Lloyd Hansen, Chair of the USATF Masters Long Distance Running (MLDR) Executive Committee, shares his update on the MLDR program, including the Masters National Grand Prix championship race series:
We are just days away from our 12k Masters National Championship as part of By Hook or By Crook 12k in Sandy Hook, NJ on September 19th. Based on registrations to date, we expect to greatly exceed our prior participant record for a 12k Masters Championship. It should be great fun running along the beach on a lightning-fast course and then joining the post-race party at Rory’s Pub. This is a terrific time of year to visit Sandy Hook. You can also access New York City by car or ferry in an hour if you want to extend your visit. There is still time to register for the event at: https://www.usatf.org/events/2021/2021-usatf-masters-12-km-championships/registration-form.
On October 17, we return to XC racing with the 5k Masters XC Championship at the historic Franklin Park Course in Boston, MA on October 17th. Championships have been contested on this turf for over a hundred years. Fall colors should be vibrant and it’s always a good time to discover the Freedom Trail and other sites around Boston. Registration will open soon at usatf.org/events.
Finally, join your fellow masters runners at the largest Masters LDR event of the year — the Club XC Championships in Tallahassee, FL on December 11th. This World Class course is arguably the best XC course in the US. If you have never run this course, you are really missing something. We will also be hosting the awards ceremony for the 2020/2021 Masters Grand Prix and there will be a celebration that evening for the elite and masters athletes.
Points for the 2020-2021 Masters National Grand Prix can be earned by running the 12k Championship and the 5k XC and there will be a special Grand Prix award ceremony on December 11th in Tallahassee following the Club Cross Championships. We also reduced the maximum races that individuals and teams can score from the normal five to two for the 2020/2021 Grand Prix because of the number of events. In total, there are four events eligible, including the two upcoming races mentioned above.
We are very excited about our 2022 schedule. We have arguably the best schedule of events in our history with 10 Championship Road Race and XC Events. Please share the following schedule with your running club and friends.
- January 8 USATF XC National Championships San Diego, California
Mission Bay - February 26 USATF Masters 5k Championships Atlanta, Georgia
Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend - March 20 USATF Masters ½ Marathon Championships Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Half Marathon - April 3 USATF Masters 10 Mile Championships Sacramento, California
SACTOWN 10 - April 24 USATF Masters 10k Championships Dedham, Massachusetts
James Joyce Ramble - Early June USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Rochester, New York
Rochester Mile - June 29 – XC, 10k, or ½ Marathon Tampere, Finland
July 10 World Masters Athletics Championships - Sept 18 USATF Masters 12k Championships Highlands, New Jersey
By Hook or By Crook 12k - Oct 22 USATF Masters 5k XC Championships Boulder, Colorado
- Dec 10 USATF Club XC Championships San Francisco, California
Our Grand Prix scoring for 2022 will begin at the Club Cross Championships in Tallahassee on December 11, 2021 and conclude with the 5k XC Championships in Boulder, Colorado. The Grand Prix awards will then be presented at the Club XC Championships in San Francisco on December 10, 2022. Earn individual and club points at each event and score your top 5. You can also learn more about these events by registering for our November 18 Ambassador call.
