November 20 2015. USATF Masters LDR Representative to Cross Country, Bill Quinlisk, has issued the following alert:
As you know the Dec. 10
USATF National Club XC Championships in San Francisco has split the
Masters Men's field into 2 races. There will be an 8k for all M60+ and a
10k for M40-59. There is one wrinkle in this configuration. M60+
sometimes opt to run with a M40+ or M50+ team. This will force those
runners to make a choice. If a Masters male runner age 60+ chooses to run
the M40+ 10k race, then they will not be eligible for individual age
group awards since they will not be in the same race as the other M60+.
(Rule 341.4)
The USATF event registration system has just been updated to allow this
option. If any Masters Men 60+ runners have already entered the Club XC
meet in the 8k and wish to opt out in order to run the Masters Men 40+
10k so that they can run for a M40+ or M50+ team, then they should
contact the Masters LDR XC Rep., Bill Quinlisk at billqxc@verizon.net.
Please send him your USATF membership number and let him know for which
age division club team you wish to run (e.g., Boulder Road Runners M50+
"B" team).
Friday, November 20, 2015
Friday, November 13, 2015
Preview of USATF Masters 12K Championships at the Neustar .US National Road Race
November 12 2015. Top Masters runners are converging on Alexandria, Virginia this coming weekend
for the final road championship on the 2015 Masters Grand Prix circuit, the
Neustar .US National (12K) Road Race. The
athletes are chasing $10,000 in prize money as well as Grand Prix points.Some may e able to lock up GP wins or places this weekend; others will need to slug it out to the end by competing in the final event of the season, the National Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco in mid-December.
[Based on Status of Entries on November 12 2015 around 7 pm; as I was winding this story up at 11 pm, I hit refresh on Status of Entries and became aware of many added entries on this next to last day for entering. I worked them in as well as possible. I suppose there will be more tomorrow. Any who enter after this will be totally ignored; I have to get to Alexandria and race myself. Apologies to anyone who is missed. There will also be some great team battles that I do not have time to preview. I look forward to covering them in my recap.]
Overall Masters Winners. The men’s favorite must be defending champion, Michael Wardian.
He has run so many marathons this year, however, not to mention an ultra marathon, that one would think he would have heavy legs and be vulnerable. If so, USATF Masters 10K Champion, Kristian Blaich, is the most likely challenger.
and Philippe Rolly may give Blaich a battle. Blaich finished 19 seconds ahead of Rolly at the USATF 5K Championships. Perry Shoemaker is the defending Women's champion. In fact, she won in 2013 in 44:14 and last year in 42:54. If she keeps improving like that, she will be unbeatable.
Sonja Friend-Uhl should press her for the crown.
She won her age group in the 800, 1500, and 5000 meters at the USATF
Masters Outdoor Championships, finished 2nd to Jen Rhines at the
Peachtree 10K in 36:44 and a few weeks ago ran a 10K in Bowling Green KY in 36:10. Late-breaking update: Jennifer Stuber has just entered for Playmakers Elite. She ran 35:54 in the Big Ten 10K in Chicago in July. That makes her a real threat.
55-59. Last year this group belonged to Hall of Famer Joan Benoit Samuelson who lowered the age group record by nearly two minutes to 46:27 in finishing 3rd overall in the Masters competition. As of now she is not entered. But we have another Hall of Famer who is, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso. She took first in this age group at the USATF 5K championships in 19:14. It appears this will be her
longest race since she ran a 10 miler in 2013 but she should have no trouble claiming the crown and will likely be up among the age-grading leaders as well. Diane Rothman and Julie Hayden could be driving toward the finish line in step. Hayden ran a 21:11 5K on November 5th. Rothman's best recent 5K is a 21:47 in June. But she also ran a 37:34 5 Miler in May. Colleen Magnussen could also factor in; she took 2nd in the USATF 5K in 21:59. Kathy Haubrich is a wild card. She apparently has not raced since 2012 but she did run 37:47 in the USATF 8K championships that year in Williamsburg VA. 1-Ayala-Troncoso, 2- Hayden, 3-Magnussen.
60-64. Kathy Martin is the hands down favorite in this group; the only questions are whether she will lower her own age group record of 48:54 and whether she will break the 100% barrier in age-grading. Apparently any time under 49:33 will do it for the swift 64-year old.* Last year Coreen Steinbach finished 2nd to Martin in this race in 55:56. Recently she finished 2nd to Martin at the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse, running a 22:01. That's pretty fancy stepping and no shame to lose to a Hall of Famer. Unfortunately for Steinbach, Elizabeth Cooney has moved up from the 55-59 group. Last year she took 2nd here for that group in 52:59. Earlier this year she took 2nd in the 55-59 group at the USATF 10K Championships in Dedham MA in 44:50. And she demonstrated good staying power with a 1:40:05 at the BAA Half Marathon in mid-October. Late entry Sharon Moore should factor in as well. 1-Martin, 2-Cooney, 3-Steinbach.
65-69. Sabra Harvey should take this group by several minutes and set an age group record. She needs 55:19 for the record and a 51:00 for a 100% age-grade score.* Edie Stevenson should be a good bet for 2nd. She won the age group in Syracuse with a 21:34 time in Harvey's absence, and took 2nd in the 60-69 division at the Bolder Boulder (10K) in 47:15. Erika Campbell finished 2nd to Stevenson in Syracuse in 22:34 and that is good enough for me to pick her for 3rd. She has not run a distance this long this year but she ran a couple of 10Ks in the mid 40's in 2014. 1-Harvey, 2-Stevenson, 3-Campbell.
75-79. Defending champion, Heide Moebius, who won last year with a 1:05:01, will try to make it 3 in a row at Alexandria. She has a strong rival in Margaret Hoey but Moebius should get her 'hat trick.' Hoey completed a 5-mile run in 53:21 on October 25th and a 10K in 1:05:44 on November 1st so she is ready to roll. 1-Moebius, 2-Hoey.
Men.
40-44. Michael Wardian is the defending champion in 38:24. Earlier that fall he finished 2nd in the USATF Masters Marathon Championships in the Twin Cities. This year he has run at least 9 marathons, 1 ultra-marathon and 1 50K race. He ran 2:27:20 at the Boston Marathon on April 20th and 1 week later finished 2nd overall in the Big Sur International Marathon in 2:33:04. He ran a Marathon on October 10th but given his record this year, may have gotten bored in between and run one even more recently. If his legs are at all heavy, he will get plenty of competition from Philippe Rolly who ran 16:10 at the USATF 5K Championships and Thomas Carroll who ran a 16:13 5K in August and, more recently finished 2nd in the 40-49 division at the CVS Downtown 5K in 16:40. 1-Wardian, 2-Rolly, 3-Carroll.
45-49. Kristian Blaich is clearly the favorite with a 15:51 at the 2015 USATF 5K Championships and a 33:22 Masters win at the USATF 10K Championships but it is fair to note that this is a chalenging distance for him. For the most part he stays within his strongest distances, 5K to 10K. Nonetheless he should take this group. And it could be 1-2 for the Atlanta Track Club. Matthew Whitis ran a 16:46 5K at Syracuse, a 37:25 at the Peachtree 10K, and showed his tenacity with a 59:18 on a tough, hilly 15K at Tulsa. Whitis could be pressed by Doug Mock who ran a 17:49 5K on Oct 24 but a 16:55 5K in May. 1-Blaich, 2-Whitis, 3-Mock.
50-54. Eric Stuber is the defending champion, winning last year in 41:04. Ruben Henderson who finished 2nd in 42:37, and Jeff Haertel who took 3rd in 43:03 are also back to try for the podium. Francis Burdett and Daniel Dixon who were not here last year, will try to contest the issue.
Burdett was winning everything in sight in the first quarter of the year, taking the age group crown at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder CO and winning at the USATF 8K in Brea CA in 26:50. Whether due to injury or just burn-out he finished 6th at the USATF 10K championships in 38:29. More recently he seems to be racing himself back into contention. He ran a gutsy 54:24 in the USATF 15K in Tulsa, hanging tight onto a faster runner for the first 10K and then gritting his teeth to finish off the 2nd place effort. Dixon ran a 5:09 at the USATF 1 Mile Championships and took 3rd in the age group at the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse with a sterling 16:51. Stuber has shown his speed at the 1 mile championships, running a 4:59, but has been running in longer races mostly. His most recent effort was a nifty 1:15:57 at the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon on October 17th. Henderson finished in a dead heat with Stuber at the 1 mile championships so his leg speed is good. He worked on his endurance, running a 1:18:13 in the Columbus Half Marathon on October 18, turning around to run a 57:04 15K on the tough Tulsa course on October 31st. Haertel ran a 1:22:35 half marathon on October 25th. Other contenders include Jean-Christophe Arcaz who finished 4th last year in 43:47. Mike Nier of the Genesee Valley Harriers is a late entry who will definitely contend. He took 2nd in the age group at the USATF 5K this year in 16:39 behind Nat Larson who is skipping this race 1-Stuber, 2- Nier, 3-Burdett.
55-59 This is another tightly contested group. Ken Youngers is the defending champion, winning last year in 42:46. A newcomer successfully challenged Youngers in the 2015 USATF 5K championships, however. Dave Bussard took 1st in 16:55. Youngers struggled home in 17:33 but I learned after the fact that he was recovering from a hamstring issue. Youngers won his age group in a 10 mile run on October 25th in 1:01:59; that is nearly 3 minutes faster than he ran last year as a tune-up for his victory in this 12K. So Youngers should offer more competition to Bussard in this race. But there is another wrinkle. Also in the field for the first time is Thomas 'Tom' Dever who has been having a heck of a racing year. He finished 4th in the USATF Half Marathon Championship in San Diego this past May in 1:17:12 and took his age group in the USATF Marathon Championships in early October in 2:49:46. And just to show that he has recovered his speed, he jumped into a 5k last weekend and took his age group in 16:55. This one's a killer to pick; a good argument could be made for reach one of them to win it. 1-Bussard, 2-Dever, 3-Youngers.
60-64 This and the 50-54 group have the most entries at 20 each. Like that group this one is also packed with talent. The defending champion, Tom McCormack is still out with injuries. But the runner who finished 2nd in 44:16 in that race, Rick Becker, is entered. Becker was beaten by over a minute in that race but to his credit, Becker trained harder and came back at the USATF 8K Championships in February and beat McCormack at the tape. I thought it was a great beginning to a year where we would see these two great champions going toe to toe at a series of races. But it was not to be. McCormack sustained an injury shortly thereafter and despite an apparent recovery in mid-summer suffered another setback that has kept him out for the remainder of the year. And Becker, whether from injury or other reason, has also been absent from the roads. The only race result I can find is for mid-August; he ran a 10K in his native state of Washington in 35:55, the first runner in over the age of 46. And then no races between then and now so he is a bit of a mystery. There are 4 other runners who deserve special mention. Tom Bernhard lost to Becker in February in the USATF 8K but has beaten all comers in the USATF 1 Mile, 5K and 15K championships this fall.
