 10 Km Masters Championships earlier this year, hosted by the James Joyce Ramble at the end of April. Putnam took the win in 34:21; Bell was 15 seconds back in 2nd. Putnam has the advantage of knowing the course; he finished 2nd here last year in 42:12. 

Gregory Putnam headed for 3rd Overall at the Half Marathon Championships in Syracuse Photo courtesy of Syracuse Half Marathon

Brent Fields, in the 45-49 division last year, ran 40 seconds slower than Putnam. His 35:38 at the AJC Peachtree Run, not known for fast times, reinforces the notion that he should run around 43:00 or a bit under. That puts him in the mix for the podium this year. Marco Cardoso would be right there with them had it not been for getting caught in a pile-up at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in DC in early April. The injury sustained there was, no doubt, responsible for the 38:35 10K he ran at the Ridgewood Run on Memorial Day. He ran 36:22 at the Giralda Farms 10K a couple of months after the 12K. If he is fully recovered now, he will push the others for a place on the podium. Joseph Hegge ran 43:48 here last year; his 1:18:49 at the UA RnR Half marathon in DC in March reinforces the notion that he should break 44 again this year. Frederick Dolan and Gary Rosenberg will be in the hunt as well. Still, I like a finishing order of Putnam-Bell-Fields. 

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Steve Bell     Brent Fields     Gregory Putnam

55-59 If Brian Crowley can run as he did here last year when the won the division in 42:23, it does not seem likely anyone will stay with him. The 35:49 10K he ran on Memorial Day of this year was only 40 seconds slower than his 10K in late April of 2022 at the 10 Km Championships. But he was rehabbing a minor injury in the early part of the summer. 

Brian Crowley winning the 55-59 Championship last year

His training has looked good lately with lots of mileage in August. He should be good for the division win. David Waid is a podium contender. His 1:19:37 at the Birmingham (AL) Half Marathon and a 1:00:07 Ten Miler last January suggest he should be able to handle a 12 Km time around 44:00. Joseph Shairs, who trains with Putnam, from 50-54, looks like a real podium threat. He ran a 36:09 10K at Dedham, which equates to a 43:51 12K.  His 1:20:41 Half Marathon at Boston's Run to Remember on Memorial Day equates to a 44:40. Mark Hixson's 37:12 at the 10 Km Championships this spring equates to a 45:09 12K. He reinforced that expectation with a 29:39 at the Branford 5 Miler in June. Simon Angove, Jeffrey Conston, Dale Flanders, Scott Siriano, and Michael Strickland have strong credentials; any one of them might break up the top 4 I have highlighted. My prediction though is for: Crowley, Waid, and Shairs in that order, with Hixson pushing them strongly.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Brian Crowley      Joseph Shairs     David Waid

60-64 Since he turned 60, Nat Larson has won the division at every championship this year and at almost every race he has entered. The sole exception seems to be the 20K at New Haven over Labor Day, which is not a Masters National Championship. And the 60-64 division as a whole is unusually dominant in age grading. I suggested the top three in age grading, Larson, Rick Lee, and Steve Schmidt might all come from this 60-64 division, with Henry Notaro not that far off. I listed the likely order as Larson-Lee-Schmidt. Read there, and in Records, for more analysis. It should be Larson-Lee-Schmidt in this division. But those three are so strong, the order could easily change. Larson ran 43:43 here on a very warm, humid day. He could well break 43 this year. Lee and Schmidt should both break 44. Notaro ran 44:18 her last year and is in the midst of training for Chicago, as is Lee. It will be another barn-burner of a race! I am going for Larson-Lee-Schmidt.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Nat Larson     Rick Lee     Steve Schmidt 

65-69 Roger Sayre was on the 60-64 podium here last year in 46:17. He is favored to win 65-69 this year in a similar time, or better. His 1:01:09 M65 win at the ten-mile championships last April converts to a 44:48 12 Km time. He has been running strong all year and has been logging mileage recently as he gears up for the Chicago Marathon. 

Roger Sayre #316 holding off Joe Mora to his left for the 60-64 silver medal in 2021

This 12 K will probably be his last tune-up race; it will be interesting to see what he can do. Michael Lebold, Scott Lucking, Timothy Riccardi and, perhaps, Reno Stirrat could all bring it home in around 50 flat. Lebold's 4th place effort at the Ten-mile Masters Championships equates to a 49:57. Lucking finished 2nd here last year in 50:49. But with no recent performances since the 5 Km XC at Boulder that I can find, Lucking may be here primarily as a good teammate, with no thought for an individual award. Riccardi finished 2nd in this division at Dedham; his 41:57 equates to a 50:56 12K.Stirrat ran 54:21 here last year. His 10K at Dedham was 43:46, equating to a 53:10. Stirrat has been up and down over the last couple of years. His workouts suggest he is running better although there are occasional flareups of piriformis and other problematic issues. A lot of people are pulling for Reno to have a good day and come in well under 53! Guessing that Lucking is not at his best, I opt for a finishing order of Sayre-Lebold-Riccardi.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Michael Lebold     Timothy Riccardi     Roger Sayre

70-74 Fernando Moura took 3rd last year in 52:02 behind Robert Qualls and Gene Dykes. Moura's 36:36 in the Revolutionary War 5 Miler this spring equates to a 55:40. Qualls is focusing on another goal this weekend and is not entered; Dykes has aged up to 75-79. That leaves Moura the favorite, but he has competition. He will need to run as well as he did here last year to win it this year. James Linn did not run here last year but he ran 52:23 here in 2021. Furthermore, his 1:09:25 at the Clinton Township Country Run over 15K this spring equates to a 54:45. Kirk Larson finished 2nd at Dedham in 44:03. That equates to a 53:32. 

