December 10, 2022
When the rain starts coming down in buckets and the winds pick up enough to blow over a huge tree, it must be time for a Masters Club Cross Country National Championship! At Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the Women’s 6K race was already in the books. When the athletes in the Men’s 60+ race were finishing off their 8K, the tree got blown over, and the Park Service required a delay in the Men’s 40+ race until the winds calmed. During the delay, the Park Service negotiated with USATF over whether the remaining races would be allowed to be held. The City of San Francisco was officially closing Golden Gate Park until the winds died down!
TEAMS
M40+ RACE 9 may be declared, score top 5 for a team
The Men’s 40+ race was delayed. A huge tree fell near the Starting Line, due to the heavy limbs from the rain and the extra push from the windiest gusts. No one was injured but the City of San Francisco had decided to close the Park. The negotiated alternative to cancellation of the Men’s 40+, and Open Women’s and Open Men’s races was to convert them from the usual course, mostly around the outside of the meadows and hills surrounding the Polo Field, into 7.75 laps around the Polo Field ‘track.’ I place the word ‘track’ in parentheses because it is not a ‘Track & Field’ Track. Clearly it is much longer, apparently well over a kilometer in circumference. And the surface is rough gravel and some gnarly tarmac. Suffice to say that many competitors wrenched out their spikes. Some of those who wore spikes had them twisted by the hard surface. The overall distance was likely short.
The Indiana Athletics Elite J Davis, B Lindsay, T Burns, M Jackson, J Poray, J Zeha, R Awe made it two in a row in M40+, defending their Championship with a classic team effort, placing their top 5 runners in 4-7-13-14-16 to total 54 points and a more comfortable win than last year. In 2021 they edged West Valley Track Club M Richards, P Gilmore, M Fraioli, N Davey, A Touchstone, J Marsh, T Rose, T Haxton, B Koss by just 3 points; their margin on Saturday was 27 points. West Valley had their hands full repelling Team Run Flagstaff C Gomez, A Gallo, R Baker, J Troxler, M Madsen, D De Heer, S Baker 81 to 86. The Bowerman Track Club was in 4th.
M50+ went to West Valley I Lieben, M Yuen, D White, C Mullane, M Callon, E Randolph, J Erskine, R Fairles, D Glenn. They scorched the opposition with 39 points from 1-3-4-6-25! Last year in Tallahassee, the Garden State TC R Falcone, J Frieder, T Wiley, J Hegge, M Cardoso garnered their Silver Medals without a front runner, relying instead on a very tight pack. Missing one of their key runners this year left the outcome in doubt. They made up for a slightly looser pack with a front runner, who took 2nd. The result was a repeat in the Silver Medal position at 70 points. They repelled a strong challenge from the Boulder Road Runners G Mays, F De Simone, K Konczak, J Probst, R Granquist, C McDonald, J Borthwick whose 79 points landed them in third, 46 points ahead of Bowerman in 4th.
M60+ RACE 5 may be declared, score top 3 for a team
M60+ The TC Twin Cities Running Company J Van Danacker, R Class, P Billig had a tight pack that ran close to the front. Their 4-5-7 gave them 16 points and a handsome margin over the 2nd place team, the SRA Elite J Nur, I Mickle, C Little with 37 points from 2nd, 13th and 22nd. Club Northwest T Young, J Bisignano, P Abdalla, D White-Espin, D Villeneuve lacked a top ten finisher but kept it tight otherwise, with 12-17-19 for 48 points, to finish 3rd ahead of Cal Coast with 62.
M70+ Initially reported as won by the River City Rebels, the team stepped up to let the officials know that one of their team members had inadvertently missed the final loop of the course and should be moved back, The team competition was actually won by the Jamul Toads G Wilson, R Pfeiffer, D Dunbar, R Wells, D Diehr with a 2-3-8 for 13 points. The Toads won comfortably as the Club Northwest S Harvey, L Sharpe, D Longmuir, D Foster, R Zerbe team came 2nd with 7-9-15 for 31. The Rebels R Qualls, P Linn, D Stancliffe took the Bronze with 1-9-24 for 34 points. They just nipped the Syracuse TC by two points.
