Welcome to my blog. I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story on recent races, you can find recaps of all USATF Masters LDR and Cross-Country Championships since Fall 2014. I also report on Masters Athletes in major Marathons including Olympic Trials. I cover distance events at some USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. I reported on the one World Cross Country Championship that included Masters competition, Australia 2022. I regularly cover the Non-Stadia Road Race Events at World Masters Athletics Championships.
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This article reports on four late summer, 'iconic' road races: The Beach to Beacon Road Race 10K; The Falmouth Road Race 7 Miles; the Crim Ten Mile Run; and the Fifth Avenue Mile.
BEACH TO BEACON The newest of these races, the Beach to Beacon B2B 10K, ran its inaugural race in 1998 It was established by an icon in her own right, Joan Benoit Samuelson. The race benefits children's charities in Maine. B2B attracts top runners from around the world and across the United States, as well as attracting the strongest runners from Maine and the rest of New England.
Last year the race starting time had to be postponed for an hour in order to allow thunderstorms to pass through. Temperatures were in the low to mid 70's for the race, with high humidity. This year the weather was benign, as is more common. The skies were partly cloudy. The race was conducted with temperatures in the low to mid-60's, and relative humidity 25 percentage points lower.
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| The Beacon at Sunrise of the B2B- The final portion of the race rises and then drops to Fort William Park where the Lighthouse, or Beacon, Resides--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
OPEN MEN Conner Mantz returned this year to gain some revenge for a narrow loss, under protest, two years ago. In the final two hundred meters, Mantz was, apparently, in 2023, forced into the fence lining the course by the eventual winner. With no referee in position to view the interaction, no protest could be addressed. As usual, there was a stellar Open field this year. In addition to Mantz, top Americans, Biya Simbassa, holder of the American Record in the 10k, Joe Klecker, and Clayton Young were entered. Mantz and Young went 1-2 in the 2024 US Olympic Marathon trials. Mantz holds pending or ratified ARs in the 15 Km, 20 Km, and Half Marathon. Klecker was an Olympian and a US Champion in the 10,000 meters on the track. The main international competition came from Patrick Kiprop, winner of the AJC Peachtree 10K earlier in the summer; Tadese Worku, a World Cross Country Silver medalist; and British athlete, Patrick Dever, a British National and NCAA champion.
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| Elite Men Wait for the Horn to Start the 2025 TD Beach to Beacon Race--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
According to Mantz's Strava post, there was a big pack through the halfway point. But the pack had dwindled to just four by Mile 4: Dever, Kiprop, Mantz and Worku. Dever fell away in Mile 5 and Worku had to let Kiprop and Mantz go as they headed into the uphill in the sixth mile.
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| Kiprop and Mantz pushing the pace in the final Mile--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
Mantz made a decisive move with 1,400 meters to go, opened a gap and was able to hold it to the finish and a new course record, 27:26.
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| Conner Mantz Takes the Tape at the 2025 TD Beach to Beacon Run--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
WOMEN On the women's side there were several top American runners: Fiona O'Keefe, first place at the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials, Sara Hall 4th place at those trials, Stephanie Bruce, Courtney Frerichs, Natosha Rogers, and Rachel (Schneider) Smith. Top international competition was expected from: Edna Kiplagat, the defending B2B Champion and a two-time World Champion, Izzy Batt Doyle, who set the Australian 10K record, and Asmarech Anley, an Ethiopian who is an African U20 champion and has a top twenty international seasons best in the 10K.
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| Elite Women Wait for the Starting Horn at the 2025 TD Beach to Beacon Race--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
Kiplagat did not have the day she had last year. Anley, Doyle and O'Keefe pulled away from the pack.
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| Doyle, O'Keefe, and Anley lead the Race Heading into the Final Hills--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
It came down to the final 400 meters. Doyle kicked home for the win in 31:24, with Anley seven seconds back and O'Keefe another five seconds back.
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| Izzy Batt Doyle Claims the Win at the 2025 TD Beach to Beacon 10K--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
MASTERS WOMEN Like a few other road races, the B2B provides prize money to Masters (40+) and Seniors (50+) and then the usual age group awards.
Masters (Overall) Although they competed for the Open championships, Bruce, aged 41; Hall, aged 42; and Kiplagat, aged 45, also competed for top Masters finisher. Finishing 7th in the Open competition, Kiplagat pulled away to be top Masters athlete at 32:26 PLP 95.60. Hall, 10th Open, had to let Kiplagat go, finishing second Masters, just five seconds back, 32:31 PLP 93.13.
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| Sara Hall finishes 10th Overall and 2nd Masters at the TD Beach to Beacon Race--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
Bruce's 33:08 PLP 90.79 left her 13th Open and third Masters.
NOTE: PLP refers to the Age Grading performance level percentage that rates each runner relative to the fastest world possible time. The USATF Maters LDR Committee has used PLP's as a way of rating a performance as 'World Class' 90%+; 'National Class' 80%+.
Seniors Athletes 50 and over are rarely in contention for Open Awards and this race was no different. There was a spirited competition for the Senior win, however. In 2022, local runner, Kristin Barry, had competed against Monica Diez, of Boston MA, in this race. Barry finished a half minute ahead of Diez that year. This year it was closer. Barry was closer to the starting line, her chip activating four seconds ahead of Diez's. Any awards other than Open are, presumably, based on chip time. But gun time matters in terms of awareness. Since Barry started off four seconds earlier and ran a crisper pace for the first 5K, it is possible that Barry never saw Diez after the start. But Barry's 5K time was only two seconds faster than Diez's. Combined with the four seconds from the start, Barry would have passed that 5K point about six seconds haahead of Diez. Presumably Diez knew how close she was to Barry. Perhaps Diez was even able to close up with Barry at some point. But the posted times do not tell that story. Barry ran a little faster over the second 5K as well, taking the win with 8 seconds to spare, 40:43 to 40:51. Christine Hein was third at 41:17.
