2017 USATF National Club XC Masters Championships--Teams

December 8 2017.  Teams are tougher to scope out because they are a collection of individuals. But here are my thoughts on teams this year.

WOMEN 

40+. Sonja Friend-Uhl and Janet McDevitt renew the rivalry in 40+ that saw Friend-Uhl finish first and McDevitt second last year, as their teams finished 4th and first respectively. Club Northwest, led by McDevitt, are the defending champions in the 40+ competition, and the favorites this year. Club Northwest returns the same team this year, consisting of a strong 1-2 punch and a solid 3^rd place runner. But none of them can have an off day. Bull City Track Club finished 2^nd last year with a solid trio of runners finishing 6^th, 8^th and 9^th. They have added Brennan Liming who, with an 18:00 5K and a 30:42 8K, gives them a new #1 who might be able to move up a place or two and that might be enough. Like Club Northwest, they need every runner to score well. Friend-Uhl’s Atlanta Track Club should be in the mix as well. They have added Irma Betancourt who is running 5k’s in the 18 to low 19 range and that should give them another solid runner to back up Friend-Uhl. Impala also has looked to raise their game. Nancy Thomas finished 6^th overll last year and they have added Caroline Bucci and Kelly Couch. Both appear to be just a bit faster than Alexandra Newman who was their 2^nd runner last year and this year is more likely to be providing insurance. Both Atlanta and Impala have a 4^th insurance runner.

Club Northwest      Atlanta Track Club     Impala Racing

50+ The Jane’s Elite team from Southern Cal looks primed to repeat in the 50+ group with Club Northwest trying to upset their apple cart. With Kirsten Leetch joining Tania Fischer and Kathleen Cushing-Murray, they have a very strong top 3.

60+ The Impala Racing team will have their hands full trying to repel Team Red Lizard who took the60+ team title at the USATF XC Championship in Bend. Impala is without Mo Bartley who gives them an extra runner toward the front of the pack. Rowland will have to have a good day to make up some of that loss. All three of the Team Red Lizard need to have on days as they have only 3 runners on their team. Impala has more depth if needed. Atlanta and GVH could also make a good push for the podium. Mary Richards, Margaret Taylor, and Cynthia Williams give them a solid three and Nonie Hudnall gives them a 4^th runner who is not far off from the first three. If they run as a good pack, they could certainly edge Impala for 2^nd.  GVH will not be far off either although they still may not crack the podium.

MEN

40+ Last year it was Greg Mitchell, John Gardiner, and Neville Davey finishing in that order as Mitchell led the Bowerman Track Club to the team victory with the Boston Athletic Association and Davey’s West Valley Track Club in 2^nd and 3^rd. Mitchell is coming back from a spring injury and at the Pacific Association, it was John Howell leading the way with Mitchell not far back. That is not necessarily bad as Howell appears to be running stronger than in the past, giving them a solid 1-2 in whichever order they finish. Neville Davey’s West Valley Track Club will definitely push them though. Davey has recently run a smoking fast 14:44 5K and is the Pacific Association XC Champion. With the addition of Marathoner and Ultra specialist, Jorge Maravilla, Davey may go for the individual win and the West Valley team look to upset the dominance of Bowerman and the B.A.A. Last year it was Bowerman-the Boston Athletic Association and West Valley 1-2-3. Bowerman is still very strong and deep as is the B.A.A., and it is hard to see that changing much.

Bowerman Track Club     Boston Athletic Association     West ValleyTrack Club

50+ The Greater Springfield Harriers took the 50+ race by stor last year and they are just as strong this year. Cal Coast’s 50+ team is improved by the addition of Christian Cushing-Murray but weakened by the loss of Pete Magill so they will be pressed to make up much ground. The same is true for Club Northwest who will miss Mike Smith. Playmakers Elite have Dave Bussard returning but will miss Kerry Barnett. So even if Ruben Henderson’s return from a several month absence due to injury is successful, it will be tough for them to move up onto the podium. Prado Racingout of San Diego did not contest Club XC last year but are here in force this year; they will certainly make a push for the podium.