Fernando Moura Taking 3rd place in 70-74 last year

Gene Myers will be pushing those three all the way and could pass one or more of them if they are off the top of their game. Myers took 4th here last year in 55:15. Myers beat Larson on the turf at San Francisco and Richmond but Larson has taken the honors on the roads at 5K, 10K and 1 Mile. I opt for Moura-Linn-Larson.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

James Linn     Fernando Moura     Kirk Larson

75-79 Most of the top 75-79 runners are entered. In 2022 Dave Glass won every national championship at 10 Km and up. He finished off the Grand Prix season by going to Boulder CO and winning on the turf at altitude over 5 Km. Gary Ostwald finished 2nd. But Ostwald has come in ahead of Glass every time they have met since, whether on the turf or on the roads, even at a distance as long as ten miles. Glass beat Ostwald by well over 4 minutes last year, in 53:27 as they went 1-3. But at the two most comparable championships this year it was Ostwald taking 1st, with Glass 2nd, at the 10-Miler in Sacramento, by 1:12 and at the 10 Km in Dedham by 46 seconds. But both may have to move aside for the new kid in town, Gene Dykes, who ran 2:31 faster than Glass in the 70-74 division here last year. 

Gene Dykes finishing 2nd in 70-74 in his last year in the division last year

Dykes has had an up and down 2022-23 but seems to be rounding into better form as the fall Marathon season has approached. He has his eyes on a good outing at the Berlin Marathon. His training has been going well. The question seems to be how much under 7:30 per mile he should be aiming for in the Marathon. Translate that 7:30 pace to a 12 Km and you have a 55:48. And, of course, he should run much faster. Dykes recently brought home 4 gold medals from the Masters Outdoor track championships. With most of them he was running tactically because he had another race coming up or had recently finished one. The time most indicative of current fitness was probably his 22:05 in the 5000 meters. He had a day of rest between that effort and his races on Saturday, the 10,000M, and the Steeplechase. He posted a 10 Mile workout for this Thursday the 14th that included a set of eight '3 minute intervals' starting at 6:55 per mile, working down to 6:30. Maybe that was too much close to this race. But from his Coach's viewpoint this 12 km is just a tune-up for Berlin. Still, Dykes should be somewhere down in the low 50's and that should be enough for the win. Jerry Learned has also aged up to the 75-79 division. His 55:54 last year was 2 minutes faster than Ostwald. But he has had health issues this year. Unless he is over them, his time is likely to be closer to an hour. Jim May could crash the podium party except that 12 Km is a longer race than he usually tackles. But he finished 3rd, within a half-minute of Glass, at Dedham over ten km. This is just 2 km longer. And he will have his teammate, Keith Yeates, who finished 2nd at the half marathon, to run with; they should come home under an hour in this 12K. Paul Carlin (That's me!) has finished on the podium three times this year, at the 5 Km, the Half Marathon and the 1 Mile. I could run my best race of the year and not crack the top 5, maybe not the top 8. Liam Finnigan, Ezequiel Garcia and Terry McCluskey all have credentials suggesting they should or could come in ahead of me. The numbers suggest Dykes-Ostwald-Glass in that order and I will not argue with the numbers.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Gene Dykes     Dave Glass     Gary Ostwald

80-84 Doug Goodhue just ran a 1:28:00 Ten Miler at the Crim in Flint MI. That translates to a 1:04:13 10K. That should be good enough to add another national championship to his collection. 

Doug Goodhue conquering the mud at Lehigh in the 2019 Club Cross Championships

I forget how many he has but I know it is well over 50! Tony Fiory beat Daniel Kirsch by over 5 minutes at the Ridgewood Run. That suggests Fiory could crack 1:25, with Kirsch not far back. The likely finishing order is: Goodhue-Fiory-Kirsch.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Tony Fiory     Doug Goodhue     Daniel Kirsch

85-89 Roland Ratmeyer should repeat his win of last year. He clocked 1:33:53 and is unopposed.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Roland Ratmeyer

WOMEN 40-44 In the Overall Championship discussion above, I predict a finishing order of Niles and Pesce going 2-3 and probably Prendergast for 4th, out of the 40-44 division. So that is my 1-2-3 for the division.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Alexandra Niles     Jennifer Pesce    Kristen Prendergast

45-49 I pick Roberta Groner for the Overall win so I had better pick her to win her division at the same time. Groner has a good crack at the American Record of 43.38. Euleen Josiah-Tanner is not likely to keep pace with Groner but should finish 2nd. She finished 2nd here last year in 49:44. Her recent 19:06 performance on the track at the Masters Outdoor Championships suggests she might improve on last year's time this Sunday. 