Age Divisions WOMEN 40-44 Heather Gallant won this division by a couple of minutes in a sparkling 36:22 Age Grading PLP 84.55. 45-49 Allison Steele, from Colorado, also won by a couple of minutes, in 39:33. 50-54 Katsue Higinbotham, in her last year in this group, enjoyed a tighter win. She came in fifteen seconds faster than Amory Salem, winning in 42:30 PLP 80.34. 55-59 Mary Pardi ME celebrated her first year in the age division with a one-minute win over Jennifer Caracoglia MA in 42:58 PLP 80.42. 60-64 Mimi Fallon MA, who has started competing at USATF national championships with the Greater Lowell Road Runners, enjoyed a nifty 44-minute-flat PLP 83.52 win. Erin Chalat ME, in her last year in the division, clocked 45:46 PLP 84.58 to finish a minute and change ahead of Gordon Pakoulis NY. 65-69 Amy Bouchard ME finished in 52:08 PLP 75.27 over a minute ahead of Amanda Wagner GA. 70-74 Sharon Vos CO claimed the win, with a half minute to spare over her fellow Coloradan, Abbie Wade. Vos, one of the famous 'running triplets' ran 52:36 PLP 80.03. 75-79 Donaree Cote FL won in 1:03:42 PLP 73.25. Arlene Hanson FL was less than a minute back in 1:04:29 PLP 75.88. 80-84 Suzanne Gallup SC enjoyed a winning margin of over 8 minutes, in 1:09:54 PLP 71.64 over Faye Gagnon NH. 85-89 Vanessa Munson ME won by 18 minutes in 1:27:51 PLP 68.45. At 86 years of age, Munson was the oldest Women's age division winner.
MASTERS MEN Masters (Overall) The top three men were Mario Vazquez CT 43; Joseph Reynolds ME 40; and Justin Freeman NH 48. Vazquez went to the front early, hitting the halfway mark in 15:20 with over a half minute on Reynolds. It was tighter between the other two, but Reynolds had a good fifty meters on Freeman by that point. Vazquez did not let up, winning by over a minute in 30:58 PLP 92.81.
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| Mario Vazquez claims the Masters Win at the 2025 TD Beach to Beacon Race--Photo courtesy of TD Beach to Beacon Race |
Reynolds was second in 32:18 PLP 84.82, with Freeman third at 32:52 PLP 88.89. Freeman has chased Vazquez to the finish line in the last three USATF Masters 10K Championships, hosted by the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham, MA. They went 1-2 in 2023 and have finished right behind World Mountain Running champion, Joseph Gray, the last two years.
Seniors. Rico Portalatin 54 ME crossed the start line five seconds before Matthew Sawyer 52 ME did, but Sawyer made up four of those seconds in the first 3.1 miles. Sawyer kept the pressure on, winning the Senior title in 35:02 PLP 86.26, with half a minute to spare. Portalatin finished second in 35:33 PLP 86.49, with Marco Cardoso 52 NJ, a stalwart member of the Garden State Track Club's Masters team, claiming third at 36:40 PLP 82.42.
Age Divisions MEN 40-44 Matthew Daly ME took it out hard, hitting the halfway mark in 16:45. He had a twenty second lead over Ed Katz MA. Katz chipped away at the lead over the last 3.1 miles but could only take seven seconds out of it. Daly won in 33:53 PLP 82.13, with Katz second at 34:06 PLP 80.34. Eric Sofer ME was just a half minute back in third. 45-49 Andrew Johnson VT had to come from behind. Eleven seconds slower than Robert Norful MA at the halfway point, Johnson negative split the race to win by over a minute in 34:50 PLP 83.19. Norful was second in 35:58 PLP 81.91. 50-54 Chris Mertz PA and John Pasch ME were closely matched but it was Mertz's day. Crossing the start line six seconds before Pasch did, Mertz covered the first 5k a second faster than Pasch did. Mertz increased his lead over the second half with its climb up into Fort William Park. Mertz won in 38:19 PLP 79.55, with Pasch 18 seconds back in second. Pasch's 38:37 PLP 79.62 left him 19 seconds ahead of Perry Le Breton ME. 55-59 John Blood ME romped to a win with nearly three minutes to spare, clocking a nifty 37:32 PLP 82.64. Todd Frost ME. claimed second in 40:21 PLP 77.46. 60-64 Andy Blackwell Canada built a lead of almost two minutes in the first half of the race, stretching the lead over the back half. Blackwell's 40:21 PLP 80.42 left him over two minutes ahead of Peter Lodge ME. 65-69 Thomas Ward FL made the trip north worth it; he beat back tough challenges from Andy Serwer NY and Rick Reardon ME. Ward was fastest to the halfway point in 21:22. Reardon was just 28 seconds back, with Serwer another fifty seconds back. But Serwer negative split the race, came in 20 seconds ahead of Reardon and just 21 seconds behind Ward. Ward won in 44:10 PLP 77.02, with Serwer second and Reardon third. 70-74 Edward Hughes ME enjoyed a winning margin of nearly two minutes with his 44:37 PLP 80.97. John Mollica ME finished second. 75-79 Last year, Jose Faria ME finished second, just 13 seconds behind me. With my absence, Faria had no worries. He enjoyed a winning margin of over two minutes. Faria won in 52:24 PLP 75.23, with Jim Toulouse ME second. 80-84 Philip Krajewski ME won by over ten minutes in 55:36 PLP 77.13. David Volin VA was second. 85-89 Robert Randall ME was the oldest winner of the day at age 88. He came in over 22 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. Randall's winning time was 1:29:33.