Doug Bell, Reno Stirrat, and John Victoria have been chasing Bernhard in those wins and are hoping this is the race where things come out differently. In the 5K at Syracuse, Bernhard ran a remarkable 17:36 to take the crown by nearly a half minute with Victoria, Stirrat, and Bell finishing in that order. Bernhard and Victoria locked horns again in the 15K at Tulsa with Victoria determined to stick with Bernhard if at all possible. He was 3 seconds back at the 5K and the 10K before Bernhard finally pulled away to win by 25 seconds. One can never count out Hall of Famer Bell nor the remarkable all around runner from NJ, Stirrat. They will press the pace early and can close late if anyone falters. 1-Becker, 2-Bernhard, 3-Victoria [Come back to check other entrants]
65-69 The defending champion and 2014 Age Group Runner of the Year, Lloyd.Hansen, who won last year in 47:36, should take the division with no trouble. Hansen has not been running quite as fast this year and was upset by Ignacio Jimenez in two early events. This fall, however, Hansen has won the USATF 5K and 15K championship in 18:59 and 1:01:51 respectively. Jerry Learned finished 3rd last year in 52:08 and appears to be set to run a similar time this year; that should net him 2nd place. Learned ran a 20:55 at the USATF 5K and a 1:10:25 at the USATF 15K so he appears, if anything, to be in better condition this year than last when he had some hamstring issues. I will go with the RRCA mogul, Mitchell 'Mitch' Garner to take the 3rd spot on the podium. Garner ran a 24:36 5K at Syracuse and recently completed a 52:34 10K at the Marine Corps Marathon. Late entry Tony Gingello, who finished just ahead of Learned at Syracuse, should challenge for 2nd and may well push Garner off the podium.
70-74 Doug Goodhue returns as the defending champion. last year's 2nd and 3rd place finishers, Przemyslaw Nowicki and Monte Piliawsky also are entered this year. Last year Goodhue broke the 70-74 record for 12K running 48:38, a truly remarkable achievement, but only one of many for the 'Silver Bullet' from Michigan. Nine-times the Age-Group Runner of the Year, including the last 8 years in succession, Goodhue has been unbeatable when not injured and has shown a remarkable ability to come back quickly from injuries. This has been a more difficult year for Goodhue than most but he is aiming to finish up with a bang. Sidelined for the first half of the year, Goodhue came back to win the age group at the USATF 1 Mile Run in Flint Michigan and the 5K in Syracuse. A little less than his usual speed, perhaps, but enough to get the job done with time to spare. He won the mile in 5:55 with 11 seconds to spare. His 20:06 5K at Syracuse was 24 seconds slower than his 2014 time but he still took the age group by more than a minute. A doubt arises from his decision to skip the USATF 15K in Tulsa. But most likely that just means he will be re-loaded and ready to go. In the meantime the 2nd and 3rd places are likely to involve the same two runners who traded the lead in the 15K two weeks ago and wound up only 4 seconds apart, Przemyslaw Nowicki and Paul Carlin (yours truly). Nowicki won silver last year at this 12K in 55:50, took 2nd at the 5K in Syracuse this year in 21:13 while Carlin, in the final stages (I hope) of rehabbing a hamstring was back in 21:45. At the 15K in Tulsa, things were closer with Nowicki taking gold in 1:10:54 and Carliin silver in 1:10:58. No doubt they will lock horns again and keep some pressure on Goodhue. Piliawsky who ran only 20 seconds slower than Nowicki last year in the 12K, is coming back from an injury as well. His USATF 5K time this year was 23:33, 45 seconds slower than last year. Presumably he will be closer to his usual fitness for this race. It would be a mistake to count him out of the medals. He is a tough competitor and will be running for team as well as an individual place. Another runner who may factor is Edward Smith who is coming back to USATF events as part of the Shore AC team after an absence of a few years. Hwe won the USATF 5K 70-74 championship in 2012 and came in a few seconds behind Nowicki (in 65-69 then) and about 2 minutes behind Goodhue. If he is close to that level of fitness now, Smith could be a factor as well. 1-Goodhue, 2-Nowicki, 3-Carlin.
75-79 Last year this age group was uncontested. It is a mark of its growing reputation that a number of classy runners have shown up this year to compete for the 75-79 championship. There is likely to be a classic battle for gold between the steady Shore AC veteran, Roland Cormier and Potomac Valley's John Elliott. Cormier just rolls along from one USATF championship to the next. He took 2nd in the USATF 8K at Brea in 41:38, 2nd at the 10K at Dedham in 49:48, 3rd at Syracuse in 23:57, and even made the trip to Tulsa where he took 2nd in 1:23:18. Elliott has been more selective although he missed Syracuse justt because of family responsibilities with the threat of Hurricane Joaquin. Nonetheless he ran a 52:53 10K earlier in the year, a 24:27 5K on September 19th, and took 2nd in his age group for the USATF 5K Cross Country race at Saratoga Springs in 24:12. Cormier had a terrific battle with Fay Bradley at the 15k, just losing out by 7 seconds. it looks like he may have another such battle this weekend. I am sure he hopes this one will have him coming out on top. It looks like Harlan van Blaricum should take third place. I am not sure if he has ben nicked up or jus tbusy with other atters. The only race he has run this year appears to be the USATF 1 Mile Championship at Flint MI where he ran 8:20. But he ran 7:45 in the same race in 2014 and ran 15K in 1:28:52. 1-Cormier, 2-Elliott, 3-van Blaricum.
80-84. Lawrence Dickerson of the Potomac Valley Club is the sole entry at present in this division.
*Age-grading anomalies. For those who are wondering, the current 12K record for women 65-69 can be termed a 'soft' record. Age-Grading tables rely heavily on 5K, 10K and Marathon races run by huge numbers or runners of all ages. In general a 100% age-grading score is roughly equivalent to a world record effort, but in races like 12K that are not run very often, especially by older runners, if a record is 'soft' (relative to the same age group records for other distances) it is likely that the statistical procedures curve will set the 100% age grade above the current record, to be in line with other distance records for the same age. By the same token, a 64 year old runner doesn't have to set an age group record (60-64) in order to score 100% or better because 60 year-olds, or 61 year-olds, are typically the runners who set the 5-year age group records. A single-age record for 64-year olds is likely slower than the 5-year age group record.]
[Based on Status of Entries on November 12 2015 around 7 pm; as I was winding this story up at 11 pm, I hit refresh on Status of Entries and became aware of many added entries on this next to last day for entering. I worked them in as well as possible. I suppose there will be more tomorrow. Any who enter after this will be totally ignored; I have to get to Alexandria and race myself. Apologies to anyone who is missed. There will also be some great team battles that I do not have time to preview. I look forward to covering them in my recap.]
Masters Records. Three
women athletes are a threat to Masters 12K records. Three-time Olympian, Jen Rhines, is entered in the Open
Elite race but is eligible to break the US Masters 12K record, as she did last
year, running 40:31. Her goal this year is to finish in the top 10 in the Open
race and given the strong competition, thinks it will take a faster time to
reach her goal.
Kathryn 'Kathy' Martin broke the women’s 60-64 record last year, lowering her own record by 5 seconds to 48:54.
Sabra Harvey should break the women’s 65-69 record of 55:15. She maintained a faster pace in her 15K victory on a very tough course 2 weeks ago.
Doug Goodhue broke the men’s 70-74 record last year but a repeat seems less likely this year; he has been battling injuries off and on all year.
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| Jen Rhines, front left, with her BAA Teammates at their Mammoth Lake Training Camp in mid-October [photo:https://twitter.com/jlrhines] |
Kathryn 'Kathy' Martin broke the women’s 60-64 record last year, lowering her own record by 5 seconds to 48:54.
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| Kathy Martin, a threat in every event, here in Cross Country mode [photo: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uKYaqN8KyU3jAsqNXpZRzMe3SekGqMytH3rx04dZHKAKsh2_ZPK4d897uI-jJWn0ctDe4AQXeAaq-eTL_xI8YUV4VQSLkYXYCpcOty8cUJn35LyrGbt3DOfj_py07BzU7I7e2A_i_8QL/s1600/spt-martin.jpg] |
Sabra Harvey should break the women’s 65-69 record of 55:15. She maintained a faster pace in her 15K victory on a very tough course 2 weeks ago.
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| Sabra harvey Profiled in Running Times, Oct 27 2015 [photo:Victor Sailer/PhotoRun] |
Doug Goodhue broke the men’s 70-74 record last year but a repeat seems less likely this year; he has been battling injuries off and on all year.
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| Doug Goodhue giving his all/Running Times Profile November 24 2014 [photo: Scott Mason] |
Age-Grading. The top two women runners are Hall of Famer
and defending champion Kathryn Martin and 2014 Masters Runner of the Year Sabra Harvey . Both missed races earlier this year but have come back strong. Martin,
64, won the USATF 5K Age Grade Championship in early October at the Syracuse Festival of Races with a 19:24 for a
100.46% score. Harvey, 66, ran a very tough 15K course at the USATF 15K Masters
Championships at the Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run in 1:07:12 for a 96.06% score. If both run their best 12K, the age-grade
race will be tight indeed. Others in the hunt include Heide Moebius, 76, Edie Stevenson, 66, and Carmen Ayala-Troncoso. The top two men currently registered are Tom Bernhard and Kristian Blaich with Rick
Becker, Tom Dever and Doug Goodhue likely close competitors.
Bernhard, 64, had the upper hand over Blaich, 49, in the 2015 USATF 5K
Championship, 93.82% to 92.37%. Becker, 61, is a wild card in that he beat
Bernhard in age-grading at the USATF 8K Championship in late February but disappeared
from the scene until this race. If he is close to full fitness, he is a threat;
last year he finished 4th in age grading here. Dever, 58, ran 1:17:12 in
the USATF Half Marathon Championship on May 31 for a 90.72% and this past
weekend ran a 16:55 5K for a 92.86%.
Overall Masters Winners. The men’s favorite must be defending champion, Michael Wardian.
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| Michael Wardian trail-running in California [photo: http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/running/trail-running-tips/] |
He has run so many marathons this year, however, not to mention an ultra marathon, that one would think he would have heavy legs and be vulnerable. If so, USATF Masters 10K Champion, Kristian Blaich, is the most likely challenger.
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| Kristian Blaich (in red singlet) leading Kent Lemme in the 2015 USATF 10K Championship Race [Photo: Scott Mason] |
and Philippe Rolly may give Blaich a battle. Blaich finished 19 seconds ahead of Rolly at the USATF 5K Championships. Perry Shoemaker is the defending Women's champion. In fact, she won in 2013 in 44:14 and last year in 42:54. If she keeps improving like that, she will be unbeatable.