M80+ This was actually the tightest team competition in the M60+ race. Florida Track Club/West J Callaway, J Metts, P Rowat, R Williams took the win with 1-5-6 for 12 points. The San Diego Striders B Melendy, K Wetterer, L Smith were just 4 points back on a 3-4-9 run of places. They edged the Atlanta TC E Bligh, A Sherwood, A Craven for 2nd by a single point!
INDIVIDUAL RACES-OVERALL
The Women got things underway over 6K. There was a splendid battle, at the front of the field, between Meriah Earle San Diego TC, first American Masters Woman at the Chicago Marathon this year, in 2:38:39, and Maggie Shearer Cal Coast, winner of the Masters 10 Mile Championship. Earle and Shearer ran in a tight pack through the first two kilometers, along with Megan Heuer Club Northwest and Jessica Hruska Crown Running. Over the next three kilometers, Shearer would surge; Earle would quickly close any gap that formed but first Heuer and then Hruska were dropped. Earle pulled away over the last kilometer to take Gold by 20 seconds in 22:15. Shearer, almost spent from her struggle with Earle, grittily held on for 2nd in 22:35, as Heuer’s strong closing kick pulled her past Hruska, but left her one second short of Shearer at the finish.
The Men’s 60+ race, over 8 Km, had five primary contenders. Dan King Athletics Boulder 63 broke just about every 60-64 middle distance record on the track in 2020. He has also been the fastest athlete 60 and over at the last five USATF National Cross Country Championships. Nat Larson Greater Springfield Harriers broke two American 60-64 Road Records last month. On November 13th he cracked a 16:35 5K and 11 days later hit 27:35 for the 8K. Rick Lee Shore AC, who runs races of all distances at a fast pace, is the current 60-64 American Record holder at 50K and 50 Miles. He also ran 2:47:58 at Boston this year and clocked a 1:18:32 Half Marathon to win the 70-74 Gold Medal at the World Masters Championships in Finland. Jacob Nur SRA Elite would provide more of a challenge than one would think possible from a 67-year-old. But he has been breaking American 65-69 Records all over the place, from a 17:00 5K to a 35:42 10K to a 58:34 10 Mile and a 1:18:00 HM! Steve Schmidt Ann Arbor Track Club, 62, was one of the first two members of the 6DSR3 club that Amby Burfoot wrote about, clocking a sub-3 hour Marathon in early 2020, his sixth decade doing so! Schmidt showed his range by winning double Gold in the 5000 Meters 17:37 and the 10,000 Meters 36:20 at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships this summer. Larson led from the start, with Nur, Lee, and King in close pursuit; Schmidt started more cautiously. Larson started to open a gap as they coursed around the Meadow near the 2 Km mark. Larson enjoyed a 16 second lead by the 5K mark. Nur led the chase pack, with Lee and Schmidt a few strides back; King had taken a fall and was a few places further back. Larson never eased up, winning by 19 seconds in 29:24. Schmidt bided his time, surged in the final kilometer, and captured 2nd in 29:43. Nur outlasted Lee by a single second to take 3rd Overall in 29:51.
The M40+ race, as noted, was run, after a 45-minute delay, as a 7.75 lap race around the Polo Field ‘track’ a hard gravel/tarmac surface. The lead pack was expected to include Ben Bruce, Jesse Davis, Sergio Reyes, and Malcolm Richards, with the possible addition of Chris Gomez. Bruce, an Assistant Coach and Pacer for the HOKA Naz Elite, had finished 2nd to Riley Cook at the 12 K Masters Championships. Davis won Club Cross in Tallahassee and Reyes had taken the crown at Cross Nationals in San Diego a month later. Richards had run faster than Davis as an Open athlete at Tallahassee, and had lost to Reyes in the Pacific Association XC Championships by just two seconds last month. Gomez won the overall Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder but there was some uncertainty as to how that altitude win would translate to sea level. Reyes and Richards looked like they would do another 1-2 as they had done at the PA Championships. Reyes delivered, in the end, with a 28:55 win! But Joshua McAdams, who finished 5th at Tallahassee last year, was able to crash the party, breaking away to take 2nd in 29:05. Richards followed 5 seconds later, with Bruce, Davis and Gomez claiming 4th through 6th!