Euleen Josiah-Tanner finishing 8th overall in the 12 K and 2nd in 45-49 last year

Gabrielle Panepinto ran 52:52 two years ago and her 33:14 at the Ashenfelter 8K last November suggests she might be faster this year. If any of those three are off their best, Karyn Baig looks to move up.  She ran a minute and change slower than Panepinto here last year. But her 1:35:15 at the UA NYC Half marathon suggests a time closer to 53 minutes might be within her reach. But I will go with a finishing order of Groner, Josiah-Tanner, and Panepinto.

 Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Roberta Groner     Euleen Josiah-Tanner     Gabrielle Panepinto

50-54 Abby Dean took 1st in the division here last year in 46:42; Perry Shoemaker won the division the year before in 46:08. The performances are probably closer than they look; the weather was more punishing in 2022 than in 2021. Dean ran well at the Half Marathon and ten k Masters Championships, winning this division at both. Her 10K winning time equates to a 46:24. But Dean had a tough outing at Grandma's Marathon and was not at her best at the 1 Mile Championships. Dean competed grittily but was no match for Shoemaker, who beat her by almost half a minute. She also ran a slower time at the Beach to Beacon 10K at the end of July. 

Abby Dean finishing 2nd Overall at the 12 K last year and 1st in 50-54

On the other hand, she may not have been pushing there. She took the age division win there anyway. They should go 1-2. I give the edge to Shoemaker and will let Dean prove me wrong if she can. Hortencia Aliaga also might come in under 50 minutes and be close to those two. She ran 50:34 to win the 45-49 division last year. Her 38:41 at the Masters 10 Km championships was only 26 seconds behind Dean's winning time. It is unlikely anyone else will be much under 50:00. Samantha Forde finished 2nd to Dean here last year in 50:19. Forde clocked a 1:06:40 10 Miler at the Masters Championships hosted by the Sactown 10. That equates to a 49:01. But that is still 3 minutes off where she likely needs to be to get on the podium. I will go with Aliaga after Shoemaker and Dean.

 Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Hortencia Aliaga     Abby Dean     Perry Shoemaker

55-59 Fiona Bayly is at the top of this division. Her winning division time of 47:38 netted her 5th place overall here last year. She is, if anything, running better this year. Her 38:10 at Dedham gained her a third place overall. And it is age grad equivalent to a 46:15. Her 1:03:06 10 Miler, finishing 4th at the national championships is equally impressive. Something would have to go wrong for Bayly not to take the division crown. 

Fiona Bayly holds off Karen dos Santos to take 5th overall in the 12 K Championships last year

Lori Kingsley appears to be the only other runner in the division with a good shot at breaking 50:00. She finished 5th in the division last year in 52:03. But her 1:02:54 15K at the Stockade-a-thon equates to a 49:42. If the weather is truly cooler this year, a sub-50 for Kingsley is likely. Jacalyn Lembo is not far off; her 43:16 10K at Dedham last April equates, via Age Grading, to a 52:28. Her half marathon at Syracuse suggests a slower time but that course is hilly, and the day was unseasonably warm. Noriko Charnley who ran 55:17 here last year and Alyssa Risko who ran 1:09:02 Stockade-a-thon are close enough to make a run for the podium if any of the top three have an off day. It looks like Bayly-Kingsley-Lembo.

 Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Fiona Bayly     Lori Kingsley     Jacalyn Lembo

60-64 Mary Cass ran 51:50 last year to finish 2nd in this division. Suzanne La Burt ran 50:10, finishing 2nd in 55-59. It was a similar story at Dedham. Cass won the 60-64 division with a 41:43; La Burt counters with a 2nd in 55-59 at 41:09. They should both come in around 50:00 this year, with La Burt favored. 

Suzanne La Burt  took 2nd last year in 55-59

Kris Clark is the wild card. At Atlanta she took 1st in the division, coming across the finish line a half minute ahead of Cass. But an injury cropped up as she was about to taper into the ten mile championships in Sacramento. She is coming out from Colorado to compete and is not coming as part of a team. That suggests she is ready to run! Lauren Leslie, Beth Stalker, and Mary Swan will push the pace as well. Leslie finished 3rd here last year in 52:34. Stalker's 1:07:19 15K at the Stockade-a-thon equates to a 53:08. Swan finished 4th last year in 53:41. It has been a while since Suzanne Cordes ran at a longer road championship. She is never far from the podium at our turf championships. She finished 4th in the division at Clubs in San Francisco, 3rd at Cross Nationals in Richmond and she won the division at Boulder, coming in a half minute ahead of Swan. Cordes ran at the 1 Mile Championships but was not at her best. Most likely she is coming primarily to help her Impala team garner some points in the 50+ competition. Clark beat Cass at Atlanta. I will guess that she can do it again. She has not gone up against La Burt yet and la Burt is on her home territory. I will go with an order of La Burt-Clark-Cass.

 Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Mary Cass     Kris Clark     Suzanne La Burt

65-69 As noted in the age grading championships section, Nora Cary is certainly in the hunt for a top 5 finish there. Her most recent outing is a 21:55 5K, after recovering from an injury earlier this year. That equates to a 54:53 12K. One should not take that too seriously; any equivalence between a 5K and a 12K time is rough at best. But it does suggest she is not far off from where she was last year. She took the win in 54:05 after setting the American Record at 51:09 in 2021. She would love to have that kind of fitness now--and who wouldn't? 