FALMOUTH ROAD RACE Two weekends later, on August 17, 2025, the Falmouth Road Race took part. Run over seven miles on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. Early duels between Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter helped establish the race, capturing the attention of runners and helping the race to grow. Joan Benoit Samuelson won the Women's race six times, beginning when she was in college. Now in its 53rd running, the race runs along the sea from Woods Hole to Falmouth. The weather this year was warm, as it often is, despite an 8 am start. Temperatures were in the mid 70's with relative humidity around 80% and dewpoint in the upper 60's. Winds at 9-14 mph from the SSW were mostly behind the runners.
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| Thousands of Runners Competed at the 2025 Asics Falmouth Run Photo by Merily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times |
OPEN WOMEN Like the B2B, Falmouth attracts top American and international athletes for the Open competition. Emma Grace Hurley was a winner of the USATF Road Running circuit, a podium regular at USATF road championships, and selected for Team USA to compete in the Half Marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships. She was joined by Susanna Sullivan, Makena Morley, Ednah Kurgat, Natosha Rogers, and Courtney Frerichs. Primarily a Marathoner, Sullivan has numerous top ten finishes at major marathons. Morley has been a top five finisher at both the L.A. and Grandma's marathons. Kurgat competed for Team USA at the 44th WA Cross Country Championships in 2023 and for won a bronze medal for Team USA in the 2023 Pan American games Rogers has been on the 10,000 Meter podium at both the 2022 and 2023 USATF Championships and finished 15th at the WA Championships in 2022. Frerichs was the silver medalist in the 3000M Steeplechase at the 2017 World Championships in London and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Of those Americans, only Hurley and Sullivan were able to run with the lead pack of international runners from Ethiopia, Kenya and Peru. By the 10K mark, Sullivan had fallen off the pace, but Hurley was still right there. In the end, Melknat Wudu Sharew Ethiopia edged Hurley by a single second to win in 36:03.
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| Sharew, of Ethiopia, Gets the Win Just ahead of Emma Grace Hurley, USA, at the 2025 Asics Falmouth Road Race--Photo courtesy of Asics Falmouth Road Race |
Vivian Cheruiyot Kenya was fourteen seconds back in third, followed by her two countrywomen, Edna Kiplagat and Mercy Chelangat. Sullivan finished 7th, with Kurgat and Morley just outside the top ten in 11th and 12th.
OPEN MEN On the Men's side it was a different story as athletes from Kenya, Amon Kemboi, Patrick Kiprop, Alex Masai, and Wesley Kiptoo claimed the top four spots.
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| Amon Kemboi Claims the Win at the 2025 Asics Falmouth Road Race Photo Credit: Merily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times |
Those four passed the 5K mark in 13:39, with Ahmed Muhumed the only American hanging with that pack. Zouhair Talbi, Abbabiya Simbassa, Graydon Morris, and Dylan Jacobs followed a hundred meters back. Muhumed arrived in the US from Somalia as a seventh grader and ran for Boise State and Florida State. He won the 2024 Philadelphia Half Marathon and finished third and fourth in the 5K and Half Marathon championships this year. On the USATF Road Circuit this year, Talbi finished fourth in the 25K; Simbassa 3rd at both the 4 Mile and 10 Mile. Morris and Jacobs were track athletes at Texas and Notre Dame and are now working into their professional careers. Muhumed paid the price for his early speed though, as Zouhair Talbi 32:00 and Abbabiya Simbassa 32:11, passed him for 5th and 6th. Dylan Jacobs 32:21 edged Muhumud 32:21 at the finish line for 7th.
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| Dylan Jacobs has an eye on Ahmed Muhumud as They Approach the Finish Line at the 2025 Asics Falmouth Road Race Photo Credit: Merily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times |
Morris 32:30 and Lara 32:47 finished 9th and 10th.
MASTERS WOMEN Like the B2B, Falmouth provides Masters awards, but not Seniors.
Masters (Overall). Cheruiyot and Kiplagat, competing for the Open championships, finished 1-2 in the Masters competition. Cindy Anderson FL though running five minutes slower, joined them on the podium with her 41:48 PLP 81.89 effort. Monica Diez, who finished second in the Senior contest at B2B, was fourth in 46:35 gun time PLP PLP 80.09, seven seconds ahead of Catherine Kruppa TX.
Age Divisions WOMEN 40-44 Liz Melevsky MA, clocking 47:27 PLP 72.68, finished two minutes ahead of Sarah Phillips MA. 45-49 Amanda Waters VT also enjoyed a two-minute margin, winning this division in 47:19 PLP 74.09. Sally Dupere MA finished second. 50-54 Diez and Kruppa, 4th and 5th in the Masters competition, went 1-2, their chip times just four seconds apart at 46:28 PLP 80.29 and 46:32 PLP 80.18. 55-59 Sandra Parkinson MA and Heather Henderlong TX battled for the win but probably never saw each other during the race. Henderlong's starting time was 9:04:17, with Parkinson crossing the starting line two-and-a half minutes later. Parkinson clocked 23:01 for the first 5K, with Henderlong 1:18 slower. By the 10K mark, Henderlong was only 47 seconds faster. Though Henderlong took another 23 seconds out of Parkinson's lead in the final 0.8 miles, she could not catch her. Parkinson's 54:00 PLP 75.13 gave her the win over Henderlong's 54:26 PLP 71.84. 60-64 Trish Bourne MA turned in a 49:56 PLP 84.41 winning effort, providing a winning margin of well over five minutes. She was fast enough to have been on the 50-54 podium and to have won the 55-59 division. Carolyn Butterworth MA was second. 65-69 Nancy Badavas MA won by three minutes in 55:59 PLP 80.52. Debbie Ribbens MA finished second. 70-74 Paula Beatty MA was eight seconds faster to the 5K mark than Donna May FL. Beatty added substantially to her lead over the ensuing four miles, winning in 59:04 PLP 80.80, with May second at 1:00:56 PLP 78.32. That was no small feat by Beatty. Two months earlier May had won the USATF Masters W70 Road Mile championship in Indianapolis. 75-79 Kathleen Murphy MA won the division title with over two minutes to spare in 1:15:00 PLP 69.82. Susan Waisbren MA finished second with five minutes to spare, in 1:17:25 PLP 67.64. 80-84 Betsy Knapp MA enjoyed an 18-minute winning margin with her winning time of 1:42:02 PLP 55.74. Joan Eville finished second. 85-89 Margaret Patch MA won this division unopposed. At 88 years of age, Patch was the oldest winner on the day.