Top Age Graded athletes included Joanne Siegler 65 25:37 in the Women’s 6K race; her 92.84% eclipsed Jeanette Groesz 73 29:50 89.11 and Fiona Bayly 55 23:41 88.81 who finished 2nd and 3rd. In the 8K race it was Jacob Nur 67 29:51 at 92.24% who prevailed over Steve Schmidt 62 29:43 88.39% and Nat Larson 60 29:54 87.76%. The 10 K race featured Peter Hammer 56 32:08 achieving a 97.41% to edge Jaime Heilpern 52 31:08 97.06% and David White 57 32:37 96.83%. [The improvised circuit was not measured but, according to some officials, was probably short.]
INDIVIDUAL AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women’s Race 40-44 Meriah Earle 22:15 and Megan Heuer 22:36 went 1-3 Overall; they go 1-2 in this division. Jessica Hruska 22:40, the 2022 Masters National Grand Prix 40-44 Champ, closed off the podium, finishing 4 seconds behind Heuer and 11 seconds ahead of Carre Joyce Heineck in 4th. 45-49 Maggie Shearer 22:15 finished 2nd Overall but won the division championship by 40 seconds! Crystal Query 23:15 and Gwendolen Twist 23:21 battled all the way, with Query taking Silver Medal honors. Amy Alzina was 3 seconds off the podium. 50-54 Chris Lundy 23:19, the reigning Women’s Dipsea Champion took the tile in 50-54 with 19 seconds to spare. Karolyn Bowley 23:38 was unable to repeat as winner but took 2nd by a comfortable margin. Rachel Hopkins 23:55 pulled away from Cassandra Henkiel to take the Bronze Medal by 6 seconds. 55-59 Fiona Bayly 23:41 celebrated her debut with the Garden State TC by taking first in this division by almost a minute and a half! Aeron Arlin Genet 25:10 took 2nd by a 15 second margin over her teammate, Patricia Bellan 25:25. Tania Fischer was 11 seconds back in 4th. 60-64 Mary Cass 25:36 Liberty AC took top honors in this division, enjoying a 40 second margin of victory. Allison Orofino 26:16 Buffalo Chips took the Silver Medal by 11 seconds over Masters Hall of Famer, Carmen Ayala Troncoso 26:27 unattached, with Suzanne Cordes 22 seconds off the podium. 65-69 Joannie Siegler 25:37 Golden Valley Harriers took the win by a huge margin. Nora Cary 27:33 Shore AC broke the 65-69 American 8K Record on the roads but, on this Cross Country course, on this day, she was no match for Siegler. Ernestina Martin 29:16 San Diego TC and Lenore Bergenske had quite a battle, with Martin taking the final spot on the podium by a single second. 70-74 Jeanette Groesz 29:50 Team Red Lizard took the win. Jeannie Rice 31:09 unattached, 2019 Masters Athlete of the Year, finished 2nd, with Suzanne Ray 32:13 Red Lizard 3rd. Jo Anne Rowland was 23 seconds back in 4th. 75-79 Deborah Bliss 40:03 Finger Lakes and Andrea McCarter 51:23 Atlanta went 1-2 in the division. There was no 3rd finisher. 80-84 Edda Stickle 43:59 Tamalpa took this title unopposed. At 82, though, it was no small feat to finish the race on a weather day like we had!
MEN 60+ Race 60-64 Nat Larson 29:24, Steve Schmidt 29:43, and Rick Lee 29:52 went 1-2-3 overall and in this division. John Van Danacker was 7 seconds off the podium. 65-69 Jacob Nur 29:51 finished 3rd Overall in the 60+ race and took this division crown by a wide margin. David Westenberg 31:29 is better known as a middle-distance runner. At his first Indoor Track meet of the season last week, he broke the American 65-69 Record for the Mile with a 5:10.61. Westenberg opened up a 20 second lead in the first 5 Km and pulled away over the final 3 kilometers to take the Silver Medal.