Nora Cary taking 1st in 65-69 in the 12 Km Championships last year

Diane Rothman is the only other division runner with a shot at breaking an hour. She finished 11th in 60-64 in 1:00:55 last year. Her 1:47:29 at the Runapalooza Half Marathon equates to a 59:23. Susan Stirrat finished 5th last year in 1:12:53. But two spring races suggest she might run as fast as 1:07 or even faster. Her 1:25:36 over 15K at the Spring distance Classic equates to a 1:07:25 12K and her 52:18 10K at Dedham equates to a 1:03:29. That latter time may be too ambitious, but it appears a 1:05 might be within Stirrat's grasp. Sally Bell, Judith Hudson, and Antoinette Marmora all have performances suggesting they might finish in the 1:07 to 1:09 range. Stirrat will have to keep the 'pedal to the metal' if she is to claim the bronze medal. I opt for Cary, Rothman, and Stirrat in that order.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Nora Cary     Diane Rothman     Susan Stirrat

70-74 Sabra Harvey, the 2017 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, is the only runner in the division likely to break an hour although her teammate, Jeanette Groesz, might just do it as well. As noted in the age grading section, Harvey has a good shot at running ahead of the 58:22 American Record. Her Half Marathon and 10 Mile runs this past January/last October equate to 57:37 and 56:12 respectively. Groesz finished 2nd in the division last year in 1:05:51 but was not at her best. 

Jeanette Groesz finishing 2nd in 70-74 at the 12 Km Championships in 2022

Her 1:54:18 at the Half Marathon championships in Syracuse equates to a 1:03:05 and the times on that day were slow due to it being a hilly course and the weather being warm. Joann Coffee finished 3rd here last year in 1:10:03. Her 26:26 5K in April shows that she was still running well through the spring. No one else seems likely to crack 1:20 so those are my top three: Harvey-Groesz-Coffee in that order.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Joann Coffee     Jeanette Groesz     Sabra Harvey

75-79 This should be Jeannie Rice's in a cakewalk. As noted above, she is going after the American record and should take it down with minutes to spare. She, too, is using the race as a tune-up for Chicago. She should coe home under an hour. Her teammate, Sharon Gerl offers the only close competition, but Gerl's target is probably coming close to an hour on the high side. Her 1:26:03 in the 10 Mile Championships at Sacramento translate into a 1:02 and change 12 Km. That leaves the 3rd place race to Cheryl Kohut and Barbara Donelik. They finished 1-2 last year in 1:07:21 and 1:08:12. The finishing order should be: Rice, Gerl, and Kohut but anything can happen.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Sharon Gerl     Cheryl Kohut     Jeannie Rice

80-84 Sandra Folzer just needs to finish her race to claim the title. She is the only entrant. She won last year at 1:24:15.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Sandra Folzer

85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite will claim this title unopposed. If she does so, she will be the oldest winner on the day at 86. She won last year in 2:03:08.

Top Podium Contenders in alphabetical order

Joyce Hodges-Hite

That concludes the preview. Let the Championships begin and may the races be swift and competitive!

2023 TD Beach to Beacon 10K Run-- 25th Anniversary

August 24, 2023 The TD Beach to Beacon 10K celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday, August 5th. Two years were lost to the Covid pandemic. According to the Beach to Beacon's Year By Year recap, 1998 was the inaugural year for the race, founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson. The race had a field size of 3,000; 2,408 runners finished. By 2019 the number of finishers had climbed to 6.417 from 9 countries, 42 states and nearly 260 Maine cities and towns. Although the race brings in professional elite athletes from many states and other countries, the Beach to Beacon has always prided itself on its Maine roots and its commitment to the health and well-being of Maine residents, with a special emphasis on young people. It has become an iconic race with avid runners from across the country seeking to enter. Weather conditions for the 25th anniversary race were good, with temperatures in the mid-60's, dewpoint at 63F, moderate headwinds at 5-6 mph under cloudy to partly cloudy skies. Local residents turn out in droves to cheer the runners on, especially as they make their way through the town center around three miles into the race.

I have run in the race regularly since my first entry in August 2014 when I won my 65-69 age division in 40:39. After missing 2015 and 2016 to injury, I came back in 2017 to finish 2nd in 70-74 with a 44:30, 5th in 2018 in 50:12 (racing despite rehabbing an injury) and winning again in 2019 with a 47:22. Competitions in 2020 and 2021 were lost to the Covid pandemic. Last year I finished 3rd in 75-79 in 53:41 on a very warm day. 

My coverage of the Professional and Masters races is based on the Beach to Beacon news report [YIHUNE AND OBIRI LEAD THE PACK IN THE 25TH RUNNING OF THE TD BEACH TO BEACON 10K - TD Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race (beach2beacon.org)], a Strava post by Connor Mantz, and posted results. I cover my own 2023 race as part of the Masters coverage which begins right after coverage of the professional athletes. If you are especially interested in how my race went, scroll down to the bold 75-79 in the MASTERS AGE DIVISION section.

PROFESSIONAL The professional racers at the front provided plenty of excitement. The Women start first but, unlike some other top races, there is no equalizer bonus. The advance start is 12 minutes; the top finishers in the women's race finish before the top professional men come across the line. WOMEN: Helen Obiri Kenya set the pace over the first 5K for a group that included Vicoty Chepngeno Kenya, Keira D'Amato Midlothian VA, and Fotyen Tesfay Ethiopia, all at 16:14. Tucked in behind at 16:15 were Sara Hall Redding CA and Edna Kiplagat Kenya, with Fiona O'Keefe Cary NC at 16:16. News reports indicated that Tesfay moved past D'Amato into 2nd place after the 4 mile mark and battled for the lead with Obiri the rest of the way. Obiri was able to outsprint Tesfay to take the win in 31:37, one second ahead of Tesfay. 