MASTERS MEN
Masters (Overall). Nicholas Conway NY and Justin Freeman NH were deadlocked at the 5K mat, crossing it together in 16:08. They had nearly a minute lead on Dan Smith MA. Conway worked his way to a 16 second lead on Freeman at the 10K mark; Smith was now 1:03 behind Freeman. Conway crossed the finish line first in 37:10 PLP 90.37 gun time, 59 seconds ahead of Freeman. The early pace had taken a toll on Freeman; Smith closed to within thirty seconds by the end. Freeman held tough to take second Masters in 38:09 PLP 86.57 gun, with Smith third in 38:39 PLP 84.75 gun. There was a gap of almost three minutes to the 4th place finisher, John Ealy MA, at 41:19 PLP 74.93 gun. Matthew Herman MA was another forty seconds back in 5th place.
Age Divisions MEN 40-44 John Ealy MA, just off the Masters podium, had to be content with the M40 age group win. He won by nearly a minute. Adam Driscoll MD, Robert Norcott MA, and Ilya Podolyako NY battled for the other two podium positions. Driscoll was fastest to the 5K mark at 17:50, with Podolyako 43 seconds back and Norcott five seconds further back. The second 5k was less kind to Driscoll who saw Podolyako faster by seven seconds to the 10K mat; Driscoll still had 13 seconds on Norcott. Podolyako held strong to the finish, claiming second in 42:24 PLP 73.02. Norcott was 24 seconds back from Podolyako but was faster over the final 0.8 miles to take third. 45-49 With Freeman and Smith claiming Masters Awards, this division was up for grabs. Russell Greenwald MA had the early lead, hitting the 5K mat at 18:20, with Matthew Herman MA five seconds slower, and Marc Leblanc another eight seconds slower. Greenwald pushed on the second 5K to open the lead to ten seconds on Herman, with Leblanc falling a half minute back. Herman closed with a rush, but Greenwald had enough in the tank to hold him off, taking the win in 42:04 PLP 77.86, with Herman just two seconds back! Leblanc also enjoyed a strong finish but could only cut Herman's margin down to 25 seconds. 50-54 Scott Brilliant enjoyed a wire-to-wire win. Up by 19 seconds at the 5K, he built his lead over Jason Judd NY to 55 seconds by the finish. Brilliant's winning time was 45:41 PLP 73.52. 55-59 Rob Zand MA enjoyed the group win with over a minute to spare. He won in 42:59 PLP 81.61, with Bob Tremblay MA second in 44:16 PLP 81.42. 60-64 Craig McCordie MA won by over a minute in 48:36 PLP 75.53. Dima Feinhaus MA ran the race in 49:53 to finish second. 65-69 Peter Danzell MA enjoyed a huge win. His 47:53 PLP 81.18 gave him a winning margin of over six minutes on second-place finisher, Michael O'Hara MA. 70-74 Dave Leclair MA won by nearly three minutes in 57:47 PLP 71.62. Brian Trahan RI finished second. 75-79 Jim May NY won this division in 2023 with a 55:26 effort. Last year, Lenny Collins MA ran 55:18, enjoying a half minute win over May. This year the finishing order was the same. Collins ran 57:24 PLP 76.43, finishing well ahead of May at 59:23 PLP 78.67. May, a veteran of national championships, finished a minute ahead of Victor Vasquez FL, the M75 bronze medalist at the USATF Masters (Road) 1 Mile Championships this year. 80-84 Steve Waxman MA left his rivals far behind, winning by over 40 minutes in 1:12:12 PLP 65.78. 85-89 Bill Riley, a legend of Masters running and a national champion many times over, won this division with over twenty minutes to spare. At age 89, Riley's 1:21:07 earned a PLP of 77.81. Very few runners over the age of 75 are able to earn PLP's 80% or higher. Riley was close! 90-94 Larry Cole MA was unopposed in this division; his win earned him the honor of being the oldest winner on the day.
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| Larry Cole, 91, Finishing the 2025 Asics Falmouth Road Race Photo Credit: Merily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times |
At 91 years of age, Cole completed the 7 miles in 2:17:36!