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| Perry Shoemaker (green singlet) sprinting to the 2014 USATF 12K Masters Finish Line, with Tom McCormack, Men's 60-64 Champion [photo:USATF, Marlene Van den Neste] |
Age Group Competition. There is terrific competition in just about every age group. In my preview I typically only mention 3 or at most 4 runners but usually there are several extremely talented runners who are just off the pace of those mentioned. I love it when they excel and upset my predictions! Hats off to all who compete!
Women.
40-44. Sonja Friend-Uhl (Atlanta Track Club) will take on the defending champion, Perry Shoemaker. Shoemaker is from Viennna VA so this is on her home pavement. Shoemaker took the age group and overall Masters crown last year in 42:54 and her recent outings suggest she will be a formidable opponent for Friend-Uhl. She won the Army 10 Miler in October in 57:31 and ran a 10K 2 weeks ago in 35:29. Friend-Uhl took the Medical Center 10K in Bowling Green Kentucky in mid-October in 36:10 and is the 2015 800M, 1500M, and 5000M Masters Champ on the track. And she displayed her staying power with a 1:21:06 in the Naples Half Marathon in January. Brenda Hodge (Pike Creek Valley Running Club) and Alice Kassens should have quite a battle for 3rd. Hodge ran 1:25:29 at the Akron Half Marathon in September while Kassens recorded a 1:26:42 at the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon earlier in the year. [Late-breaking update on Jennifer Stuber-see above--Stuber should challenge for the podium.] 1-Shoemaker, 2-Friend-Uhl, 3-Stuber.
45-49. Cassandra Henkiel is the favorite at this point. She won the overall Masters title at the USATF 8K in Brea in February and took her age group in the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse.
Audra Naujokas-Knapp, who finished 2nd in 51:08 last year is another late entrant and should take 2nd again. At this point, two runners from the Philadelphia Masters team are entered, Linda Kelnock and Kristine Longshore, Although neither would consider themselves an elite Masters runner, if there are no other entries, I would pick Kelnock for 3rd and Longshore for 4th. 1-Henkiel, 2-Naujokas-Knapp, 3-Kelnock.
50-54. Alisa Harvey is the defending 45-49 champion in a scorching 47:47. This is her first year in the 50-54 group and she is the favorite. In early October she took the Army 10 Miler crown for her new age group in 1:04:37 so she seems ready to roll. Lorraine Jasper who took 2nd at the Syracuse 5K in 19:53 will have to contend with a newcomer, Darcy Strouse, who took 1st in the National Senior Games 5K run in 19:31 and finished 2nd in the 10K in 41:01. 1-Harvey, 2-Strouse, 3-Jasper.
45-49. Cassandra Henkiel is the favorite at this point. She won the overall Masters title at the USATF 8K in Brea in February and took her age group in the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse.
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| Cassandra Henkiel after a great run at the 2015 USATF 5K in Syracuse [photo: Bob Brock] |
Audra Naujokas-Knapp, who finished 2nd in 51:08 last year is another late entrant and should take 2nd again. At this point, two runners from the Philadelphia Masters team are entered, Linda Kelnock and Kristine Longshore, Although neither would consider themselves an elite Masters runner, if there are no other entries, I would pick Kelnock for 3rd and Longshore for 4th. 1-Henkiel, 2-Naujokas-Knapp, 3-Kelnock.
50-54. Alisa Harvey is the defending 45-49 champion in a scorching 47:47. This is her first year in the 50-54 group and she is the favorite. In early October she took the Army 10 Miler crown for her new age group in 1:04:37 so she seems ready to roll. Lorraine Jasper who took 2nd at the Syracuse 5K in 19:53 will have to contend with a newcomer, Darcy Strouse, who took 1st in the National Senior Games 5K run in 19:31 and finished 2nd in the 10K in 41:01. 1-Harvey, 2-Strouse, 3-Jasper.
55-59. Last year this group belonged to Hall of Famer Joan Benoit Samuelson who lowered the age group record by nearly two minutes to 46:27 in finishing 3rd overall in the Masters competition. As of now she is not entered. But we have another Hall of Famer who is, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso. She took first in this age group at the USATF 5K championships in 19:14. It appears this will be her
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| Carmen Ayala-Troncoso,helping her Team Rogue to a First Place Finish at the 2014 USATF Club Cross Country Championships [Photo: Michael Scott] |
longest race since she ran a 10 miler in 2013 but she should have no trouble claiming the crown and will likely be up among the age-grading leaders as well. Diane Rothman and Julie Hayden could be driving toward the finish line in step. Hayden ran a 21:11 5K on November 5th. Rothman's best recent 5K is a 21:47 in June. But she also ran a 37:34 5 Miler in May. Colleen Magnussen could also factor in; she took 2nd in the USATF 5K in 21:59. Kathy Haubrich is a wild card. She apparently has not raced since 2012 but she did run 37:47 in the USATF 8K championships that year in Williamsburg VA. 1-Ayala-Troncoso, 2- Hayden, 3-Magnussen.
60-64. Kathy Martin is the hands down favorite in this group; the only questions are whether she will lower her own age group record of 48:54 and whether she will break the 100% barrier in age-grading. Apparently any time under 49:33 will do it for the swift 64-year old.* Last year Coreen Steinbach finished 2nd to Martin in this race in 55:56. Recently she finished 2nd to Martin at the USATF 5K Championships in Syracuse, running a 22:01. That's pretty fancy stepping and no shame to lose to a Hall of Famer. Unfortunately for Steinbach, Elizabeth Cooney has moved up from the 55-59 group. Last year she took 2nd here for that group in 52:59. Earlier this year she took 2nd in the 55-59 group at the USATF 10K Championships in Dedham MA in 44:50. And she demonstrated good staying power with a 1:40:05 at the BAA Half Marathon in mid-October. Late entry Sharon Moore should factor in as well. 1-Martin, 2-Cooney, 3-Steinbach.
65-69. Sabra Harvey should take this group by several minutes and set an age group record. She needs 55:19 for the record and a 51:00 for a 100% age-grade score.* Edie Stevenson should be a good bet for 2nd. She won the age group in Syracuse with a 21:34 time in Harvey's absence, and took 2nd in the 60-69 division at the Bolder Boulder (10K) in 47:15. Erika Campbell finished 2nd to Stevenson in Syracuse in 22:34 and that is good enough for me to pick her for 3rd. She has not run a distance this long this year but she ran a couple of 10Ks in the mid 40's in 2014. 1-Harvey, 2-Stevenson, 3-Campbell.
75-79. Defending champion, Heide Moebius, who won last year with a 1:05:01, will try to make it 3 in a row at Alexandria. She has a strong rival in Margaret Hoey but Moebius should get her 'hat trick.' Hoey completed a 5-mile run in 53:21 on October 25th and a 10K in 1:05:44 on November 1st so she is ready to roll. 1-Moebius, 2-Hoey.
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| Heide Moebius, with Husband, Richard, after breaking 70-74 record at Toronto Half Marathon in Fall 2010 [photo from:http://lancasteronline.com/sports. Story on April 17 2011. |
Men.
40-44. Michael Wardian is the defending champion in 38:24. Earlier that fall he finished 2nd in the USATF Masters Marathon Championships in the Twin Cities. This year he has run at least 9 marathons, 1 ultra-marathon and 1 50K race. He ran 2:27:20 at the Boston Marathon on April 20th and 1 week later finished 2nd overall in the Big Sur International Marathon in 2:33:04. He ran a Marathon on October 10th but given his record this year, may have gotten bored in between and run one even more recently. If his legs are at all heavy, he will get plenty of competition from Philippe Rolly who ran 16:10 at the USATF 5K Championships and Thomas Carroll who ran a 16:13 5K in August and, more recently finished 2nd in the 40-49 division at the CVS Downtown 5K in 16:40. 1-Wardian, 2-Rolly, 3-Carroll.
45-49. Kristian Blaich is clearly the favorite with a 15:51 at the 2015 USATF 5K Championships and a 33:22 Masters win at the USATF 10K Championships but it is fair to note that this is a chalenging distance for him. For the most part he stays within his strongest distances, 5K to 10K. Nonetheless he should take this group. And it could be 1-2 for the Atlanta Track Club. Matthew Whitis ran a 16:46 5K at Syracuse, a 37:25 at the Peachtree 10K, and showed his tenacity with a 59:18 on a tough, hilly 15K at Tulsa. Whitis could be pressed by Doug Mock who ran a 17:49 5K on Oct 24 but a 16:55 5K in May. 1-Blaich, 2-Whitis, 3-Mock.
50-54. Eric Stuber is the defending champion, winning last year in 41:04. Ruben Henderson who finished 2nd in 42:37, and Jeff Haertel who took 3rd in 43:03 are also back to try for the podium. Francis Burdett and Daniel Dixon who were not here last year, will try to contest the issue.
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| Ruben Henderson, Playmakers Elite/New Balance warming up at the 2015 USATF 15K at Tulsa [photo: Float Media Productions] |
55-59 This is another tightly contested group. Ken Youngers is the defending champion, winning last year in 42:46. A newcomer successfully challenged Youngers in the 2015 USATF 5K championships, however. Dave Bussard took 1st in 16:55. Youngers struggled home in 17:33 but I learned after the fact that he was recovering from a hamstring issue. Youngers won his age group in a 10 mile run on October 25th in 1:01:59; that is nearly 3 minutes faster than he ran last year as a tune-up for his victory in this 12K. So Youngers should offer more competition to Bussard in this race. But there is another wrinkle. Also in the field for the first time is Thomas 'Tom' Dever who has been having a heck of a racing year. He finished 4th in the USATF Half Marathon Championship in San Diego this past May in 1:17:12 and took his age group in the USATF Marathon Championships in early October in 2:49:46. And just to show that he has recovered his speed, he jumped into a 5k last weekend and took his age group in 16:55. This one's a killer to pick; a good argument could be made for reach one of them to win it. 1-Bussard, 2-Dever, 3-Youngers.
60-64 This and the 50-54 group have the most entries at 20 each. Like that group this one is also packed with talent. The defending champion, Tom McCormack is still out with injuries. But the runner who finished 2nd in 44:16 in that race, Rick Becker, is entered. Becker was beaten by over a minute in that race but to his credit, Becker trained harder and came back at the USATF 8K Championships in February and beat McCormack at the tape. I thought it was a great beginning to a year where we would see these two great champions going toe to toe at a series of races. But it was not to be. McCormack sustained an injury shortly thereafter and despite an apparent recovery in mid-summer suffered another setback that has kept him out for the remainder of the year. And Becker, whether from injury or other reason, has also been absent from the roads. The only race result I can find is for mid-August; he ran a 10K in his native state of Washington in 35:55, the first runner in over the age of 46. And then no races between then and now so he is a bit of a mystery. There are 4 other runners who deserve special mention. Tom Bernhard lost to Becker in February in the USATF 8K but has beaten all comers in the USATF 1 Mile, 5K and 15K championships this fall.