Greater Springfield Harriers     Cal Coast Track Club     Prado Racing

60+ The top two teams from last year were GVH and Tamalpa. But Gary Radford is out for GVH and Mark Rybinski is probably not at the top of their game so they will be pressed to repeat. Tamalpa, who finished 2^nd is not back this year. Club Northwest, with Joe Sheeran and Rick Becker 1-2, should take the title in a cakewalk. Steve Bertrand, Greg Beyerlein and Frederick Motteler are all solid runners who can provide a reasonable third finisher for them. With the return of Reno Stirrat along with Kevin Dollard and Scott Linnell who have both run strong this year, Shore AC could make a play for the podium. Matthew Curran will give John Barbour good support at Greater Lowell but they may not get a strong enough third finish to crack the podium. Atlanta shuld be in the mix for the podium. Ken Youngers provides a strong, up front presence with Kirk Larson just off that pace. This year Jerry Learned  has run almost like the Learned of old and has kept the gap from Larson to learned small. And now Mike Anderson has turned 60 and has recovered from his misadventures at the Boston Marathon.

Club Northwest     Atlanta Track Club   Shore AC

70+ Last year the Tamalpa Runners took the team title and there is no reason to think it shoud change this year. They bring the same three strong runners, Don Porteous, Len Goldman, and Gene French. Of course, like all three-runner teams everyone has to have an on day. Two teams will give them a run for their money. The Boulder Road Runners have a new 70+ team. With Richard Kutzner and Jan Frisby up front, that gives them 2 of the three they need. But they have to have a third team member finish right with them to have a chance as Porteous and Goldman should both come in before Boulder’s first runner. Dave Dooley could be the man to do it. GVH will also try to take down Tamalpa. Tony Gingello could, potentially, run with Porteous and Goldman. If he can do that, it is the start they need. If Jim May were healthy, that would give them a solid 2^nd runner right behind Gingello. But May has been banged up off and on ever since a cross country skiing misadventure before the 10K championship at Dedham. That leaves Atlanta Track Club’s Team A which will make a push for the podium with their collection of solid runners.

Tamalpa Runners     Boulder Road Runners    Genesee Valley Harriers  

Masters XC Running at the National Club Cross Country Championships-Age Division Previews-Men 40-59

December 8 2017. Nearly 550 Master athletes are entered in the National Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington KY. This piece previews the Men’s 40 – 59 race which is over a 10 km Course and goes off on Saturday, December 9 at 10:45 AM. Bill Quinlisk, longtime USATF XC and Road Race referee, described the course as: "...a 100% Kentucky blue grass loop course with a crushed stone short bridge crossing on men’s courses only. There are rolling hills with an uphill stretch to the finish of all races. It is definitely a spikes course!"  Current forecasts for 11 AM are for cloudy, 34 degree temperatures and 14-16 mph wind, with a 22% chance of precipitation. No accumulation is forecast.

40-44 Typically what is predicted overall for the 10K race is also the main prediction for this group. But John Gardiner is now in the 45-49 division so he does not factor in this age division. Who does? The lead pack should form out of the following alphabetic list: David Angell finished 2^nd at the 5km Masters XC in Boston, won the 8K and 10K road national Championships in the spring and has been on the National Championship podium consistently throughout the year. Neville Davey, who finished 4^th last year behind Gardiner and Greg Mitchell, recently uncorked a 14:44 5K to go with an earlier 1:09:04 HM in San Jose; he also won the Pacific Association XC Championship. John Howell ran 6^th in Tallahassee a year ago but came 2^nd at Bend in the USATF XC Championships and has been the leader of the pack at the Stumptown XC series this fall. Alan Jackson skipped Club XC last year but finished 11^th in San Francisco and 2^nd in Bethlehem PA in 2014. Jorge Maravilla is, according to Gardiner, “…a trail and ultra guy who is fit and fast…” He ran 2:28:23 at the San Francisco Marathon and sped to a 1:09:00 at the San Diego HM. Ryan McCalmon took 11^th here last year, but was only 5 seconds out of 5^th; he recently won the New England XC Championships, defeating Aaron Price in the process. Gregory Mitchell finished 2^nd in Tallahassee last year but was injured in the early part of this year; he has apparently returned close to full fitness. Reading the tea leaves of the Stumptown XC series in Oregon can be murky, but it looks like by the time they got to the 10K in mid-November, it was Howell leading the way with Mitchell not far behind. 