CRIM TEN MILE ROAD RACE Now in its 48th running, the Crim also benefitted from some terrific duels in its early years. In its early years, iconic Open runners like Herb Lindsay, Greg Meyer, and Bill Rodgers vied for prizes during the transition from amateur to professional road racing. Two years before winning her 1984 Olympic Marathon title, Joan Benoit took the women's title at the Crim. More recently, top road racers like Michigan's Dathan Ritzenhein, claimed the Crim championship. Last year the Crim hosted the USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships. As noted, this course is not flat and fast like the Cherry Blossom Run in DC, the Broad Street Run in Philly nor the Sactown Ten in Sacramento. There is a significant early hill and the latter part of the course, although downhill overall, has significant uphill seg0ments that can catch the unwary runner off guard. But there are long stretches with no turns, helping to keep times within a normal range. Outstanding runners like Nora Cary, the 2024 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year, won the 65-69 championship last year at the age of 69. Her net time of 1:11:00 earned a 100.26% Age Grading Performance Level Percentage PLP. The August weather in Flint can be challenging. It was not bad this year. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 60's F during the race. Humidity and sunny conditions made it a good bit less than ideal. Relative humidity in the mid-80's with a dewpoint in the low 60's made it less comfortable. Winds were moderate.
OPEN MEN This year the top Men's runner was Nathan Martin, a professional runner from Jackson MI. A frequent champion, Martin also competes from time to time on the USATF Road Racing Circuit. He has earned points this year at the national Open Cross Country and Ten Mile Championships Cherry Blossom-Washington DC. Martin was fastest to the 5 Mile mark in 23:24. Drew Kolodge MI and Awet Baraki MI were running 2nd and 3rd at 24:10, with Andrew Bowman MI fourth at 24:19. By the 10K mat, Martin had pushed his lead too nearly a minute. Martin's split was 29:13, with Kolodge at 30:11. Bowman had moved into second at 30:16, with Beraki two seconds back. Martin had been hoping for a course PR but he said, after the race, that fell away in the final 3.8 miles. Nonetheless Martin continued to pull away from the field.
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| Natha Martin wins the 2025 Crim 10 Mile Run Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
His final time of 47:01 gave him a cushion of 1:39 over Bowman, who finished second, just twelve seconds ahead of Kolodge. Beraki was another seven seconds back in fourth, followed by Sam Chelanga NC, fifth at 49:18. Chelanga, now turned 40, has been a top contender on the USATF Road Racing Circuit for the past decade.
OPEN WOMEN Dot McMahan MI has been competitive at the national Open level for much of the past twenty years. McMahan ran for Team USA at the 14th World Half Marathon Championships in Edmonton AB, Canada in 2005, finishing 48th. In 2013, McMahan finished 18th and 2nd American at the World Championships in Moscow. After turning 40, McMahan took the Masters title at the 2016 New York City Marathon off a 2:38:46 effort. In March of the following year, she captured the Masters title at the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in 1:15:40. Nine years later, McMahan is still one of the fastest Masters runners in the USA. She enjoyed a duel with Jane Bareikis IL, who ran 2:29 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, Anne-Marie Blaney MI, who finished 51st in the 2019 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, and Atseede Tesema CO, who won the 2012 Chicago Marathon with a 2:22:03 effort. McMahan led that foursome through the 5 Mile split in 28:07. The next 1.2 miles saw Tesema drop 19 seconds behind the trio, all three credited with a 34:55 time. The hills over the final 3.2 miles forced Blaney to drop back. McMahan was strong at the finish, winning in 55:47 PLP 94.23, with Bareikis just five seconds back at 55:52 PLP 84.8.
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| Dot McMahan wins the 2025 Crim 10 Mile Race Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
MASTERS MEN
Masters (Overall). To no one's surprise, Chelanga NC, 40 topped the Masters field by over seven minutes in 49:18 PLP 91.03.
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| Sam Chelanga finishes Fifth Overall and First Masters at the 2025 Crim 10 Miler Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
Age Divisions MEN 40-44 Derek Ornekian MI finished well over a minute ahead of Ronaldo Serpa Ferreira MI, claiming first place at 1:01:46 PLP 75.05. 45-49 With Chebaiywo taking the Masters Silver medal, the way was clear for a tight battle between Michael Aubin ON, CANADA, Jonathan Faber MI, and Timothy Muckle MI to battle for the division podium spots. Muckle ed them through the 5 Mile mark at 32:55, Aubin six seconds back and Faber another six behind Aubin. By the 10K split, Muckle had grown his lead over Aubin to 16 seconds. But Faber, keeping his deficit at 12 seconds had moved four seconds ahead of Aubin. Still, it looked good for Faber. The final 3.8 miles can be a great equalizer. In this case, Muckle had enough in the tank to persevere and hold on for first in 1:05:36 PLP 73.07. Aubin and Faber were just 20 meters back and closing fast. They were assigned the same 1:05:40 time but Aubin was just ahead as they crossed the finish line. 50-54 John Olsewski MI had a quarter mile lead on Gore Tamai MI at the 5 Mile split and built his lead to nearly three minutes by the end, winning in 1:02:57 PLP 78.14. 55-59 Patrick Deigen MI gained 50 yards on Greg Thomas MI in the first five miles and added to it gradually thereafter. Thomas never gave in but could not quite keep pace. Thomas was a couple of hundred yards back when Deigen crossed the finish line, winning at 1:06:16 PLP 79.81. 60-64 No one could stay with Blake Sacha AZ. He had well over a quarter mile on the nearest competitor by the 5-mile split. The distance was well over a half mile by the time Sacha crossed the line at 1:07:27 PLP 79.14. Bin Xu MI finished second at 1:11:52 PLP 76.82. 65-69 Larry Sak MI, a key organizer and motivator for the Ann Arbor Track Club's M60+ team since joining in 2022, took care of business as he led his teammate, Michael Young MI across the finish line in 1:08:41 PLP 81.59. Young, a longtime AATC member finished at 1:09:51 PLP 82.69.
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| Michael Young on His Way to an M65 Second Place Finish in the 2025 Crim Ten Mile Race Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
70-74 Aaron Pratt, a longtime member of the AATC and now organizer of the M70+ team, also took care of business, claiming first with two minutes to spare, in 1:19:44 PLP 74.78.