D'Amato won her own battle, taking 3rd in 31:58, one second ahead of Chepngeno. Kiplagat edged O'Keefe for 5th, 32:23 to 32:24. Hall finished 7th in 32:32. MEN: A large pack of men broke up between miles 2 and 3. According to news reports, Connor Mantz Provo UT dictated the pace in the early stages. By the time they crossed the 5 Km Mat, there was a 6-runner lead pack with a 3-runner chase pack 5 seconds back. Walelegn Amedework Ethiopia, Edwin Kurgat Kenya, and Addisu Yihune Ethiopia were pushing the pace in front at 14:15. Muktar Edris Ethiopia, Mantz, and Biya Simbassa Flagstaff AZ were tucked in, one second behind. The chase pack consisted of Yemene Hailesellaissie Ethiopia, Reid Buchanan San Diego CA, and Hideto Kosode Japan. With about a mile to go, it appears that Mantz made a move to separate from the rest of the lead pack and Yihune went with him. With a half mile to go, Yihune took the lead. According to Mantz's Strava post, "With less than 200m to go, I made a big surge to pass him again. There was a lot of room on the left, but he saw me passing him, he ran me into the fence. My momentum was gone....I’ll look forward to my next chance to race Addisu Yihune."  With no officials in a position to view the claimed foul and no official race video to review, the complaint could not become a formal protest. Mantz's final edit to the post focused on the positive: " Today’s race was a big win in the mental game, and that’s what I’m most excited for/focused on." Yihune won in 27:56, with Mantz two seconds back in 2nd place. Eight seconds later, Edris claimed third, a good 9 seconds ahead of Kurgat. Simbassa was 5th in 28:19. A half minute later, Amedework finished 6th in 28:55, 6 seconds ahead of Hailesellaisssie, with Buchanan a second back in 8th.

MASTERS The race offers cash prizes for the top 3 masters athletes, both Men and Women, ($1000, $500, $250) and the top three Seniors, both Women and Men, 50+ ($500, $250, and $125). Places 1 through 5 win an LL Bean Gift Certificate. 

MASTERS MEN: Ed Baker Cambridge MA 44 carved out an 18 second lead in the first half of the race, leading Chris Ritchie Stratham NH 40 16:24 to 16:42. Almost half a minute back, Matt Daly Eliot ME 40 had 8 seconds on Joe Satterfield Bowdoinham ME 46, 17:09 to 17:17. Baker was not pressed in the latter stages of the race, taking the Masters win in 33:37. Ritchie cut Baker's lead to 11 seconds but could not get any closer, taking 2nd with over a half minute on Daly. Daly's 34:25 gave him the final prize money spot, with Satterfield 13 seconds back. 

Ed Baker 33:37     Chris Ritchie 33:48     Matt Daly 34:25

Ed Baker on his way through downtown Cape Elizabeth on the way to the Win in the Masters men category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot

Chris Ritchie halfway to his 2nd place finish in the Masters men category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot
 

MASTERS WOMEN Gretchen Speed Portland ME 42 lived up to her name, hitting the 5K mat in 19:02 with an 18 second lead on Alixe van Sickle Denver CO 47. Adrienne Glasheen Aldie VA 44 was in 3rd at 19:25. She had a 19 second lead on the 4th place runner, Monica Diez Boston MA 49. Christine Twining Brunswick ME 48 crossed the mat 11 seconds after Diez, one second ahead of Bridget Gagne Reston VA 40. Speed stretched her lead over the 2nd half of the race, winning the Masters race by 54 seconds in 38:30. Glasheen, despite her best efforts, could only trim a single second off of the 5 second lead that van Sickle enjoyed at the 5 Km mark. Second place went to van Sickle in 39:24, with Glasheen closing out the podium at 39:28. Diez was a half-minute back in 4th at 39:59. Gagne overtook Twining in the final 3 miles, finishing 5th in 40:13, six seconds ahead of Twining.

Gretchen Speed 38:30     Alixe van Sickle 39:24     Adrienne Glasheen 39:28

Gretchen Speed running along Shore Road on her way to the win in the Masters Women category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot

Alixe van Sickle finishes off her run that carried her to 2nd place in the Masters Women category at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot

SENIOR WOMEN Abby Dean Wilmington DE 50 ran almost fast enough to get on the Masters (40+) podium. And this was not her best effort; she ran much faster at the 10 Km Masters Championships in Dedham in April. Dean crossed the halfway mat in 19:54, good enough to be a half minute faster than the athlete in 2nd place, Katsue Heginbotham Lexington MA 52. Mimi Fallon Walpole MA 58 who finished 3rd at Dedham in 55-59 was having another good day, hitting the halfway mark 24 seconds slower than Heginbotham in 20:48. Renee Durgin Scarborough ME 50 was a half-minute slower than Fallon but still had a shot at the Senior podium. Dean slowed slightly over the second half of the race but was never seriously threatened. She took the win and the top Senior prize in 40:19. Heginbotham closed to within 16 seconds but could get no closer. Her 40:35 merited 2nd place. Fallon finished 3rd in 41:55. Durgin had cut her lead almost in half but was still 17 seconds slower in 4th place.

