ATLANTA GA Atlanta provided great conditions for the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships this past Saturday, February 25. Masters athletes toed the line under cloudy skies, with temperatures in the mid 50’s and light winds. Kathy Martin took down a 2015 record, with a net time of 21:44 smashing the 70-74 record by a half minute! John Glidewell tied a 2016 record for Men 65-69 with his 17:31 time. Setting or tying an American Record on a hilly course like this is a major accomplishment!
OVERALL. Ben Bruce, a late entry after returning from Australia with his WMA Cross Country medals, sprinted to the front when the horn sounded. He led all the way to the tape, breaking the 15:38 course record established last year by 31 seconds! That is his second consecutive win on the Masters National Grand Prix circuit! Luke Mortensen finished second in 16:01 and Aaron Rowe claimed the bronze medal in 16:10. Jennifer Pesce was pressed more closely but was able to pull away to win in 17:49, with Amber Morrison 2nd in 17:59 and Jill Braley 3rd in 18:11. Pesce broke the Women’s course record by 26 seconds.
AGE GRADING. Those with the top age grade scores are considered the athletes with the best performance, for their age, across all runners. Betty Lindberg, 98, set a world record last year in winning the 95-99 division championship. Lindberg did not break her own record, but she still had the highest age grading performance by far. Her 58:47 time earned a score of 100.93%. Almost as impressive was the 21:41 net time turned in by Kathy Martin, 74, 2nd at 98.73%. Michelle Rohl’s 18:57 at age 57 closed out the Women’s podium at 94.54%. John Glidewell, 66, posted a 17:31 to net the highest score in the Men’s race at 95.90%. He was followed by Steve S chmidt, 62, whose 17:39 earned a 91.98%, edging his 61-year-old rival, Rick Lee, by less than a tenth of a percentage point. Lee’s 17:31 earned a 91.91%.
AGE DIVISION. Twenty National Champions were crowned: WOMEN 40-44 Pesce 45-49 Sara Girotto 18:54 50-54 Abby Dean 19:22 55-59 Fiona Bayly 18:40 60-64 Kristine Clark 19:48 65-69 Patrice Combs 22:32 70-74 Kathryn Martin 21:44 75-79 Myrna Barnett 36:46 85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite 48:51 95-99 Betty Lindberg 59:04. MEN-40-44 Bruce 45-49 Brendan Prindiville 16:48 50-54 Mark Andrews 16:30 55-59 Christian Cushing-Murray 17:05 60-64 Rick Lee 17:32 65-69 John Glidewell 17:32 70-74 Robert Qualls 20:09 75-79 Dave Glass 22:54 80-84 Doug Goodhue 26:36 85-89 Adrian Craven 38:50. The closest race was Men’s 60-64 where the top three finishers, Lee, Schmidt and John Van Danacker were separated by just 8 seconds at the finish! The closest Women’s race was 50-54 where Dean edged Hortencia Aliaga by just 2 seconds, with Rachel Hopkins 17 seconds back in 3rd.
TEAMS: Team championships are determined by adding up the times of the first three finishers on each team, low score wins. The ‘Home Team’ Atlanta Track Club led the way with four team championships, Women’s 70 and up, Men’s 50+, M60+ and M80+. The closest contest of the day was M40+, where the Athens Road Runners, out of Athens, GA, edged the Atlanta Track Club by an average of just two seconds per runner. Other titles were taken by the Garden State Track Club Women’s 40 and up; the Greater Philadelphia Track Club W50+; Athletics Boulder W60+; Boulder Road Runners M70+.
Submitted By
Paul Carlin
Masters LDR Media Coordinator
www.runningprof.com