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| Aaron Pratt just after he crossed the finish line to claim first place in M70 at the 2025 Crim Ten Mile Race---Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
Anthony Lopetrone finished second at 1:21:43 PLP 75.91. 75-79 Dale Chinneck MI finished first in 1:23:48 PLP 75.16. Terry McCluskey OH was not there to compete but primarily to hang with his long-time M80 running pal, Doug Goodhue, and other AATC buddies; he finished second, nonetheless. 80-84 Although not fully done with rehab, Masters Hall of Famer, Doug Goodhue, kept his Crim streak alive and won the division in 1:42:17.
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| Doug Goodhue Far Right, on His Way to the M80 Win, and Terry McCluskey Center on His Way to the M75 Second Place at the 2025 Crim Ten Mile Race---Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
Robert Parker MI finished second ten minutes later.
MASTERS WOMEN
Masters (Overall). With McMahan 48 taking the Open win, the Masters race was there for the taking. Leah Foley MI 48 outlasted two veteran competitors to take the win. Just 12 seconds ahead at the 5-Mile split, Foley grew the lead to nearly three minutes. She crossed the finish line in 1:02:24 PLP 76.82.
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| Leah Foley earned the Masters Win at the 2025 Crim 10 Miler Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
Lisa Veneziano MI 60, holder of the W55 12 Km and the W60 1 Mile American Records, enjoyed a lead of over a half minute but had to withstand a strong close by Amy Wing MI 55.
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| Start of the Open Divisions of the 2025 Crim 10 Mile Race Photo courtesy of Crim Festival of Races |
Veneziano finished second in 1:05:22 PLP 81.66, with Wing just a few yards back in 1:05:26 PLP 77.89. For a sixty-year-old runner to be on the Masters podium at a big race, it is something special.
Age Divisions WOMEN 40-44 Laura Emmer MI enjoyed a solid win. Her 1:07:30 PLP 73.77 enabled her to win by over three minutes. Ann Tocco MI finished second in 1:10:49 PLP 71.43. 45-49 Rachele Lack enjoyed a similar victory margin, winning this division in 1:10:37 PLP 75.27. Lisa Pangburn MI finished second at 1:14:00. 50-54 Linda Humpert MI battled Sherrie Temple MI for the division crown. Just 3 seconds ahead at the halfway point, Humpert grew her winning margin to a half minute by the time she finished in 1:13:16. Temple took second. 55-59 Eighty yards ahead at the halfway point, Patty Raines MI crossed the finish line at 1:17:48 PLP 73.38, over a minute ahead of her nearest rival, Sherab Melvin ON Canada. 60-64 With Lisa Veneziano taking the Masters silver, the way was open for Hiromi Potter MI to run for gold. Potter came in first at 1:21:19 PLP 77.88. She was followed a minute and a half later by Karen Kemiss MI in second place. 65-69 Saudie Donagalski MI dominated this division, winning by over five minutes in 1:23:06 PLP 79.48. Deborah Schmidt OH clocked 1:28:44 for second place. 70-74 Joyce Bayma MI enjoyed an even greater margin of victory in this division, over 15 minutes! She won in 1:32:51 PLP 75.44; she was followed by Marian Lawson MI at 1:48:40. 75-79 Marie Thompson MI won by six minutes in 2:08:26. Maggie Zider MI finished 2nd in 2:14:47. 80-84 Susan Gay MI finished first in 2:14:01, followed 18 minutes later by Dorothy Johnson MI at 2:32:34. Gay achieved the distinction of being the oldest division winner on the day.
FIFTH AVENUE MILE The final event to be recapped is the most famous of the four, the Fifth Avenue Mile. Its inaugural running in 1981 saw Sidney Maree win the Men's race in 3:47.52; that record stood until 2024. That is surprising given the quality of entrants over the years. Outstanding milers, Steve Scott and John Walker, competed in the 1980's. Nick Willis won the race five times between 2008 and 2019. Josh Kerr finally broke the record in 2024 with his 3:44.3. Outstanding distance runners like Mary Slaney, Regina Jacobs, Paula Radcliffe, and Shannon Rowbury competed for Women's championships. Jenny Simpson famously won in 2011 only to start, two years later, an incredible seven-year streak as Fifth Avenue Champion!
The race is entirely on Fifth Avenue, which runs along the East side of Central Park. The race starts at 80th Street and runs down Fifth Avenue with the finish line at 60th Street. It is not flat; there are slight rollers. The first 1/4 mile is moderately downhill, tempting the unwary runner to go out too fast. There is a slight uphill in the second 1/4. The third quarter is a gentle downhill, good for cruising. Runners are warned to not kick it into high gear yet even though the finish line seems to be looming up ahead. The final 1/4 mile is flat, and this is where a runner needs to pick up the pace and then kick for all they are worth! It is worth mentioning that the Fifth Avenue Mile, like all straight shot races, is not considered record eligible. To be record eligible the finish line must be no more than half the distance of the race. Also, it cannot drop by more than 1 meter per km or, in the case of the mile, no more than about 1.6 meters. The Fifth Avenue Mile misses out on both counts. That is why so much emphasis is placed on the Fifth Avenue Mile course record.
Age groups under the age of 60 run in the early morning, with starting times from 7:25AM to 7:45 AM. Those over sixty compete int he George Sheehan Memorial Mile, run with start times for the 60-64's and 65-69's together at 11:15 AM, with all groups 70+ at 11:30AM. Women and men run in the same heats, by age.
The weather this year was rainy for the under 60's with a 60F temperature and moderate winds from the north, basically unnoticeable. By the time the over 60's were running, the rain had let up a little with temperatures just a couple of degrees warmer. It stayed that way for the professional athletes.