Abby Dean 40:19     Katsue Heginbotham 40:35     Mimi Fallon 41:55

Photos below in order of finish in Senior Women category: Dean, Heginbotham and Fallon

Photos courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot

SENIOR MEN There was greater strength in the 55-59 division than 50-54 this year. Peter Burke Westbrook ME 55, Byrne Decker Yarmouth ME 56, and Wayne Levy Waban ME 58, all from 55-59, started toward the front, crossing the start line just 7 seconds after the gun sounded, except for Levy who was a second behind the other two. The only runner from the 50-54 group who would challenge them for the podium was Jeremy Ashfield Bangor ME 51, who crossed the start line over a minute and a half after Burke, Decker and Levy. They would never have seen him! Burke got out the fastest, crossing the halfway mat in 18:14, very nearly a full minute ahead of Decker. Decker, in turn, had 25 seconds on Levy. But unknown to Decker and Levy, Ashfield, who didn't cross the halfway mat until over a minute after Levy, was 28 seconds ahead of Levy and three seconds ahead of Decker, on net time. Burke had no trouble claiming the win with a 36:53. Decker, despite not knowing about Ashfield, had the right plan. He ran a very evenly paced 10K, bringing him home in 38:27, which was 14 seconds faster than Ashfield. Levy had no such luck; his 39:47 left him a good 1:09 seconds slower than Ashfield, who claimed third. Levy was 4th; Christopher Mertz Easton PA 51 was 5th in 39:59.

Peter Burke 36:53     Byrne Decker 38:27     Jeremy Ashfield 38:38

Photos below in order of finish in Senior Men category: Burke, Decker and Ashfield 

Photos courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot

AGE DIVISIONS 

Age division prizes go five deep and are gift certificates to LL Bean. In this section I note some of the interesting races and exceptional performances by age grading standards. The USATF Masters LDR Committee designates scores from 80.00% to 89.99% as 'National Class' performances with the term 'World Class' reserved for 90.00% and above. At their National Championship road races, Masters LDR awards bronze performance medals to those achieving 80.00 to 84.99%; Silver Medals to those at 85.00 to 89.99% and Gold Medals to those at or above 90.00%. I cover my M75-79 division in more detail as the final section.

WOMEN The strongest division on the Women’s side was 65-69. Sharon Vos Denver CO 68 ran 51:36 for a national class PLP of 83.06 but finished 5^th in the division on net time, and 5^th in age grading in the division. Lucy McCausland Rehoboth Beach DE 69 sped to a 46:27 in her last year in the division to take the 65-69 win! McCausland had the only Masters World Class performance at B2B, with a PLP of 92.26! She had to come from behind as she started 19 seconds after Emie Barnes Naples FL 68. Barnes also ran 21 seconds faster over the 1st 5K; she crossed the mat 40 seconds before McCausland did. But McCausland had plenty in the tank, running a negative split--23:26/23:01. She passed Barnes on the course and took the win with over a minute to spare on net time! 

Lucy McCausland cruising along the Shore Road on her way to the 65-69 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot 

Dawn Ebbets Exeter NH 69 was only a minute and change back at 48:50. And Ann Kilgore Millcreek UT 68 was less than a minute behind in 4th at 49:44! The PLP's for Barnes, Ebbet and Kilgore were 88.49, 87.76, and 84.96. Amazing! 

The 60-64 division was almost as strong, and the hometown favorites went 1-2, just! Erin Chalat Cape Elizabeth ME raced to a high national class time of 44:06, scoring an 88.33%. 

Erin Chalat, happy with her run along Shore Road on her way to the 60-64 win at  the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot 

Elizabeth Bostwick Cape Elizabeth ME 60 was a half-minute ahead of Sue George Harvard MA 61 at the halfway mark. George had started 4 seconds ahead of Bostwick. By the halfway point, Bostwick had caught and passed George. George had a stronger second half and must have passed Bostwick in real time, just before the finish line. George finished 2 seconds ahead on gun time but two seconds behind Bostwick on net time! That gave the hometown a 1-2 finish to celebrate! But I imagine George was pretty proud of her effort as well!

And 55-59 was just as strong as 60-64. 

In 55-59, Mimi Fallon Walpole MA 58, who took the division bronze medal at the Masters National 10 Km Championships in Dedham MA in April, shaved a few seconds off of that time to take the win. Her 41:55 earned an 88.32 PLP. Pilar Whitworth Ellsworth ME 58 finished 2nd on net time, 43:50, and had the 2nd best age grade score, 84.46. Kelly Brown Ashburn VA 59 was not far back; her 45:00 net earned a PLP of 83.30. And that is where the national class times ended, although Mary Darling NY, NY 57, who tied her fellow New Yorker, Pamela Hunt 55, on net time got as close as you can get. Her time merited a 79.99%!

The oldest division winner, at 80, was Joan Johnson Warwick RI who finished first in 80-84 at 1:39:28.

Joan Johnson finishes off her winning effort in the 80-84 division at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot 

Divisions 40-44, 45-49, and 50-54 are covered above in Masters and Senior division summaries.