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| Tom Bernhard capturing the National Championship for men 60-64 at the 2015 USATF 5K in Syracuse [Photo: Bob Brock] |
Doug Bell, Reno Stirrat, and John Victoria have been chasing Bernhard in those wins and are hoping this is the race where things come out differently. In the 5K at Syracuse, Bernhard ran a remarkable 17:36 to take the crown by nearly a half minute with Victoria, Stirrat, and Bell finishing in that order. Bernhard and Victoria locked horns again in the 15K at Tulsa with Victoria determined to stick with Bernhard if at all possible. He was 3 seconds back at the 5K and the 10K before Bernhard finally pulled away to win by 25 seconds. One can never count out Hall of Famer Bell nor the remarkable all around runner from NJ, Stirrat. They will press the pace early and can close late if anyone falters. 1-Becker, 2-Bernhard, 3-Victoria [Come back to check other entrants]
65-69 The defending champion and 2014 Age Group Runner of the Year, Lloyd.Hansen, who won last year in 47:36, should take the division with no trouble. Hansen has not been running quite as fast this year and was upset by Ignacio Jimenez in two early events. This fall, however, Hansen has won the USATF 5K and 15K championship in 18:59 and 1:01:51 respectively. Jerry Learned finished 3rd last year in 52:08 and appears to be set to run a similar time this year; that should net him 2nd place. Learned ran a 20:55 at the USATF 5K and a 1:10:25 at the USATF 15K so he appears, if anything, to be in better condition this year than last when he had some hamstring issues. I will go with the RRCA mogul, Mitchell 'Mitch' Garner to take the 3rd spot on the podium. Garner ran a 24:36 5K at Syracuse and recently completed a 52:34 10K at the Marine Corps Marathon. Late entry Tony Gingello, who finished just ahead of Learned at Syracuse, should challenge for 2nd and may well push Garner off the podium.
70-74 Doug Goodhue returns as the defending champion. last year's 2nd and 3rd place finishers, Przemyslaw Nowicki and Monte Piliawsky also are entered this year. Last year Goodhue broke the 70-74 record for 12K running 48:38, a truly remarkable achievement, but only one of many for the 'Silver Bullet' from Michigan. Nine-times the Age-Group Runner of the Year, including the last 8 years in succession, Goodhue has been unbeatable when not injured and has shown a remarkable ability to come back quickly from injuries. This has been a more difficult year for Goodhue than most but he is aiming to finish up with a bang. Sidelined for the first half of the year, Goodhue came back to win the age group at the USATF 1 Mile Run in Flint Michigan and the 5K in Syracuse. A little less than his usual speed, perhaps, but enough to get the job done with time to spare. He won the mile in 5:55 with 11 seconds to spare. His 20:06 5K at Syracuse was 24 seconds slower than his 2014 time but he still took the age group by more than a minute. A doubt arises from his decision to skip the USATF 15K in Tulsa. But most likely that just means he will be re-loaded and ready to go. In the meantime the 2nd and 3rd places are likely to involve the same two runners who traded the lead in the 15K two weeks ago and wound up only 4 seconds apart, Przemyslaw Nowicki and Paul Carlin (yours truly). Nowicki won silver last year at this 12K in 55:50, took 2nd at the 5K in Syracuse this year in 21:13 while Carlin, in the final stages (I hope) of rehabbing a hamstring was back in 21:45. At the 15K in Tulsa, things were closer with Nowicki taking gold in 1:10:54 and Carliin silver in 1:10:58. No doubt they will lock horns again and keep some pressure on Goodhue. Piliawsky who ran only 20 seconds slower than Nowicki last year in the 12K, is coming back from an injury as well. His USATF 5K time this year was 23:33, 45 seconds slower than last year. Presumably he will be closer to his usual fitness for this race. It would be a mistake to count him out of the medals. He is a tough competitor and will be running for team as well as an individual place. Another runner who may factor is Edward Smith who is coming back to USATF events as part of the Shore AC team after an absence of a few years. Hwe won the USATF 5K 70-74 championship in 2012 and came in a few seconds behind Nowicki (in 65-69 then) and about 2 minutes behind Goodhue. If he is close to that level of fitness now, Smith could be a factor as well. 1-Goodhue, 2-Nowicki, 3-Carlin.
75-79 Last year this age group was uncontested. It is a mark of its growing reputation that a number of classy runners have shown up this year to compete for the 75-79 championship. There is likely to be a classic battle for gold between the steady Shore AC veteran, Roland Cormier and Potomac Valley's John Elliott. Cormier just rolls along from one USATF championship to the next. He took 2nd in the USATF 8K at Brea in 41:38, 2nd at the 10K at Dedham in 49:48, 3rd at Syracuse in 23:57, and even made the trip to Tulsa where he took 2nd in 1:23:18. Elliott has been more selective although he missed Syracuse justt because of family responsibilities with the threat of Hurricane Joaquin. Nonetheless he ran a 52:53 10K earlier in the year, a 24:27 5K on September 19th, and took 2nd in his age group for the USATF 5K Cross Country race at Saratoga Springs in 24:12. Cormier had a terrific battle with Fay Bradley at the 15k, just losing out by 7 seconds. it looks like he may have another such battle this weekend. I am sure he hopes this one will have him coming out on top. It looks like Harlan van Blaricum should take third place. I am not sure if he has ben nicked up or jus tbusy with other atters. The only race he has run this year appears to be the USATF 1 Mile Championship at Flint MI where he ran 8:20. But he ran 7:45 in the same race in 2014 and ran 15K in 1:28:52. 1-Cormier, 2-Elliott, 3-van Blaricum.
80-84. Lawrence Dickerson of the Potomac Valley Club is the sole entry at present in this division.
*Age-grading anomalies. For those who are wondering, the current 12K record for women 65-69 can be termed a 'soft' record. Age-Grading tables rely heavily on 5K, 10K and Marathon races run by huge numbers or runners of all ages. In general a 100% age-grading score is roughly equivalent to a world record effort, but in races like 12K that are not run very often, especially by older runners, if a record is 'soft' (relative to the same age group records for other distances) it is likely that the statistical procedures curve will set the 100% age grade above the current record, to be in line with other distance records for the same age. By the same token, a 64 year old runner doesn't have to set an age group record (60-64) in order to score 100% or better because 60 year-olds, or 61 year-olds, are typically the runners who set the 5-year age group records. A single-age record for 64-year olds is likely slower than the 5-year age group record.]
Sunday, November 8, 2015
USATF 15K Championships-A Hilly Challenge in Tulsa OK
November 7 2015. The Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run hosted their 3rd USATF 15K Masters Championships on the 31st
of October. Batman was taking the photos and there were lots of witches and
zombies in the Open Race. But the USATF Masters runners had their running kit and their game faces on. They were focused on the competition
and the challenging race course, gaining renown for its many hills. Before 2014 the
course was aptly described as flat and fast. Then Tulsa decided to redevelop its
riverside and the course was rerouted. There is now a very steep, long climb at the 1.5K mark and then another slightly shorter one at 7K. Finally you
encounter the steepest hill at 13K, luckily not as long as the earlier ones. But
the weather was nearly ideal. Rainy the day before, it ended around dawn and
the skies were overcast with mid 50 degree temps and a slight wind. The runners
found that the wind intensified during the race however and blew pretty
strongly into runners as they approached the bridge back over the Arkansas River 12K
into the race. Unless you had saved something, that stretch was pretty tough.
Age Grade
Championship. Few thought anyone would crack the 90% age grading barrier,
much less 95. But that is exactly what Sabra Harvey (Houston TX), 66, did. Harvey finally
recovered from a freak ankle injury that kept her out of competition and
limited her training in the first half of the year. Harvey scored a 96.06% and
was the only runner to break the 90% barrier.
She crushed it with a very even pace, 22:17 for the first 5K followed by 22:19 for the 2nd 5K, and a tick slower at 22:36 for the final 5K. Debra Torneden, 54, scored the 2nd best age grade on the women’s side at 89.07%;
Honor Fetherston (Los gatos CA), 60, cruised in with an 87.72%. There was no one as dominant as Harvey on the men’s side but the age-grading was much closer. In fact 1st and 2nd was decided by a few hundredths of a percent. Tom Bernhard (Castro Valley CA), 64, claimed his 2nd straight USATF age grade championship on the roads with 87.77%.
Nat Larson (Amherst MA), 53, took 2nd with 87.74 and Cushing-Murray, 48, took 3rd with 87.45. Unlike Harvey, Bernhard ran a negative split for the first two-thirds of the race, hitting the 5K mark in 19:30 and covering the 2nd 5K in 18:40. When he hit the headwind at 12K, Bernhard had to draw on his strength to close out with a last 20:09 5K.
Age Grade Elite Performance Medals. In addition to the top age-grading performers described above, the individuals listed below were awarded Elite Performance Medals for age grading at or above 80% on this very challenging course. They are listed from high to low score. Because there are no course difficulty adjustments, it was not easy to earn the medal. These individuals ran great races on a challenging course--Well done!
Women. Elena Shemyakina, Andriette Wickstrom, Mary Sweeney, Janice Rempe.
Men. Lloyd Hansen, Timothy Martin, Rob Arsenault, John Gardiner, Matt Ebiner, John Victoria, Dave Bussard, Francis Burdett, Ron Zywicki, Craig Gunby, William Moore, Jason Butler, Antonio Arreola, Mark Rybinski, Ruben Henderson, Robert Garcia, Devin Croft, Peter Mullin, Bruce Kirschner.
Mythical Team Age-Grade Championship. This is my attempt to see which team can assemble the strongest age-grade team across all ages. The cumulative places of the top 3 in the age-grading tables from each team are added up to get the Team Age-Grade score. In this case not only was the 40+ team of Cal Coast the fastest overall they also had the best age-grading. In fact,
Women. Literally no contest. The Atlanta Track Club 40+ wins it with Mary Sweeney 84.42 (6), Janice Rempe 83.69 (7), Barbara Chandler 73.91 (13). 26
Men.
Cal Coast 40+ runs away with this prize even more than they did the 40+ team prize. Among those who participated on complete teams, they had the 4 best age-grading scores. Christian Cushing-Murray 87.45 (3), Rob Arsenault 85.2 (6), John Gardiner 84.97 (7). 16
Playmakers Elite/New Balance 50+ takes a strong 2nd in this category. Dave Bussard 84.63 (10), Ron Zywicki 83.88 (12), Ruben Henderson 82.41 (18). 40
Boulder Road Runners 60+ comes in 3rd by a comfortable margin. John Victoria 84.69 (9), Devin Croft 80.23 (20), Bruce Kirschner 80.13 (22). 51
Race Host. USATF and teh Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run continue to enjoy their partnership. Heath Aucoin, Race Director, explains “We feel that we are hitting our stride after three years of coordinating the run under the Sports Commission umbrella. Our main focus is runner experience so we have invested heavily in medals, shirts, water, post-race food, and Expo efficiency. Our goal is to celebrate the history of the run, but bring in the modern touches that are becoming necessary to stay competitive in the endurance running space. The race turns 40 in 2017 and we are already planning events that will celebrate Oklahoma’s most historic run.”