PROFESSIONALS Both the Men's and Women's races were loaded.
MEN 18 runners in the Men's race broke 3:55! Yared Nuguse mastered the psychology of the course, and his competitors, to break away from the pack in the final meters to take the win and end his season on a high note! He was credited with a 3:48 time.
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| Yared Nuguse wins the 2025 Fifth Avenue Mile Photo courtesy of NYRR |
He was followed across the line by four runners, all with the same 3:49 time, in this order: Parker Wolfe, the UNC ace coming back from a foot injury; Drew Hunter, who finished fourth in the 5000 Meter race at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, just missing a chance to go to Tokyo; Nick Griggs, an Irish runner who won the 5000 Meter Silver medal at the U23 European Championships this spring; and Festus Lagat, a Kenyan runner who competed for Iowa State and finished 11th in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic this year.
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| From Left: Hobbs Kessler, Yared Nuguse, Aaron Kemboi, and Festus Lagat leading Mid-Race at the 2025 NYRR First Avenue Mile Photo courtesy of NYRR |
Amon Kemboi, Duncan Hamilton, Duncan Hamilton, Cooper Teare, Sam Prakel, and Hobbs Kessler followed, all with times of 3:50!
WOMEN Gracie Morris was the Bronze medal winner at the 2025 USATF Road Mile Championships and 5th place finisher here last year. That experience helped her time her move this year as she moved to the front and held off all others to win by two seconds in 4:16.
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| Gracie Morris wins the 2025 NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Photo courtesy of NYRR |
Second and third, in 4:18, went to Kaylee DeLay, an All American at Yale, and Karissa Schweitzer, who finished 11th in the 5000M and 12th in the 10,000M at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Eleanor Fulton, who finished 2nd in 2022 and 4th in 2024 at the Sir Walter Miler, finished fourth in 4:19. To the surprise of many, fifth and sixth place, both at 4:21, went to Laurie Burton and Lindsey Butler. Burton is a former Clemson runner who suffered from kidney disease in college but has recovered and now competes as a professional. Butler graduated from Virginia Tech as an engineer and added a Masters in Information Technology. She competes without a professional contract. Raevyn Rogers finished 7th in 4:23. Rogers is the 800 Meter Silver medalist at the 2019 World Championships, who also competed for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.
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| Gracie Morris led Karissa Schweitzer to Morris's right and the Rest of the Field Mid-Race at the 2025 NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Photo courtesy of NYRR |
Dani Jones, a University of Colorado runner who now competes for New Balance as a professional, finished 8th in the same time.
According to commentator, Carrie Tollefson, it was the first time since 2016 that Americans had won both the Men's and Women's race at the Fifth Avenue Mile; both Morris, for the Women, and Nuguse, for the Men, enjoyed the third fastest mile of all time on Fifth Avenue.
MASTERS There is no separate race for Masters. Runners 40 and up compete within five-year age groups, with groups combined into a given heat depending on numbers entered. As noted earlier, Masters athletes under the age of 60 ran in the rain early in the day. Runners 60 and older ran in light rain in the late morning.
WOMEN 40-44 Olga Firsova Australia was dominant in the division, winning by 18 seconds in a nifty 4:43 PLP 92.79. Courtney Decker NJ, who finished first here last year, was second at 5:01 PLP 87.81; she had almost as large an edge over Jennifer Dagan NY, third in 5:18 PLP 82.08. 45-49 Kate Babcock NJ, Dahiema Grant CT, Christine Licatta NJ, and Leah Mark NY formed the lead pack. Babcock pulled away in the final stages to win by two seconds in 5:20 PLP 83.84. Liccata claimed second place at 5:22 PLP 83.32, with Mark third at 5:25 PLP 82.55, and Grant just one second back in 4th. 50-54 Jennifer St. Jean CT, the 2025 USATF National Road Mile Champion, did not wait until the final hundred meters to pull away; she won by 11 seconds in 5:20 PLP 88.00. Last year she took the W45 Fifth Avenue win. Yulian Zha NY and Perry Shoemaker VA battled to within a second of each other for the other two podium spots. Zha gained the silver medal spot in 5:31 PLP 87.92, with Shoemaker in bronze at 5:32 PLP 88.64. Shoemaker is the American W50 Record holder in the 10 Mile, 12 Km and 20 Km. She must have had fun racing over such a short distance! 55-59 Fiona Bayly NY and Jennifer Harvey NY renewed their rivalry over the Mile distance. In 2023, Harvey edged Bayly at the finish line in Indianapolis, taking the 55-59 National championship by a fraction of a second and claiming a new American Record at 5:25. This year, Harvey edged Bayly again at the national championships, running 5:26 to Bayly's 5:27. But the outcome was reversed last year on Fifth Avenue. Bayly came in three seconds ahead of Harvey to take first. Bayly was determined to turn the tables once again. Bayly emerged the winner with a 5:23 PLP 95.42 effort, finishing three seconds ahead of Harvey's 5:26 PLP 93.49 .