Gregory Mitchell [#1259] and John Gardiner [#1275] building a gap on Neville Davey at the 2016 USATF National Club XC Championships at Tallahassee

The final two main contenders are Aaron Price who finished 18^th here last year, took the crown at the 5km XC National Championship in mid-October in Boston; and David Wertz, who finished 9^th last year and added a Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Masters victory in 53:16 to his running resume. One would think with a list nine names long I would feel confident I had all of the main contenders for the 40-44 division. But this is a tough, tough race to call. Others who could factor in include some very strong runners: Frankie Adkins took 3^rd at the 10K Road Championships in Dedham. The brothers, Ahrlin and Oscar Baumann, who finished 17^th and 31^st last year, will appreciate a slightly more challenging course, and could be closer to the front. David Bedoya finished 2^nd Masters to Ryan Carrara at the Lone Gull 10K. Alan Black finished 3^rd at Bethlehem in 2014 behind Mitchell and Jackson. Even though he was quite a ways back in the 5K Masters XC Championships in mid-October, this is 6 weeks further along and the 10K course may be more to his liking. Joshua Gordon finished 15^th in the division last year but has been higher up in the Stumptown series this fall. Rob McConnell is a newcomer who ran 1:28:16 in the 5^th 3^rd River Bank Run 25K (age grade equivalent to a 1:09:54 HM). Ethan Nedeau was 3^rd in both the road and the XC 5K National Masters Championships this fall. Kevin Pierpoint only finished 16^th here last year, but finished between Davey and Rose (see below) at the Pacific Association 6 mile XC Championships Todd Rose was 8^th here last year and has a 40:31 Bay to Breakers 12K and a 59:14 Norcal 10 Miler to his credit since then. Orrin Schumacher is never far off the lead; he won the first Stumptown race (5K) this fall and has a 1:11:40 Corvallis HM and a 51:48 15K on the 2017 books. Charles Smith, out of Nebraska, could be a dark horse but it is hard to be certain given the name. If the ‘40 something’ Charles Smith who ran a 48:14 7 mile trail run out on the prairies and a blazing fast 1:07:40 HM at Walt Disney World are the same person, he could play a role.

Neville Davey     Ryan McCalmon     John Howell

45-49 Since last year, John Gardiner has aged up from the 40-44 division and is running stronger this year than last. He will definitely be a factor in the race for first to cross the finish line; he should take this division easily despite the many celebrated runner sin the field. Bowerman’s Matthew Farley should be a strong candidate for 2^nd. He is the only returning runner to have finished within a minute of Gardiner’s 32:54 at Tallahassee last year; he also finished 6^th overall in the USATF National XC Championships in Bend. Against that, however, is the apparent dearth of racing this fall. Unlike the last two years, Farley did not participate in the Stumptown series at all. That does introduce some uncertainty about current fitness. There are no doubts about Jonathan Frieder’s fitness as he has raced often and exceedingly well this fall, defeating stellar runners like Greg Putnam, Brent Fields, and Derrick Jones, not to mention his brother, Elliott. With a 15:49 5K at Syracuse in the National Masters Championships, a divisional first place at the 5km Masters Cross Country Championship in Boston, and a 26:08 8K in Philly before Thanksgiving, Frieder has set himself up for a good race in Lexington. Frieder should land on the podium but it will not be easy. If Jef Scott’s fitness is close to last year, he will be tough to beat. He finished 12^th in the 40-44 division before aging up to 45-49 a few days after the race. His 33:28 from last year is faster than any other returning runner’s time in the division except Gardiner. In mid-October he ran 32:16 at the medical Center 10K in Bowlign Green KY, taking the first Master’s prize ahead of Frankie Adkins from 40-44. Mark Yuen finished 2^nd in the division last year; his 33:35 was nearly as fast as Scott’s time. I can find no race results for him since then and he did not participate in the Pacific Association’s XC series this fall. But he did not participate last year either, although he did the year before. Charles Mullane did participate, finishing 4^th behind Davey, Pierpoint, and Rose, first among the 45 and over’s. He took 5^th in the division last year in Tallahassee and had a 16:56 5K  this summer; Mullane should be somewhere in the mix again this year. 