Overall Masters
Championships.
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| Start of the USATF 15K Championship at the Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Men.Timothy Martin (New Salem IN) is new to USATF championships but did not let
that phase him as he pulled away from the field up the first big hill. Martin was an unknown quantity; this was his first USATF Masters Championship and he entered at the Expo just the day before. The top runners from the Cal Coast Track Club,
John Gardiner (Rancho Santa Margarita CA)and Christian ‘Cush’ Cushing-Murray (Santa Ana CA) were in
hot pursuit, wondering if this unknown guy was the real deal or not. Martin was definitely for real, building his
lead steadily from 30 seconds at 5K to almost a minute at 10K and cruised in
with a 70 second win, on a very tough course in 49:43.
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| Tim Martin claims the overall victory at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
John Gardiner, a seasoned USATF veteran and
frequent podium finisher, took 2nd in 50:53. His teammate, ‘Cush’, hung
with Gardiner as long as he could, with both hitting 5K at 16:46.
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| John Gardiner, 2nd across the finish line at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Gardiner gradually pulled away over the next 5K but Cush hung strong and took 3rd in 51:31, denying the talented Sooner runner, Jason Butler, (Oklahoma City OK) a podium finish. In my preview, of the runners who actually made the trip to Tulsa, I had Gardiner, Butler, and Cushing-Murray in that order. But noted that Butler might have heavy legs from the USATF Marathon Championship 4 weeks earlier. Although Martin is relatively unknown in Masters circle there was some speculation that he may be one of the Martin twins, Theo and Tim Martin, who dominated Arizona High school running in the early 1990's.
Women. Deborah Torneden (Manhattan KS) took 1st place on the women’s side.
This is the 3rd time this year a woman from the 50-54 group has been
the overall winner at a USATF Masters Championship Road Race. Torneden improved on her 2014 3rd place time in this race by nearly 5 minutes to win handily in 1:01:34.
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| Deborah Torneden heading toward the finish line as First Masters Finisher at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Elena Shemyakina (Geneva IL)
and Janice Rempe (Roswell
GA) finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively in 1:04:26 and
1:04:43. Rempe hung tough with Torneden for the first 5K, as they passed the 5K mark in 20:30 and 20:32.
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| Elena Shemyakina with her trophy for 2nd Place overall at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
But Rempe paid the price as Shemyakina closed to within a second at the 10K mark and moved past shortly after to build the 17 second gap.
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| Janice Rempe, striding out before the race starts at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
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| Sabra Harvey collecting one of her medals at the awards ceremony at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Paul Carlin/runningprof.com] |
She crushed it with a very even pace, 22:17 for the first 5K followed by 22:19 for the 2nd 5K, and a tick slower at 22:36 for the final 5K. Debra Torneden, 54, scored the 2nd best age grade on the women’s side at 89.07%;
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| Deborah Torneden with two of her awards at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Honor Fetherston (Los gatos CA), 60, cruised in with an 87.72%. There was no one as dominant as Harvey on the men’s side but the age-grading was much closer. In fact 1st and 2nd was decided by a few hundredths of a percent. Tom Bernhard (Castro Valley CA), 64, claimed his 2nd straight USATF age grade championship on the roads with 87.77%.
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| Tom Bernhard accepting one of his awards from Marian Lein at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Nat Larson (Amherst MA), 53, took 2nd with 87.74 and Cushing-Murray, 48, took 3rd with 87.45. Unlike Harvey, Bernhard ran a negative split for the first two-thirds of the race, hitting the 5K mark in 19:30 and covering the 2nd 5K in 18:40. When he hit the headwind at 12K, Bernhard had to draw on his strength to close out with a last 20:09 5K.
Age Grade Elite Performance Medals. In addition to the top age-grading performers described above, the individuals listed below were awarded Elite Performance Medals for age grading at or above 80% on this very challenging course. They are listed from high to low score. Because there are no course difficulty adjustments, it was not easy to earn the medal. These individuals ran great races on a challenging course--Well done!
Women. Elena Shemyakina, Andriette Wickstrom, Mary Sweeney, Janice Rempe.
Men. Lloyd Hansen, Timothy Martin, Rob Arsenault, John Gardiner, Matt Ebiner, John Victoria, Dave Bussard, Francis Burdett, Ron Zywicki, Craig Gunby, William Moore, Jason Butler, Antonio Arreola, Mark Rybinski, Ruben Henderson, Robert Garcia, Devin Croft, Peter Mullin, Bruce Kirschner.
Age Group Champions.
Men.
M40.
Tim Martin, 1st in 49:43,
and John Gardiner, 2nd
in 50:53, were joined on the podium by Jason
Butler. His 51:58 ensured Butler his third consecutive top-3 M40 finish at
this race. Butler was only 6 seconds back of Gardiner at the 5K but Gardiner pulled away steadily after that. 1-Martin, 2-Gardiner, 3-Butler.
M45. Cushing-Murray, 1st in 51:31 was joined on the podium by
his teammate, Rob Arsenault (Riverside CA), who
took 2nd in 53:20 with Matthew
Whitis (Columbus GA) 3rd in 59:18.
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| Matthew Whitis (left) and Tom Bernhard (right) charging for the finish line and sub-60 times! At the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Cushing-Murray's 5K splits were 16:46, 17:34, and 17:21. Once again, Cushing-Murray demonstrated his staying power, adding this to his impressive performance at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in late May in San Diego.
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| Christian Cushing-Murray driving toward the finish line at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
He walked away with two first places (M45 and M40+ Team) and two thirds (overall and age-grade)--Quite a haul! 1-Cushing-Murray, 2-Arsenault, 3-Whitis.
M50.
Nat
Larson, who finished 2nd in age grading, ran 1-2 with his
Greater Springfield Harrier teammate, Francis
Burdett (Worcester MA), for the first 10K, both hitting the 5K in 17:29 and the 10K in 35:19.
Larson pulled away in the last 5K to win in 53:36 with Burdett 2nd
in 54:12.
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| Francis Burdett approaching the finish line and a well-earned medal at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Matt Ebiner (Covina CA) claimed 3rd
in 55:28. 1-Larson, 2-Burdett, 3-Ebiner.
M55. This group was Dave Bussard’s (Elkhart IN) all the way, with a 20
second lead at the 5K which he built up through the race to win by a minute and a half in 56:34. His 5K splits were 18:32, 18:34, and 19:28.
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| Dave Bussard showing how to finish With a kick at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Antonio Arreola (San Jose CA) also ran strong, stringing together 18:53, 19:14 and 20:02 5K splits for 58:09. Gary Radford (Cicero NY) finished 3rd in
1:03:43. 1-Bussard, 2-Arreola, 3-Radford.
M60. With Tom Bernhard claiming the age grading
crown, one might think he ran away with this age group. In fact, John Victoria (Colorado Springs CO), the terrific runner for
the Boulder Road Runners came with the idea of sticking to Bernhard for as long
as he could. At the 5K Championships in Syracuse, Bernhard had beaten Victoria
by 27 seconds. Victoria was determined to make it closer. They hit the 5K mark
at 19:30 and 19:33; the 10K mark at 39:10 and 39:13. Gradually, however,
Bernhard pulled away over the last 5K to claim the win, 59:19 to 59:44. Quite a
battle!
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| John Victoria (L) and Tom Bernhard (R) at the awards ceremony at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Mark Rybinski (Manlius NY) was just off
their pace, finishing 3rd in 1:00:42. 1-Bernhard, 2-Victoria, 3-Rybinski.
M65. Lloyd Hansen (Salt Lake City UT), the M65 Runner of the Year, did run away and
hide in this one, finishing 1st in 1:01:51. His 5K splits were 20:31, 20:27, and 20:53.
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| Lloyd Hansen charges Across the finish line for the M65 first place at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Jerry Learned (Gainesville GA), originally from northern Vermont finished 2nd in 1:10:25 to keep himself well up in the race for top 3 in the M65 Individual Grand Prix. 1-Hansen, 2-Learned.
M70. This category had, arguably, the
most competitive race of the day, with 4 lead changes. Przemyslaw
Nowicki (Holmdel NJ) took off when the gun sounded but Paul Carlin (Indianapolis IN) caught and passed him at the 2K mark as they both charged up the first steep hill. By the 5K mark, Carlin had built a 15 second lead, hitting it in 23:01. But Nowicki battled back and passed Carlin just after the 4 mile mark. Now it was Nowicki's turn to pull far away as they toiled up the 2nd big hill. By the 10K mark, Nowicki had nearly 30 seconds on Carlin hitting it in 46:42. It seemed too much of a lead to hope that Carlin could close the gap. But that is what happened. perhaps helped by the headwind, Carlin finally caught and charged past Nowicki with about 500 meters to go. Was Nowicki spent or had he saved something? Nowicki has shown in the last few weeks that he is a real battler and here again he dug deep, found another gear and stormed past Carlin with about 200 meters to go and that was it. Carlin had no more answers.
Nowicki prevailed, crossing the finish line in 1:10:54, a mere 4 seconds ahead of Carlin who finished 2nd in 1:10:58.
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| Paul Carlin (L) warming up before the race at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
David
Cohen (Ann Arbor MI) placed 3rd in 1:18:05. 1-Nowicki, 2-Carlin, 3-D. Cohen
M75. It is a tribute to the competitiveness of USATF Masters LDR from the 40's to the 70's that the two oldest age groups contributed the two closest races of the day. Roland Cormier (Jackson NJ) strode out smartly, with Fay Bradley marking his time. Cormier hit the 5K in 28:53 with just over a minute's lead. Thereafter Bradley started chipping away. By the 10K mark, Cormier's lead was down to 5 seconds, 56:13 to 56:18. Bradley continued to chip away until they were even. In the end, Bradley had just a little more left than Cormier as Bradley took the M75 crown by 7 seconds in 1:23:11--Wow! 1-Bradley, 2-Cormier.
Women.
W40. Heather Meehan (Tulsa OK) won
this group with a time of 1:17:10.
W45.
Stacy Shaw (Elkhorn NE) placed first in 1:09:34. Melauna Wescott (Yukon OK) was 2nd in 1:53:10. 1-Shaw, 2-Wescott.
W50. Deborah Torneden took 1st in 1:01:34, with Janice
Rempe, 2nd in 1:04:43, and Julie
Donelson (Tulsa OK) 3rd in 1:06:42. 1-Torneden, 2-Rempe, 3-Donelson.
W55.