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| Fiona Bayly green shorts Wins the W55 Division at the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Photo provided by F. Bayly |
They had the top two age grading performances among Masters athletes on the day! Lisa Schwartz NY claimed third in 5:53, a second ahead of Amy McMahon NY and three seconds ahead of Kimberly Aspholm NJ, important national team members for Checkers AC of Buffalo and the Garden State Track Club, respectively. 60-64 Judy Stobbe NY, W60 Silver medalist at the USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships in Indianapolis this past June, had no trouble winning her hometown race. Her 5:43 PLP 92.04 gave her a cushion of well over fifty yards on the division field. She was followed across the finish line by two athletes with solid performances, Nancy Tantone NY at 6:09 PLP 85.56 and Catherine Chandler NJ at 6:18 PLP 84.55. 65-69 Jane Lundy NY, in her first year in the division, enjoyed a fine run, winning in 6:24 PLP 87.5 with over thirty yards to spare. She had finished 3rd in 60-64 last year. Kitty Musante Fl, in her last year in the group and the 4th place W65 finisher at the USATF national road mile championships this year, registered a 6:32 PLP 90.38 to finish second, five seconds ahead of Julie Sands FL Musante moved up one place, after finishing third in 65-69 last year. 70-74 Ivy Bell NY, W70 silver medalist at the national road mile championships this year, enjoyed a cushion of over a hundred yards when she crossed the finish line in first, at 7:17 PLP 82.20. Bell displaced last year's winner, Christy Putnam NY. Putnam finished second at 8 minutes flat PLP 78.06, ten seconds ahead of Laura Perlberg. 75-79 Carol Gelman NY was locked in a duel with Lizzie Sadoff DC who won this division last year. Sadoff got the repeat win in 8:36 PLP 75.89, finishing four seconds ahead of Gelman's 8:40 PLP 75.31. Sherrell Harmon finished third in 8:53 =PLP 72.38. 80+ Lynn Blackstone NY moved up from a secnd-place finish last year, earning the win with her 11:31 PLP 67.96. Ann Makoske PA claimed second at 12:38 with Iola McClary NY finishing in third place forty-four seconds later.
MEN Note: The current PLP tables for Men's Road Miles are too generous and are being reworked. For now, they are useful benchmarks for relative standing at the 1 Mile distance but should not be compared to the Women's PLP's for the 1 Mile nor Men's for any other distance. 40-44 Adobe Negewo Degefa DC, Patrick Dooley CT, Jeremy Guidoni NY, and Andrew Senyszyn emerged as the lead pack. Degefa timed it the best, edging Dooley for the win, even though both received the same 4:35 time. Degefa's 4:35 received a PLP of 89.53, slightly higher than Dooley's 88.87 PLP, because Degefa is one year older than Dooley. Senyszyn was two seconds back at 4:37 b with Guidoni 4th at 4:38 45-49 Last year, Eric Aldrich CA and Chuck Schneekloth NJ finished 1-2 in this division. This year, Schneekloth timed his move perfectly to take the win at 4:36 PLP 94.17 over Aldrich's 4:37 PLP 93.10!
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| 40-49 Heat Of the 2025 Fifth Avenue Mile - Chuck Schneekloth in gold and black Biding His Time Photo posted on Strava |
Rob Gill NY claimed third place with his 4:47 PLP 89.86. 50-54 Lee Klarich CA enjoyed a solid win at 4:53 PLP 90.14 Klarich finished three seconds ahead of Matthew Rosetti's NY. 4:56 PLP 89.22. Gustavo Campiz MEX finished 3rd at 5:00, just one second ahead of Guillermo Pineda Morales NY. 55-59 Gary Hans NJ enjoyed a 20-yard gap over last year's winner, John McMahon, when he crossed the finish line in first. Hans clocked 5:06 PLP 89.93; McMahon in his last year in this division, ran 5:10 PLP 91.87. Steven Segaloff NJ was a single second behind McMahon at 5:11PLP 88.49. 60-64 Rick Lee NJ thrives at all kinds of running, from ultramarathons to Marathons to 3000M Steeplechase to 4 x 400M Relays. The M60-64 American Record holder in the 50 Km and the 50 Mile events, Lee had an off year here last year, finishing fourth in this division. He made up for it this year; he got the lead and won by three seconds in 5:01 PLP 98.94.
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| Rick Lee Wins M60-64 at the 2025 NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile Posted on Facebook |
Mark Alexander CT could not close on him over the final stretch, taking second in 5:04 PLP 95.36. Masamichi Udugawa JAP finished third in 5:12 PLP 92.08. 65-69 Kevin Ostenberg CA finished second here last year in the 60-64 division. He ruled the 65-69 division this year; his 5:11 PLP 96.62 gave him a 40-yard cushion at the finish line. Joe Kelly NY finished second in 5:19 PLP 94.2. Jonathan Kline NY was thirty yards behind Kelly, nailing third place in 5:25 PLP 92.46! 70-74 George Henahan FL had no peers; he had over 200 yards on his closest pursuer. Henehan won in 5:59 PLP 87.88. It was much tighter for second place. Zdravko Belicajevic NY outran Michael Ludwig NY by just four seconds to claim the second spot in 6:54 PLP 76.21. 75-79 Hank Schiffman NY was going for two in a row. Schiffman won by over 150 yards last year in 6:33. He ran just as fast this year and won by over 200 yards. He finished first in 6:33 PLP 87.76. A minute later, Samuel Mann NY finished in 7:33 PLP 77.64. Joe McCourt NY finished third forty-five seconds later. 80-84 Hugh Sweeney NY was also going for a repeat win. He won last year in 7:31. Slightly slower this year but Sweeney was still able to win with over 200 yards to spare in 7:38 PLP 84.34. Valerie Kurlander NY finished second in 8:54 PLP 72.34. A half minute later, Hal Lieberman NY finished third. In a 'shout-out' to one of my mentors in Economics, Daniel Hamermesh, the Sue Killam Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas, finished seventh in this division.
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Sources: Race websites-TD Beach to Beacon Run, Asics Falmouth Road Race, Crim Fitness Foundation's Crim Ten Miler, and New York Road Runners Fifth Avenue Mile. You Tube videos of Fifth Avenue Mile races and interviews. Cape Cod Times online at www.capecodtimes.com. Self-knowledge of B2B and Crim race courses, Facebook, Strava, and other social media.
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