John Gardiner heading for the finish line in 3rd place overall but gaining gold for the division win at the 2016 Club XC Championships

Putnam has been a few strides slower than Frieder this fall, but will be pulling out all the stops for his team and may be able to close the gap. Jones thrilled the onlookers at the 10K National Masters Championships in Dedham this year with his ‘go for broke’ duel with David Angell. But his fall series has not matched the promise seen there. This is his chance to close out 2017 on a high note. Cal Coast’s Steven Frisone will also play a role. Last year he was 4^th in the division in 34:07, nearly a minute ahead of J. Frieder. Phillippe Rolly and Jason Ryf also will play a role in determining the podium.  Rolly did not have his best day last year at Tallahassee, barely breaking into the top 20 overall but he has many other fine races over the past few years, including a 2^nd place finish in the 8K Masters National Championships at Virginia Beach this past March and a 12K win at Alexandria in 2015. Ryf has not participated much in National Masters Championships since the Twin Cities last hosted the Marathon Championships in 2015. He took 4^th in that race in 2:28:27 ahead of Uli Steidl and Mike Wardian. Ryf joined the circuit again this fall at our 15K Championship in Tulsa and went home with a 1^st place divisional finish, and 5^th overall, in 51:47 on a tough course in challenging weather. Other top runners who will hang on with the lead pack as long as they can and try to break onto the podium include Brent Fields, Sephen Johnson, Robert Murray, Brent Roeger, Eric Shaeffer, and Eric Stabb.

John Gardiner     Jef Scott     Jonathan Frieder

50-54 Ordinarily one would not think of runners in the 50-54 division having a shot at the overall win but in this case, Peter Hammer is certainly a contender. I picked Ryan McCalmon for the podium in the 40-44 group and in the USATF New England XC Championship over 8K, Hammer finished second but was awarded the same time as McCalmon. And at the 5K Masters National XC Championships, Hammer finished only 3 seconds ahead of Kent Lemme who is also in this division. Last year Hammer only managed to finish 14^th overall although he won the division. But that was a gentle, groomed XC course where Hammer lost out in the sprint for the tape. On the more challenging Lexington course, Hammer may find a way to make an earlier move to establish a gap that he can hold. Certainly Hammer is a bit of a long shot overall but not for the division where he is the favorite.

Peter Hammer [#1244] in the headlong sprint to the finish line where 15 seconds was all that separated 6th from 18th--at the 2016 USATF National Club XC Championship