Elena Shemyakina won in 1:04:26; Mary Sweeney (Atlanta GA) ran a strong 2nd
in 1:05:47. Shemyakina's 5K splits were 20:53, 21:13, and 22:20. 1-Shemyakina, 2- Sweeney.
W60. Honor Fetherston and
Andriette Wickstrom (Storm Lake IA) ran a terrific,
competitive race, the tightest on the women's side. Wickstrom hit 5K in 21:47 with Fetherston over half a minute
back. By the 10K Fetherston had closed
to within 21 seconds in 44:59. From there Fetherston was able to pass and hold the lead to win
in 1:07:36 to Wickstrom’s 1:08:07. 1-Fetherston, 2- Wickstrom.
W65.
Sabra Harvey ran solo and won
the race in 1:07:12. As Don Lein put it at the Awards Ceremony, Harvey is a nonpareil anyway. Perhaps it is fitting that as she has no peers, she had no challengers.
W70. Judy Bomer (Tulsa OK) placed 1st in
this group in 1:30:03.
Team Championships.
[Reminder: Team contests on the roads are determined by the cumulative times, not places, of the first 3 runners to finish.]
Women. 50+: The Atlanta Track Club took the Women’s 50+
division, unopposed, with a 3:22:52 cumulative time). Janice Rempe led the way but had able support from Mary Sweeney and Barbara Chandler (Newnan GA).
Men. 40+: The Cal Coast Track Club (Southern Cal)
took the 40+ division hands down. With John Gardiner and Christian Cushing-Murray coming in under 52 minutes, their two teammates, Rob Arsenault and Matt Ebiner would have had to lose their way on the course.
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| Cal Coast Track Club celebrating their M40+ Team Championship with Rob Arsenault (L), John Gardiner (C), and Christian Cushing-Murray (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Naturally that did not happen and Cal Coast won by nearly 15 minutes.There was a real battle for 2nd however. Jason Butler led the way for the OK Runner Elite team and the Atlanta Track Club tried to counter with superior depth. Butler, who finished 4th overall, hit the 5K mark in 16:52, 47 seconds ahead of ATC's 1st runner, Victor Breedveld (Atlanta GA). But ATC's 2nd and 3rd runners, Brad Slavens (Atlanta GA)and Matthew Whitis, were past the 5K before OK's 2nd and 3rd runners, Joseph Mitro (Mustang OK), and Jason Hatfield (Piedmont OK). . At that point ATC was a little over a minute ahead. Things had not changed much overall by the 10K split. Admittedly Butler now had nearly a minute and a half over Breedveld but Slavens had nearly 2 minutes on Mitro with Whitis leading Hatfield by 24 seconds. But Butler was too strong over the last 5K, stretching his leading time from a minute and a half to over 3 minutes and it was just too much. All of the other runners hung tough and had great performances but Butler made the difference as OK prevailed over ATC in the end by a mere 30 seconds. What a great contest! 1-Cal Coast Track Club 2:35:43, 2-OK Runners Elite 2:50:26, 3- Atlanta Track Club 2:50:56.
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| The Atlanta Track Club celebrate their M40+ Team Third Place Finish with Matthew Whitis (L), Brad Slavens (C) and Victor Breedveld (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
50+: The Playmakers
Elite/New Balance team (Lansing MI) took this contest unopposed in 2:50:11. But Playmakers came ready for anything. And with their usual tight finish it is unlikely any other team could have headed them. Ron Zywicki (Traverse City MI) and Dave Bussard came in together in 56:34 and Ruben Henderson (Grand Rapids MI) was only 30 seconds back.
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| The Playmakers Elite/New Balance M50+ Team Display Their 1st Place Team Plaque with Dave Bussard (L), Ruben Henderson (C), and Ron Zywicki (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
60+: The Boulder Road Runners had the stronger team today. John Victoria led the way but Devin Croft (Littleton CO) and Bruce Kirschner (Louisville CO) stayed ahead of their counterparts on the 2nd place team,the Genesee Valley Harriers (NY). Mark Rybinski, Tim McMullen, and Bill Beyerbach ran strong races but Boulder had what it took today. Croft and Kirschner did a great job of sticking together during the race Croft hit 5K in 20:55 with Kirshcner on his shoulder. Kirschner struggled a bit over the 2nd 5k but still kept within 3 seconds of Croft. In the end only 5 seconds separated them. That gave Boulder a 5 minute gap over GVH at the end. Even though they did not get the win, GVH captured valuable points toward the Club Grand Prix championship. 1-Boulder Road Runners 3:07:06, 2-Genesee Valley Harriers 3:12:25 .
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| The Boulder Road Runners display their 1st Place M60+ Plaque with Bruce Kirschner (L), Devin Croft (C), and John Victoria (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
70+: The Shore Athletic Club and the Ann Arbor Track Club have had many memorable battles in this age division but not today. The two top runners for Ann Arbor, Doug Goodhue and Monte Piliawsky were nicked up and did not come to Tulsa. So Shore AC went home with a dominating win and the Ann Arbor TC [David Cohen, Phillip Kroll, and Malcolm Cohen (all of Ann Arbor MI)], was happy to go home with 2nd place points towards the Club Grand Prix. Przemyslaw Nowicki led the way for Shore AC but J.L. Seymore (Somerset NJ) and Roland Cormier were also finishing well ahead of their Ann Arbor counterparts. 1-Shore AC 3:53:16, 2-Ann Arbor TC 4:24:44.
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| Shore AC displays their 1st Place M70+ team plaque with Przemyslaw Nowicki (L), J.L. Seymore (C), and Roland Cormier (R) at the USATF 15K Championships in Tulsa OK [photo: Float Media Productions, floatmp@gmail.com] |
Mythical Team Age-Grade Championship. This is my attempt to see which team can assemble the strongest age-grade team across all ages. The cumulative places of the top 3 in the age-grading tables from each team are added up to get the Team Age-Grade score. In this case not only was the 40+ team of Cal Coast the fastest overall they also had the best age-grading. In fact,
Women. Literally no contest. The Atlanta Track Club 40+ wins it with Mary Sweeney 84.42 (6), Janice Rempe 83.69 (7), Barbara Chandler 73.91 (13). 26
Men.
Cal Coast 40+ runs away with this prize even more than they did the 40+ team prize. Among those who participated on complete teams, they had the 4 best age-grading scores. Christian Cushing-Murray 87.45 (3), Rob Arsenault 85.2 (6), John Gardiner 84.97 (7). 16
Playmakers Elite/New Balance 50+ takes a strong 2nd in this category. Dave Bussard 84.63 (10), Ron Zywicki 83.88 (12), Ruben Henderson 82.41 (18). 40
Boulder Road Runners 60+ comes in 3rd by a comfortable margin. John Victoria 84.69 (9), Devin Croft 80.23 (20), Bruce Kirschner 80.13 (22). 51
Race Host. USATF and teh Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run continue to enjoy their partnership. Heath Aucoin, Race Director, explains “We feel that we are hitting our stride after three years of coordinating the run under the Sports Commission umbrella. Our main focus is runner experience so we have invested heavily in medals, shirts, water, post-race food, and Expo efficiency. Our goal is to celebrate the history of the run, but bring in the modern touches that are becoming necessary to stay competitive in the endurance running space. The race turns 40 in 2017 and we are already planning events that will celebrate Oklahoma’s most historic run.”
The Run expects to return
to its historic flat, fast course in 2017 after Tulsa’s major riverside
redevelopment is finished. If you are a Masters runner who relishes a
challenge, be sure to run Tulsa in 2016!
Friday, October 30, 2015
Preview of USATF 15K Masters Championships at the Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run
October 30 2015. The 38th running of the Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run on Saturday October 1st at 8:50AM is the setting for the 2015 National 15K Masters Championships. The runners are competing for $17,500 in prize money, second only to the Marathon Championship on the Masters Grand Prix circuit!
Last year it was unseasonably hot, the year before pleasant. The race forecast suggests a chance of showers but with moderate temperatures (mid-50's) and light winds, plus more than a chance of hills! So that's all good as the showers, if they arrive, are not expected to drop much rain, but the hills will definitely be there as a challenge for all runners.
There are many top performers and several intriguing races within the race.
Overall Masters Champions.
Men. The remarkable masters runner, Kevin Castille (Lafayette LA) is entered. He has been a dominant force in masters running for the past three years since he turned 40. He has top wins at races from 5K to the half marathon; race directors at many prestigious road races seek him out. Earlier this year he was the 1st place Masters runner at the Crescent City Classic 10K in 29:56 and at the AJC Peachtree Classic 10K in 30:37. Those are smoking times! And he has lasting power as well. He is the 2014 USATF Masters Half Marathon champion (in a time of 1:07:55) and finished 2nd to Meb Keflezighi in the 2015 contest in San Diego in 1:04:45. If Castille is on his game, no one else can stay with him. Other strong runners who will try include John Gardiner (Rancho Santa Margarita CA) and Jason Butler (Oklahoma City OK) and Christian Cushing-Murray (Santa Ana CA). Gardiner finished in 1:10:04 at the 2015 Half Marathon Championship, and regularly winds up on the podium at the USATF Championship races he enters. He should be 2nd across the line here. Butler and Cushing-Murray should have quite a race for the bronze medal. Butler ran 1:13:12 at the Chevron Houston Half Marathon in January and Cushing-Murray ran 1:13:51 at the 2015 USATF Half Marathon Championship. The San Diego race course is slightly downhill overall while Houston is not; that favors Butler, and Butler has younger legs. But Butler also ran a Marathon 4 weeks ago so may have heavier legs. Picks: 1-Castille; 2-Gardiner, 3-Butler.
Women. This title should go easily to the strong Masters runner from West Florida, Terri Rejimbal, runner up to Melody Fairchild last year. Following that she had to play second fiddle to Jen Rhines in both the 2015 Gasparilla Half Marathon in March and the USATF Masters Half Marathon Championship in May. This time she should not have to run in anyone's shadow. Rejimbal typically breaks an hour and 25 minutes in her half marathons, often by a few minutes. No one else in the field has run under 1:30. There are four runners who should contend for the remaining spots on the overall podium. Laura Stuart (Encenita CA) ran a 1:01:08 15K two years ago and this year has run sub-20 5K's and sub-40 10K's. Kathleen Cushing-Murray (Santa Ana CA) ran 1:30:24 at the 2015 Masters Half Marathon Championships; Deborah Torneden (Andover KS) ran 1:30:35 at the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon in Kansas City in April, and Elena Shemyakin (Geneva IL) won the March Madness Half Marathon in Cary IL in 1:30:27. Only 11 seconds between those three times-how close can you get?! As noted above, the San Diego course is a bit downhill overall so that maybe took a few seconds off of Cushing-Murray's time. The other two are both 'out and backs'. But the KC Half is billed as flat and fast! The March Madness Half is billed as 'the most challenging in Northern Illinois.' Stuart seems a bit uncertain as a pick but clearly a threat; I will restrict my picks to those with a recent half marathon. Basing my picks on the difficulty of the courses they ran for their almost equal half marathon times this year, I have: 1-Rejimbal, 2-Shemyakin, 3-Torneden.