Daniel Johnson 32:06 took 3rd with John Barbour in 4th, 14 seconds back. 70-74 Robert Qualls 34:39, who took the Gold Medal in the 70-74 Cross Country race at the World’s in Finland this year, pulled away for the win. Greg Wilson 34:50 did not go down without a fight, finishing 2nd just 11 seconds back. Rick Pfeiffer 35:18 claimed third by a comfortable margin; Ted Larison finished 4th. 75-79 Defending division champion, Ron Wells 38:29 took it out hard from the gun, with David Longmuir 38:35, who took the 70-74 title at Lexington KY in 2017, staying close. Gary Ostwald 38:28 who had finished 3rd behind Wells at Cross Nationals in San Diego last January, was content to let them run. At the 5K mark, Wells had 9 seconds on Longmuir, but over a half minute on Ostwald. But Ostwald had plenty left as he first closed on and passed Longmuir and then gained steadily on Wells, passing him just before the finish line to enjoy a 1-second victory. Longmuir took 3rd and Dave Glass who won every 75-79 national championship at 10K and over this year, and who finished 2nd to Wells in Tallahassee, took 4th. 80-84 Jim Callaway 45:47, who took 3rd at Cross Nationals in San Diego, claimed the win. Thirteen seconds back was Masters Hall of Famer, Doug Goodhue 46:00, coming back from knee surgery, who took 2nd. Ed Bligh 48:32, who won the 75-79 division at 2019 Cross Nationals in Tallahassee, claimed third. Hans Schmid, who took the crown in this division at San Diego this past January, finished 4th. 85-89 Adrian Craven 1:02:33, defending Champion and winner of the 1 Mile and 12 Km Championships for 85-89 this year, repeated his Tallahassee win. Several minutes back, Richard Williams 1:11:49 was happy to finish the race in one piece, and claim the Silver Medal!
MEN 40+ Race 40-44 Sergio Reyes 28:55, Joshua McAdams 29:05, Malcolm Richards 29:10, and Ben Bruce 29:18 took 1-2-3-4 Overall and enjoyed the same finish in the 40-44 division. 45-49 Peter Gilmore 30:25, who finished 2nd Overall at the last two Club Cross Championships, led this division all the way, with Jacques Sallberg 30:57, Overall Champion of multiple Cross Country National Championships races, tracking him over the first few laps. Mike Jackson 30:38, who took 3rd in the division at the 2022 5 km Masters Championships in Atlanta, bided his time and came on strong over the last laps to take 2nd. Sallberg used a strong kick to fend off a last minute challenge from Jason Troxler, who finished 4th, a single second behind Sallberg. 50-54 Jaime Heilpern 31:08, who finished 2nd in the division at Club Cross last year, enjoyed the win this year. Ivan Lieben 31:40 took 2nd a half minute back, with Richard Falcone 32:11 another half minute back in 3rd. Mark Yuen, the defending Champion, took another stride on the comeback trail, finishing just 7 seconds off the podium. 55-59 Peter Hammer 32:08 won his 7th consecutive Club Cross Division championship, an amazing string at such a competitive event. Half a minute back, David White 32:37 fended off a challenge from Craig Godwin 32:42, claiming 2nd with 5 seconds to spare. Christian Cushing-Murray 33:52, who finished 3rd in the division at Cross Nationals in San Diego and at the Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boulder, took 4th.
This was a Championship that required resiliency; it will be talked about for years to come! Hats off to all who competed and finished. The M40+ Men were denied their chance to run a true Cross Country course. Their adaptability is to be applauded. The others ran through the mud and over the soft, squishy grass, along the gnarly track and up and down. It was a day to survive and a day to be remembered!
Next up are the Masters Races at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, VA on January 21, 2023. There are Women’s and Men’s races for Masters, U20, and Open.
