Top Masters Athletes Head to Lubbock TX for the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships
January 8, 2025
The Chapparal Ridge course at Lubbock Christian University is the site of the 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships this coming Saturday. The course has hosted NCAA Division 2 Invitationals; this will be their first USATF national championship. If the weather forecast holds, it will be sunny and cold. When the Masters Women’s race goes off at 10:30 AM it will be in the upper 30’s. By the time the Men’s race goes off at 11:30, the temperatures are expected to rise to the lower 40’s. It may be in the 50’s for the Awards ceremony. There is a chance of 1-3” of snow on Thursday. The races will be complicated by winds in the teens, gusting to the 20’s. Situated at 3200 feet above sea level, runners who train at altitude will enjoy a modest advantage.
The Women’s Overall Championship race features Renee Metivier, a frequent member of Team USA at World Athletics Cross Country championships during her open career. As a Masters athlete, Metivier won the 2022 edition of these championships at Mission Bay in San Diego. She finished second in the 2024 edition at Richmond VA. April Lund will challenge again this year. She finished third in Richmond, just 11 seconds behind Metivier. Lund won the 2023 edition of these championships which also served as the selection race for the inaugural WMA Cross Country Championships in Bathurst Australia. Lund claimed gold in her 40-44 division race. They will have to watch out for Alison Crocker who finished seventh overall at Club Cross in Tacoma last month. Jessica Hruska who won the 2022 Masters 5 Km Championships and finished 2nd overall that year at the 5 km cross country championships in Boulder could also make some noise. In 2022 she finished fourth overall at Club Cross in San Francisco.
In the Men’s race, we have Joseph Gray, the two-time World Mountain Running champion, looking for another Masters Overall Championship. He ran away from the field last month in Tacoma, earning the victory over 10 Km in 33:20. That followed his 15:30 win at the 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boulder in November. This race will be over 8 Km; Gray is a strong favorite. The athlete most likely to give Gray a challenge is Nicholas Kipruto who started well at Tacoma but finished 19th in 35:40. It is hard to know how the conditions affected Kipruto, but the footing is likely to be better in Lubbock. Kipruto ran 53:58 at the Army Ten Miler last October. Ayoub Touil, a newly minted Masters runner, will also be in the mix. This fall he ran 16:08 for a 5K and 32:14 for fourth overall and the Masters win at the Phoenix 10K.
The Age Division Championships are the races within the race. In Women 50-54, Abby Dean returns to contend for the top spot. She won at the 2023 edition of these championships. Suzanne Cordes, who won 65-69 at the Masters 5 Km Championships in November, Cynthia Lucking, who finished 2nd in 70-74 at the 2023 Club Cross Championships; and Jo Anne Rowland, who finished 2nd in 75-79 last month in Tacoma are the favorites in their divisions. Joyce Hodges-Hite continues her quest for a third straight Grand Prix championship in 85-89.
On the men’s side there are two intriguing matchups. David Angell is the defending 45-49 Cross Nationals champion. Trevor Pettingill finished a minute ahead. Angell is a fighter and will challenge Pettingill for the win. Three top Masters runners, Dan King, Roger Sayre, and Ken Youngers, meet in the 65-69 division. At Boulder, they went 1-2-3. Sayre was not at Tacoma, but King again had the edge over Youngers. King has a niggling tendon issue that may factor into the race. Robbie Genzel, third place finisher at the 10 Km Championships last year, looks for his first Cross Country win in 50-54. The 60-64 division features a matchup between Mark Tatum and Mark Zamek. Tatum is a top trail runner, winner of his division at the legendary Dipsea race this past year, and owner of the division silver medal from the 2024 Masters 5 Km Cross Country at Boulder. Zamek also has a troublesome tendon. It did not stop him from finishing seventh in a loaded division at Tacoma. Rick Becker, 3-time Masters Harrier of the Year, goes for his second consecutive win in his new 70-74 division.
Age-Grading overall championships, signifying the best performance adjusted for age, will be on the line. Becker, Gray, and Sayre are favored among the men, with Metivier, Lund and Rowland the favorites in the Women’s race. Atlanta Track Club sends teams for five of the eight division championships. Sports Warriors, out of Albuquerque and Team Red Lizard, out of Portland OR, look good for the Men and Women 40+ wins, respectively. Atlanta and Boulder Road Runners will have another of their lively dustups in Men’s 60+ and 70+.
Submitted by Paul Carlin
Consultant to USATF Masters LDR
www.runningprof.com
