Seven American Records Fall at the Masters 1 Mile Championships!
June 21, 2025
The USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships were held on Saturday, June 21st, hosted by the Monumental Mile in Indianapolis IN. Although it was steamy, the fast record-eligible course and the well-organized event contributed to amazing speed and times!
RECORDS. Pending ratification, seven new American Records were set. Note: Chip time is used for records and age grading scores. Michelle Rohl was the Overall Women’s winner and the Women’s Age Grading winner. Her 5:09.72 smashed the W55 record by 15 seconds. She already holds the W55 Outdoor 1500M AR. Lisa Veneziano’s 5:39.12 lowered the W60 record set last year by four seconds. Nancy Simmons clocked 5:56.73. She broke the W65 record set by Masters legend Sabra Harvey in 2017. Jasen Ritter ran 4:35.92 to lower the existing and pending M50 AR’s by over a second. Chuck Novak, M55, clocked 4:39.32 to break the existing and pending AR’s by over four seconds. Dan King’s 5:10.03 broke the M65 AR which has stood for nine years. He adds this to his M60 Outdoor 1 Mile AR. Roland Cormier obliterated the M85 road mark of 10:11, dropping it by almost a full minute with his 9:14.67.
AGE GRADING Age grading indicates the best performance, adjusted for age, across all age divisions; the higher the score the better. MEN Gary Ostwald, 79, had the top performance. His 6:21.37 scored at 104.01percent. Novak’s record-breaking run in 55-59 graded 100.51 for the silver medal. King closed off the podium with a score of 99.19. WOMEN Rohl topped the Women’s competition at 100.71 percent. Simmons earned the silver medal; er record-breaking run scored 94.20. Jennifer Harvey, second to Rohl in W55, earned bronze. Her 5:24.44 scored 93.88 percent.
OVERALL WOMEN Note: Gun time is used for overall, age group and team results. Rohl, out of Pennsylvania, achieved the rare feat of gaining an Overall victory at a Masters Championship out of the 55-59 division. Her 5:10.25 winning time gave her a cushion of over forty meters. Closer for second, Texan Dawn Grunnagle, running in 45-49, gained the silver in 5:19.07, twelve meters ahead of Connecticut’s Jennifer St. Jean. The bronze medal went to St. Jean, a 50-54 athlete, in 5:21.81. MEN The top three competitors raced three abreast down Meridian Street, with 300 meters to go! Indiana’s Chad Carver had the best kick, winning by a half second in 4:25.10. Coloradan Anthony Bruns, from 45-49, enjoyed a fraction of a second margin over 2023 Champion and teammate of Carver, Bryan Lindsay. Bruns edged Lindsay 4:25.62 to 4:26.22.
AGE DIVISION In addition to Rohl, Veneziano, Simmons, Grunnagle and St. Jean, among the Women, and Ritter, Novak, King, Cormier, Ostwald and Carver, for the Men, National champions were crowned: MEN 60-64 Daniel Filip 5:05.42 70-74 James Linn 5:47.73 80-84 Jack Frame 7:39.78 WOMEN 40-44 Hidi Gaff 5:33.41 70-74 Donna May 7:14.79 75-79 Joanie McMullan 9:10.22 80-84 Myrna Barnett 11:03.28 85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite 16:42.64.
TEAMS WOMEN 40+ Atlanta Track Club GA 50+ Central Park TC NY 60+ Atlanta 70+ Atlanta 80+ Atlanta. MEN 40+ Indiana Elite Athletics Club 50+ Indiana 60+ Greater Springfield Harriers MA 70+ Boulder Road Runners CO 80+ Shore AC NJ.
Athletes were generous in their praise for this well-executed event.
After an extended break, the Masters National Grand Prix resumes with the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships on October 19th in Atlanta GA.
Submitted by Paul Carlin
Consultant to USATF Masters LDR
www.runningprof.com
All photos are complimentary from the Steamboat Classic