Age Grade Champions.
Women. Even though Sabra Harvey (Houston TX), 66, may still be in the last stages of recovering her fitness from a layoff due to an ankle fracture, she should still be the favorite. Last year when Harvey was the USATF Runner of the Year, she regularly graded in the vicinity of 100%. At the USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship in Flint MI on the 21st of August, Harvey scored 90.8% in her first race since the injury. Two months along Harvey should be ready to score over 95% and that should be enough. Shemyakin, 56, could challenge for second though; her 1:30:27 Half Marathon at age 55, age graded at 87.2%. Rejimbal, with the 2015 tables, tends to score a little lower than that but it will likely be close. 1-Harvey, 2-Shemyakin, 3-Rejimbal.
Men. It is likely to be closer on the men's side. Castille is typically age-grading at about 95% with the 2015 tables. Tom Bernhard (Castro Valley CA), 64, ran a 17:36 5K at the USATF Championships 4 weeks ago; that age-graded at 93.8%. Doug Goodhue (Milford MI) would ordinarily be one of the top challengers but he appears to still be a bit nicked up or off his form. It is a sign of Goodhue's quality that when he is off his game he still age grades above 90%. so you can never count him out of age grade competitions. More likely the third challenger will be Nat Larson (Amherst MA), 93.4% at Syracuse. 1-Castille, 2-Bernhard, 3-Larson.
Age Group Champions.
Women.
40-44. This title should go to Heather Meehan, a local runner.
45-49. Rejimbal has no close competitors in this group. Stacy Shaw, from
from Nebraska Run Guru Elite, has run a 1:32 half marathon and a 3:22 marathon, and appears a lock for 2nd. Melauna Wescott of the Oklahoma City Running Club should take 3rd. 1-Rejimbal, 2-Shaw, 3-Wescott.
50-54. On the women's side, this is the age group with the most competitors. it seems likely we will see a dandy race between two 1:30 half marathoners and one with a 1:01:08 15K, as alluded to above. Cushing-Murray, Stuart and Torneden are in this age group. 1-Torneden, 2-Cushing-Murray, 3-Stuart.
55-59. Elena Shemyakina is the favorite here. As noted above she has run 1:30 and change for a half marathon and was the first Masters woman in her age group at the London Marathon earlier this year in 3:09:23. Mary Sweeney,(Atlanta GA) in April, finished 3rd in the 50-54 group at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, and , in July, after moving up to the 55-59 group, won the group at the Peachtree 10K Road Race in 41:15. Sweeney will keep the race honest and should get the silver medal as her reward. 1-Shemyakina, 2-Sweeney
60-64. This could be quite a race. Honor Fetherston (Los Gatos CA), one of the identical running triplets, is probably the favorite. She won the USATF Masters Half Marathon Championship in San Diego in 1:32:03, and took 2nd place behind two-time Runner of the Year, Christine Kennedy at both the USATF 8K Championship at Brea in 35:29 and at the Carlsbad 5000 meter run in 21:10. Andriette Wickstrom (Storm Lake IA) won the 55-59 group last year and has since moved up to the 60-64 group. Earlier this year she won her age group at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth MN in 3:27:39, the Quad City Bix 7 Miler in 51:42, and the USATF Masters Marathon Championship at Twin Cities in 3:22:46. She is clearly in excellent condition. One worries that a fast marathon 4 weeks ago might have taken something out of Wickstrom. On the other hand she is used to running marathons; she ran in 5 marathons and 5 half marathons this year. So what's one more marathon before a 15K?! 1-Fetherston, 2-Wickstrom
65-69. The 2014 Runner of the Year, Sabra Harvey, should take this age group with ease even if there were serious competion. As noted above she is coming back from an ankle injury but was able to run pretty well at the USATF 1 Mile Championship. Harvey has broken national age group records at the 5K, 8K, and 10K so a 15K is likely to be just up her alley. This is a challenging course so a record is probably out of the question.
70-74. Local runner, Judy Bomer, of the Tulsa Running Club, is the sole entrant in this group. She has run a quarter marathon this year in 1:02:30 and ran a 2:15:18 Half Marathon at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.
Men
40-44. This group should pretty much be a repeat of the overall race with Castille, Gardiner and Butler finishing in that order. 1-Castille, 2-Gardiner, 3-Butler.
45-49. Regardless of how Christian Cushing-Murray, 'Cush', does in the overall competition he should take first in this age group. He will have challengers however. Brad Slavens (Atlanta GA) has run 3 sub 1:20 half marathons this year, in Miami (1:19:04), Augusta GA (1:19:42) and Montreal (1:17:56). He won the age group in Montreal and appears to be peaking at the right time for this race. And we shouldn't ignore Cushing-Murray's teammate, Rob Arsenault, either. A force at shorter distances,he showed his long distance chops at the USATF Half marathon Championship in San Diego where he ran a 1:20:07. 1-Cushing-Murray, 2-Slavens, 3-Arsenault
50-54. This will be a tightly contested race, but with a clear favorite. Nat Larson has burst onto the National Masters scene this year with a vengeance, taking 3rd in the age group at the USATF 10K Masters Championships in 35:16 and winning the age group in the USATF 5K Masters Championship at Syracuse in 16:10. He will be trying to make it two in a row for USATF Masters Road Championships. Larson also just joined the Greater Springfield Harriers to run alongside Francis Burdett (Worcester MA). Burdett is no stranger to National Championships; he won the USATF Cross Country Championship (8K) and the USATF 8K Road Championship at Brea CA earlier this year. These two Bay State runners will be going up against two strong Masters runners from the Midwest. Ruben Henderson (Grand Rapids) took 3rd in his age group at the CRIM Festival of Races 10 Miler in 1:00:57. He followed that up with 4th place in the age group at the USATF Masters 5K Championship in Syracuse with a 16:54. Craig Gunby (Palatine IL)
Last year it was unseasonably hot, the year before pleasant. The race forecast suggests a chance of showers but with moderate temperatures (mid-50's) and light winds, plus more than a chance of hills! So that's all good as the showers, if they arrive, are not expected to drop much rain, but the hills will definitely be there as a challenge for all runners.
There are many top performers and several intriguing races within the race.
Overall Masters Champions.
Men. The remarkable masters runner, Kevin Castille (Lafayette LA) is entered. He has been a dominant force in masters running for the past three years since he turned 40. He has top wins at races from 5K to the half marathon; race directors at many prestigious road races seek him out. Earlier this year he was the 1st place Masters runner at the Crescent City Classic 10K in 29:56 and at the AJC Peachtree Classic 10K in 30:37. Those are smoking times! And he has lasting power as well. He is the 2014 USATF Masters Half Marathon champion (in a time of 1:07:55) and finished 2nd to Meb Keflezighi in the 2015 contest in San Diego in 1:04:45. If Castille is on his game, no one else can stay with him. Other strong runners who will try include John Gardiner (Rancho Santa Margarita CA) and Jason Butler (Oklahoma City OK) and Christian Cushing-Murray (Santa Ana CA). Gardiner finished in 1:10:04 at the 2015 Half Marathon Championship, and regularly winds up on the podium at the USATF Championship races he enters. He should be 2nd across the line here. Butler and Cushing-Murray should have quite a race for the bronze medal. Butler ran 1:13:12 at the Chevron Houston Half Marathon in January and Cushing-Murray ran 1:13:51 at the 2015 USATF Half Marathon Championship. The San Diego race course is slightly downhill overall while Houston is not; that favors Butler, and Butler has younger legs. But Butler also ran a Marathon 4 weeks ago so may have heavier legs. Picks: 1-Castille; 2-Gardiner, 3-Butler.
Women. This title should go easily to the strong Masters runner from West Florida, Terri Rejimbal, runner up to Melody Fairchild last year. Following that she had to play second fiddle to Jen Rhines in both the 2015 Gasparilla Half Marathon in March and the USATF Masters Half Marathon Championship in May. This time she should not have to run in anyone's shadow. Rejimbal typically breaks an hour and 25 minutes in her half marathons, often by a few minutes. No one else in the field has run under 1:30. There are four runners who should contend for the remaining spots on the overall podium. Laura Stuart (Encenita CA) ran a 1:01:08 15K two years ago and this year has run sub-20 5K's and sub-40 10K's. Kathleen Cushing-Murray (Santa Ana CA) ran 1:30:24 at the 2015 Masters Half Marathon Championships; Deborah Torneden (Andover KS) ran 1:30:35 at the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon in Kansas City in April, and Elena Shemyakin (Geneva IL) won the March Madness Half Marathon in Cary IL in 1:30:27. Only 11 seconds between those three times-how close can you get?! As noted above, the San Diego course is a bit downhill overall so that maybe took a few seconds off of Cushing-Murray's time. The other two are both 'out and backs'. But the KC Half is billed as flat and fast! The March Madness Half is billed as 'the most challenging in Northern Illinois.' Stuart seems a bit uncertain as a pick but clearly a threat; I will restrict my picks to those with a recent half marathon. Basing my picks on the difficulty of the courses they ran for their almost equal half marathon times this year, I have: 1-Rejimbal, 2-Shemyakin, 3-Torneden.
Age Grade Champions.
Women. Even though Sabra Harvey (Houston TX), 66, may still be in the last stages of recovering her fitness from a layoff due to an ankle fracture, she should still be the favorite. Last year when Harvey was the USATF Runner of the Year, she regularly graded in the vicinity of 100%. At the USATF Masters 1 Mile Championship in Flint MI on the 21st of August, Harvey scored 90.8% in her first race since the injury. Two months along Harvey should be ready to score over 95% and that should be enough. Shemyakin, 56, could challenge for second though; her 1:30:27 Half Marathon at age 55, age graded at 87.2%. Rejimbal, with the 2015 tables, tends to score a little lower than that but it will likely be close. 1-Harvey, 2-Shemyakin, 3-Rejimbal.
Men. It is likely to be closer on the men's side. Castille is typically age-grading at about 95% with the 2015 tables. Tom Bernhard (Castro Valley CA), 64, ran a 17:36 5K at the USATF Championships 4 weeks ago; that age-graded at 93.8%. Doug Goodhue (Milford MI) would ordinarily be one of the top challengers but he appears to still be a bit nicked up or off his form. It is a sign of Goodhue's quality that when he is off his game he still age grades above 90%. so you can never count him out of age grade competitions. More likely the third challenger will be Nat Larson (Amherst MA), 93.4% at Syracuse. 1-Castille, 2-Bernhard, 3-Larson.
Age Group Champions.
Women.
40-44. This title should go to Heather Meehan, a local runner.