MEN Baker, who was first Masters athlete and 1st in his 40-44 division, had the top Performance Level Percentage PLP at 84.12. Burke, who took first in the Senior Men competition and in the 55-59 division, had the next highest PLP at 84.12. Satterfield, who finished 4th in the Masters race and won the 45-49 division, earned an 82.98 PLP.

In 45-49, Andrew Johnson Middlebury VT 45 and Ryan McCalmon Cape Elizabeth ME 47 battled for third. As it turned out, McCalmon crossed the starting line 5 seconds before Johnson did. So, when McCalmon crossed the halfway mat in 17:48, 7 seconds before Johnson did, 5 seconds of that difference were due to the early start. Johnson made up that 7 seconds and more to take 3rd place in the division 35:35 to 35:51 for McCalmon. McCalmon, however, edged Johnson in age grading, 80.83 to 80.11. 

In 60-64 Nick Persampieri Burlington VT 63 started 11 seconds after the professional men, with John Whitfield New York NY 62 a second behind him. Phillip Stern Newton Centre MA 60, in contrast, started 32 seconds after the professional men. By the halfway mark, Stern was still 18 seconds behind Persamperi on gun time but three seconds ahead on net time, with his 20:08. Stern had passed Whitfield and crossed the mat 12 seconds before Whitfield did. Stern never did catch up to Persampieri on gun time. He held to this pace well enough to edge Persampieri by 2 seconds on net time. Persampieri never saw Stern in the race but had to accept the 2nd place prize while Stern's 40:39 gave him the division first place! 

Phillip Stern's sprint to the finish line helped him to the 60-64 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot  

Persampieri, at 63, had the distinction of being the only athlete in the division with a national class time, scored at 82.03. Stern and Whitfield were not far off though at 79.82 and 79.47 respectively.

In 65-69, Floyd Lavery Sebago ME 66 and Edward Hughes Bangor ME 69 dueled for 2nd. Lavery started 4 seconds before Hughes. By the halfway point, Hughes had made up the 4 seconds and crossed the mat 1 second ahead of Lavery. Lavery had kept more in the tank though, running a negative split, wiping out not only the gun time advantage of Hughes but beating him by a half minute on net time, 44:37 to 45:07.

The oldest division winner, at 81, was David Barnard Yarmouth ME who took the 80-84 division crown in 1:04:47.

David Barnard chugging through downtown Cape Elizabeth on his way to becoming the oldest winner on the day at 81--at  the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot 

Other Age Division winners not mentioned above included: Scott Brown Lewiston ME 43:03 65 79.02; 

Scott Brown speeding along Shore Rd on his way to the 65-69 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot 

Richard Boyle Frankford DE 45:46 71 78.93.

Richard Boyle negotiates the lowest point in the race along Shore Road, just before the finishing hills at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot 

Other national class performances were turned in by Chris Ritchie 81.06; Robert Worful Melrose MA 47 81.55; Byrne Decker 81.39; Wayne Levy 80.09.

75-79 This is my division, Paul Carlin Three Oaks MI 77. Background The first year I ran was 2014. At the top of my game, two weeks before my first major hamstring injury, I took the win in the 65-69 division, with almost two minutes to spare in 40:39. Under the 2010 standards active at the time, the performance age graded at over 88%. Bill Reilly Brownfield ME 76 finished 2nd, Bob Sholl Scarborough ME 76 finished 4th, with Jose Faria Cape Elizabeth ME 75 in fifth. I mention them because I have run against those three almost every year I have raced the B2B since then. My next race was 2017 when I finished 2nd in the 70-74 division, coming in well ahead of Reilly and Sholl. I encountered Rudy Kelley Bernard ME 76 who finished a minute ahead of Sholl, for the first time. Bob Poulson, who came in ahead of me that year, has not been a regular. The next year, 2018, was Reilly's to win, with Sholl 3rd and me 5th, rehabbing after injury. Faria was 6th. Largely injury free in 2019, I dropped my 2018 time, despite warm conditions, by almost 3 minutes, to 47:22 to take the win. Kelley also improved from 2017 and was just 29 seconds back in 2nd. We missed 2020 and 2021 to Covid. Last year, in 2022, I was partially recovered from an Achilles tendon issue that had kept me from training for 7 months in late 2021. Conditions were unusually warm and humid, so times were all slower. Kelley took the 75-79 win in 51:07, with Sholl 1:46 back in 2nd. I finished 3rd, 48 seconds behind Sholl. Reilly was, unfortunately, four minutes further back. No doubt he was hampered by an injury or other barrier to successful distance running. Although in the 70-74 division last year, Bob Mildrum St Albans VT 75 ran a minute faster than Kelley and Faria, also in 70-74, ran 9 seconds faster than Sholl. 

The 2023 Race Thirty-three competitors aged 75-79 finished the race. With Faria, Kelley, Mildrum, Sholl and Reilly all lining up against me, as well as possibly unknown new challengers, how would 2023 go? The good news was that conditions were much more pleasant to run in. Would I be able to break 50 minutes again in a 10K? I had come close at the Masters 10 Km National Championships in 2022, with a 50:02 and again this year, with a 50:04. And what about the 80% age grading barrier? I have not cracked that at this race since 2017 when I graded at 82.19% under the 2015 standards in force at the time. 