Who else will vie for the division crown? As usual it is an all star entry list. Kristian Blaich, who finished 3^rd last year and has division wins in the 8k and 10k National Masters Road Championships, will hang with the lead pack, as will Lemme, who in addition to his close finish at the 5 km XC championships, finished right behind Blaich in the division at the 8K and 10K championships and won the division title at Tulsa in the 15K. Carl Combs, who finished 5^th last year will also contend; he finished ahead of both Lemme and Blaich at the 5K Championships in Syracuse. Christian Cushing-Murray was injured at this time last year but he is far along the comeback trail and should be in the mix for the podium. He finished 2^nd to Lemme at the 15K Championships in Tulsa at the end of October and won the division at the Southern California Association Cross Country Championship in mid-November. Mike McManus is known as a fierce XC competitor. After finishing 3^rd in the 8K road championship behind Blaich and Lemme, he showed his versatility by winning the division at the Masters Half Marathon Championships in Southern California. He also ran the Pacific association XC Championships and was the first 50+ man to finish, taking 6^th overall, half a minute behind Todd Rose. James Beyer, who has a 26:51 5 miler to his credit on Thanksgiving to go along with a 2:46:21 in the NYC Marathon and two sub 1:13 HM’s earlier in the year, could challenge for the podium. Craig Godwin of the Bowerman Track Club, finished 4^th in the 45-49 division at Bend this past February and has a 33:49 10K to his credit from this summer. Mark Hixson, who finished 4^th in the division last year and Robert Verhees who finished 3^rd in San Francisco could both make waves. An intriguing entrant is Tracy Lokken, the great Masters Marathoner. In 2014 at the Masters Marathon championship at the Twin Cities, Lokken took the division crown and finished 5^th Masters overall in 2:31:10. But I cannot find any athlinks results for him since then until early September when he ran a 1:21:24 HM. That would be consistent with injuries or other interruptions to training and a gradual return to fitness. It is hard to imagine that Lokken would be coming if he did not think he had a chance to contend at least for division honors. And with 3 months to build up his fitness, he is worth worrying about.

Peter Hammer     Carl Combs     Kristian Blaich

55-59 Pete Magill, the defending champion is recovering from injury. Last year, when Nat Larson ran slightly faster than Magill as a 54 year old, many of us looked forward to a race this year where they were in the same division. That will have to wat until next year. In the menatime, Larson should take the division this year by a good margin. The new 5K American Record holder has been unbeatable since turning  55. He won the 5k National Championship by nearly a minute over Matt Ebiner, a pretty fair runner in his own right. At the 15K Championship in Tulsa, the story was the same as Larson took the crown in 52:20 with a margin in excess of two minutes over Iain Mickle and Roger Sayre. It does not appear that anyone entered in the division can stay with him in this race. 

Peter Magill [#1282] leading a pack with Kristian Blaich [off Magill's right shoulder, red singlet] and Nat Larson [#1349] at the 2016 USATF National Club XC Championships

Mickle is not entered, but Ebiner and Sayre should both have shots at the podium. Ebiner's 16:52 at Syracuse has been backed up by a 58:57 at the Surf City 10 Miler. Sayre has a couple of sub 1:20 Half marathons to bolster the credibility suggested by his 55:29 third place at the 15K Masters National Championship in Tulsa. Dave Bussard returns to the National Championship circuit. In 2016 he ran 16:55 at Syracuse. This year he almost broke 5:00 at the challenging 1 Mile Masters Championship in Flint. He also has a number of 5Ks this year ranging from 16:59 to 17:40 and a 37:20 10K a couple of weeks ago. A 1:01:30 10 Miler (age grade equivalent to a 57:16 15K) adds some depth to his record. Ken Ernst finished 4th in the 50-54 division at Club XC in San Francisco, and has a recent 17:09 5K as well. Others who could factor into the race for the podium include William 'Hugh' Enicks who won the Men's 55-59 Grand Prix last year and clocked a 57:40 15K in Tulsa; Rick Torres who has a 1:21:42 Half Marathon this year; John Van Danacker with a 1:20:58 Half marathon and a 17:02 5K; and Marathon Majors specialist, Fred Zalokar, who took 2nd in the half marathon Championships in Newport Beach in 1:20:27, not to mention a 17:54 5K and a 58:34 15K at the Masters National championships in Syracuse and Tulsa.

Nat Larson     Matt Ebiner     Ken Ernst