45-49. Rejimbal has no close competitors in this group. Stacy Shaw, from
from Nebraska Run Guru Elite, has run a 1:32 half marathon and a 3:22 marathon, and appears a lock for 2nd. Melauna Wescott of the Oklahoma City Running Club should take 3rd. 1-Rejimbal, 2-Shaw, 3-Wescott.
50-54. On the women's side, this is the age group with the most competitors. it seems likely we will see a dandy race between two 1:30 half marathoners and one with a 1:01:08 15K, as alluded to above. Cushing-Murray, Stuart and Torneden are in this age group. 1-Torneden, 2-Cushing-Murray, 3-Stuart.
55-59. Elena Shemyakina is the favorite here. As noted above she has run 1:30 and change for a half marathon and was the first Masters woman in her age group at the London Marathon earlier this year in 3:09:23. Mary Sweeney,(Atlanta GA) in April, finished 3rd in the 50-54 group at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, and , in July, after moving up to the 55-59 group, won the group at the Peachtree 10K Road Race in 41:15. Sweeney will keep the race honest and should get the silver medal as her reward. 1-Shemyakina, 2-Sweeney
60-64. This could be quite a race. Honor Fetherston (Los Gatos CA), one of the identical running triplets, is probably the favorite. She won the USATF Masters Half Marathon Championship in San Diego in 1:32:03, and took 2nd place behind two-time Runner of the Year, Christine Kennedy at both the USATF 8K Championship at Brea in 35:29 and at the Carlsbad 5000 meter run in 21:10. Andriette Wickstrom (Storm Lake IA) won the 55-59 group last year and has since moved up to the 60-64 group. Earlier this year she won her age group at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth MN in 3:27:39, the Quad City Bix 7 Miler in 51:42, and the USATF Masters Marathon Championship at Twin Cities in 3:22:46. She is clearly in excellent condition. One worries that a fast marathon 4 weeks ago might have taken something out of Wickstrom. On the other hand she is used to running marathons; she ran in 5 marathons and 5 half marathons this year. So what's one more marathon before a 15K?! 1-Fetherston, 2-Wickstrom
65-69. The 2014 Runner of the Year, Sabra Harvey, should take this age group with ease even if there were serious competion. As noted above she is coming back from an ankle injury but was able to run pretty well at the USATF 1 Mile Championship. Harvey has broken national age group records at the 5K, 8K, and 10K so a 15K is likely to be just up her alley. This is a challenging course so a record is probably out of the question.
70-74. Local runner, Judy Bomer, of the Tulsa Running Club, is the sole entrant in this group. She has run a quarter marathon this year in 1:02:30 and ran a 2:15:18 Half Marathon at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.
Men
40-44. This group should pretty much be a repeat of the overall race with Castille, Gardiner and Butler finishing in that order. 1-Castille, 2-Gardiner, 3-Butler.
45-49. Regardless of how Christian Cushing-Murray, 'Cush', does in the overall competition he should take first in this age group. He will have challengers however. Brad Slavens (Atlanta GA) has run 3 sub 1:20 half marathons this year, in Miami (1:19:04), Augusta GA (1:19:42) and Montreal (1:17:56). He won the age group in Montreal and appears to be peaking at the right time for this race. And we shouldn't ignore Cushing-Murray's teammate, Rob Arsenault, either. A force at shorter distances,he showed his long distance chops at the USATF Half marathon Championship in San Diego where he ran a 1:20:07. 1-Cushing-Murray, 2-Slavens, 3-Arsenault
50-54. This will be a tightly contested race, but with a clear favorite. Nat Larson has burst onto the National Masters scene this year with a vengeance, taking 3rd in the age group at the USATF 10K Masters Championships in 35:16 and winning the age group in the USATF 5K Masters Championship at Syracuse in 16:10. He will be trying to make it two in a row for USATF Masters Road Championships. Larson also just joined the Greater Springfield Harriers to run alongside Francis Burdett (Worcester MA). Burdett is no stranger to National Championships; he won the USATF Cross Country Championship (8K) and the USATF 8K Road Championship at Brea CA earlier this year. These two Bay State runners will be going up against two strong Masters runners from the Midwest. Ruben Henderson (Grand Rapids) took 3rd in his age group at the CRIM Festival of Races 10 Miler in 1:00:57. He followed that up with 4th place in the age group at the USATF Masters 5K Championship in Syracuse with a 16:54. Craig Gunby (Palatine IL)
Gunby has had a strong year
from the 10 mile run to the Marathon. Will his legs be a little heavy from the Chicago
Marathon three weeks before the Tulsa Run? One would think so but time will
tell. He ran 2:49:21 there. He also ran a 10 Miler earlier in the year, finishing in 1:00:49 at the Fleet Feet 10 Miler at Soldiers Field in Chicago. Larson should win it. Burdett finished within 40 seconds of larson at the USATF Masters 5 km Cross Country race on the 18th of October, while Henderson finished 44 seconds behind Larson at the 5K road race at Syracuse. So it should be very tight between those two. Gunby might just be off the podium. 1-Larson, 2-Burdett, 3- Henderson
55-59. 2014 Runner of the Year, Brian Pilcher, is a scratch due to a hamstring injury. In his absence the clear favorite is Dave Bussard (Elkhart IN). A top runner in northern Indiana for years,
Bussard joined the Lansing Michigan team of Players Elite/New Balance this year
and has immediately risen to the top ranks at national championships. He is
going for his 3 rd consecutive win on the circuit and there is no reason to bet against him obtaining it. He took 1st place in this age group in the USATF 1 Mile Championship in Flint Michigan in 4:57 and at the USATF 5K Championship in Syracuse in 16:55. Antonio Arreola (San Jose CA) will help to keep the race honest. He has run a 1:20 half marathon, a 1:04:52 10 miler and 17:39 at the USATF 5K Masters Championship. Gary Radford, one of the stalwart runners of the Genesee Valley Harriers should take the bronze medal. 1-Bussard, 2-Arreola, 3-Radford.
60-64. The favorite is Tom Bernhard. He has recently become a dominant runner in this age group. He took the age group title at the USATF Masters Championship races--in the 1 Mile Run at the CRIM in 5:21 and the 5K title at the Syracuse Festival of Races in 17:36. But there is plenty of other talent in the race that will be only a few steps back should Bernhard falter. It should be said that Bernhard seems to prefer the shorter races so 15K is a bit of a stretch for him. With his current fitness, however, Bernhard should be up to it. Especially as his main rivals seem to have similar preferred distances. Other contenders include John Victoria of the Boulder Road Runners, who finished 2nd to Bernhard at the 5K Championships, and perennial stalwart, Mark Rybinski, of the Genesee Valley Harriers, who finished 4th at Syracuse. 1-Bernhard, 2-Victoria, 3-Rybinski.
65-69. The strong favorite will be the 2014 Age Group (65-69) Runner of the Year, Lloyd Hansen who recently took the silver medal at the 5K Championships in Syracuse in 18:59.He is the defending champ in this age group with a
2014 time of 1:01:03. Jerry Learned, (Gainesville GA) the dependable runner for the Atlanta Track Club should be able to take 2nd although perhaps not without a fight. Learned has run 20:55 at the Syracuse 5K and earlier int he year ran a 43:48 at the USATF 10K Championships. He will have to worry about Gregory Owings, who does not run much at the national races, but did run 1:08:08 at the Tulsa Run 15K in 2013. If he can run close to that itme this year, he could push learned for 2nd place. 1-Hansen, 2-Learned, 3-Owings.
70-74. Doug Goodhue, if healthy enough to run, is clearly the favorite. Nine times age-group Runner of the Year, Goodhue has always been able to overcome all of the nicks and knocks that the elite older runner sustains from races and training. He was out for the early part of this year but came back and took firsts at the USATF 1 Mile and 5K Championships in August and early October. I was told that Goodhue aggravated an old stress fracture at Syracuse. But the man himself told me it was no big deal and he just kept off it a bit while maintaining fitness and would be at it full blast soon. So most likely he is the man to beat, as usual. Przemyslaw Nowicki, has the credentials otherwise. He finished 2nd to Goodhue at the 5K Championships in Syracuse, but about a minute back. He also took the silver medal at the USATF 5KM Cross Country Championships 2 weeks ago. Nowicki is a battler. The wild card is probably Paul Carlin, yours truly, (Indianapolis IN) who just moved up to this group in the last 2 weeks. As he has also been rehabbing a hamstring injury off and on for over a year, it is hard to tell exactly how fit he is. Two weeks ago he ran a 44:34 10K so he is clearly continuing to regain the form he had in 2013 and 2014 when his times were closer to Goodhue's. 1-Goodhue, 2-Nowicki, 3-Carlin.
Late breaking story as of 9:55 pm CDT--Goodhue will not run tomorrow. He is focusing on the 12K Championship in Alexandria VA in 2 weeks instead. Based on that, it looks like Monte Piliawsky of the Ann Arbor Track Club should be in for the bronze. Despite, like so many others, coming back from an injury, Piliawsky managed to get 6th in this age group at the 5K Championships in Syracuse, and ran a faster time than one of the other contenders, J.L. Seymore of the Shore AC. Revised: 1-Nowicki, 2-Carlin, 3-Piliawsky
Late breaking story as of 9:55 pm CDT--Goodhue will not run tomorrow. He is focusing on the 12K Championship in Alexandria VA in 2 weeks instead. Based on that, it looks like Monte Piliawsky of the Ann Arbor Track Club should be in for the bronze. Despite, like so many others, coming back from an injury, Piliawsky managed to get 6th in this age group at the 5K Championships in Syracuse, and ran a faster time than one of the other contenders, J.L. Seymore of the Shore AC. Revised: 1-Nowicki, 2-Carlin, 3-Piliawsky
75-79.
Fay Bradley (Independence KS) is the defending
champion from last year. He won in 1:31:14. Perhaps if the weather cooperates,
he can break 1:30 this year. But Bradley has a serious challenger
in the race this year, Roland Cormier
of New Jersey’s Shore Athletic Club. Cormier appears to be a bit faster at the
shorter distance sbut it has been a while since he has run a race this long. Cormier took 2nd in this age group at both the 5K and 10K USATF Masters Championships in 23:59 and 45:49. 1-Cormier, 2-Bradley.
Missing to Injury--Some of the particular guys we will be missing include Jan Frisby, who finished 2nd to Goodhue last year in the 70-74 group, out with an achilles problem and Brian Pilcher who is out with a hamstring. Tom McCormack, who dominated the shorter distance races last year would probably find this race longer than he likes. But if he ran it no one would bet against him winning it! He has been out since April with a variety of injuries. Two-time runner of the Year, Christine Kennedy would have run the ChicagoMarathon a few weeks ago, not this race but a collapsed apartment balcony set that dream back a bit. There are probably many others who could be named who might otherwise be in this field. I hope that Frisby, Kennedy, McCormack, Pilcher and any others who are out injured are soon back racing on the roads with us again.
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