The only information I have on the race my rivals ran is the halfway split that the race provides. None of them post on Strava, as far as I can tell. I post on Strava and, of course, can review my GPS watch history in any case. The first part of the race is downhill, followed by an uphill which wipes out a large part of the 40' drop in the first quarter mile. Still, at the end of the first Mile, Strava says there has been a 29' drop overall. I knew I needed to run that first mile well under 8 minutes to have a good day. My watch is set to report 1-mile splits. The first one was 7:32. It could certainly be a good day! But I knew I needed to keep it going. The terrain is misleading. The 2nd mile doesn't really have a steep part but there apparently is a stretch from the 1 mile to the 1.8 mile where we gain 50' even though the grade is usually below 1% and never gets above 2.2%. The goal through there is to keep the 2nd mile split from climbing much above 8 minutes. The second split was 8:01. That seemed okay but I was worried the next split might be higher and I needed some seconds in the bank for mile 6 where we climb up toward Fort William Park and the Portland Light. The elevation chart on Mile 3 is deceptive. It simply says -8'. That should be a fast stretch then, right? Not necessarily. You drop 80' in the first half mile but then you climb up all but 8' of that 80' drop to get your -8'. So you have to be careful not to hold back too much on the downhill stretch because you will surely give back time on the uphill. Others use the approach of holding back a bit more on the downhill and attacking the hills. That used to work better for me. Now I find it does not. Strava shows that my pace on the downhill dropped as low as 7:01/mile for a very short stretch. On the steepest stretch my pace slowed to 9:30 per mile, again for a short stretch, and did not return to 8:00 per mile until we crossed the 5 km mat before turning back up onto Ocean House Road in downtown Cape Elizabeth near the high school. But that was okay. My split for the third mile was 7:58. I had almost a half-minute in the bank toward the goal of averaging under 8 per mile. My official halfway split was 24:29. 

Where were my rivals? I did not know. Only by checking later can I see that Kelley had started three seconds in front of me and had run the first half of the race in 24:19. So he crossed the mat 13 seconds ahead of me. The fastest halfway split for our crew was by 'young' Mildrum, in his first year in the division, at 24:04. But since he started 46 seconds after me, and was 25 seconds faster, he was still 21 seconds behind me, on gun time, when he crossed the mat at 5K. Faria was over a minute slower than me at 25:48 and Reilly and Sholl were at 27:17 and 27:39 respectively.

Mile 4 was more of the same. We climbed 33' in the first two-thirds of a mile and lost that and 7' more as we turned down onto Shore Road. My 7:55 split buoyed my spirits! 

Running Along the Shore Road at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME photo courtesy of B2B

Mile 5 is sweet. The course drops 40' in a series of rolling downhills through the first three-quarters of a mile. During that stretch, my top speed was 6:58 per mile. The last quarter mile carries you into the start of the closing hills, but overall, it should be the fastest mile split. I delivered, at 7:50. Mile 6 has been the end of many high hopes. In the first 0.4 mile you climb 40' in a series of three rolling climbs. But then you have two more valleys where there is a dip followed by a climb. By the time you are at 5.9 miles, you are 52' higher than you started the day. My split for that mile was 8:27; that is why I needed seconds in the bank. At that point, Garmin tells me that we had 235.5 feet of ascent in the run. The final 200 meters or so drops you 33 feet downhill to the finish. My average pace for that last bit was 7:13 per mile, topping out at 6:20! My final time was 49:33.

Later after climbing over the hill and down to the post-race snacks area, I discovered the individual time board. If you walked up close to it, your bib # could be read by the device and your official time and division place would appear. Dave McGillivray and DMSE at the top their game, Tech wise! My reading showed 49:33 and 75-79 3rd place. Same place as last year but at least this year I broke 50! I averaged 7:56 per mile over the 6.25 miles my gps had recorded, presumably reflecting that I had not always run the tangents well. If I figure it over 6.2137 miles, the true distance in miles following all tangent lines, I get 7:58.46 per mile, still under 8:00. The national class performance still eludes me, at 79.56%. I took some consolation from knowing that if the 2015 standards had not been updated in 2020, it would have been an 81.13%. 

Mildrum took the win by almost a minute in 48:27. 

Bob Mildrum looking strong 5 miles in on his way to the 75-79 win at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot  

Interestingly, Kelley had been ten seconds faster than me on net time at the halfway mark and was still ten seconds ahead at the finish. We had negotiated the second half of the race in exactly the same time, 25:04. 

Rudy Kelley, striding along on his way to a 2nd place finish in 75-79 at the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of Beach to Beacon Run and Geosnapshot  

Kelley was at 49:23 in 2nd; I took 3rd (and enjoyed an LL Bean Gift Card). Faria was 4th in 51:59, Sholl 6th in 54:04, with Reilly 7th in 55:29. 

Sprinting to the Finish Behind Two of My Younger Rivals-At the 2023 Beach to Beacon Run in Cape Elizabeth ME Photo courtesy of B2B

I turn 78 in October; this was a good outing. The goals for next year include: being healthy enough to run next August, breaking 50 again, 8:00 per mile and the age grade of 80% or better. If I can achieve all of those, a podium goal should be included. A goal of winning will probably have to wait until 2026 when I will be 80 and 10 months. And, of course, I am always happy to be able to race, regardless of the outcome. It is a gift and a privilege at 77; it gets bigger each year.