Published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County NJ
on Sunday,
March 19, 2017
SEASON OPENS
WITH THREE DISTANCE RACES
Distance runners
have three options next weekend. They can run ten miles or half marathon at one
of the three 700 point grand prix pseudo championship races. The three races
only look like a championship because of the high point value but lack the team
competition. It is something new for the USATF NJ Long Distance Running
committee and when they received championship bids from those three, they
decided to feature a season opener with those races.
It will give
runners who want to compete in the Mini Three grand prix an early opportunity to
grab one of the three 700 points races allowed in the longest distance mini
series. This change from two to three 700 point races with a maximum of five
races was approved at the February 2017 Long Distance Running committee
meeting.
Two of the races
are first timers; the Garden State Ten Miler on Sunday, and the Baker’s Dozen
Half Marathon on Saturday. The third is the Ocean Drive Ten Miler on Sunday that
is run along with a full marathon and a 5K in Sea Isle City.
The courses for
the Sea Isle marathon and ten mile race have been changed after concerns from
the runners that the previous point to point courses meant running into a head
wind the entire length of their race. They will now be run on out and back
courses with the wind at their back about half of the time. The start and finish
are not at the same location. A shuttle will take runners to the
start.
Another change
for the Ocean Drive race is to break their ten year age divisions into five year
divisions up to 70 and older. While that is a happy change, the $90.00 race
entry fee may hold a runner back. Wait until the Saturday Expo and it will go up
another ten.
The Baker’s
Dozen 13.1 on Saturday March 25, in Montclair had an entry fee of $95.00. But it
is a moot point as the online registration is closed after hitting a cap of
1,300. The race sold out in just four days. Obviously the cost to register was
not a deterrent.
Runners should
be prepared for a challenging course with a number of turns. Due to road closure
considerations the Montclair police department asked the organizers to start the
race an hour earlier than was originally planned. It will now start at 7:00 a.m.
The Garden State
Ten Miler that starts and finishes in Colonial Park in Somerset might be the
fastest ten mile course in the state. The Garden State race has a lot going for
it. The entry fee is a mere $50.00 even while offering prize money to the top
three open finishers and the top three age graded masters. Like the Ocean Drive
event, there is more than one race going on. A 5K will go off at 8:45 a.m. and
the ten mile race will start at 9:30 a.m. This schedule allows for the Half
Marathon Challenge that entices a runner to do both the 5K and the ten mile for
a total of 13.1 miles. The ten mile race also will feature a relay where one
runner hands off after four miles and the second runner completes the course.
Artesian bread,
pastries and donuts will await the finishers of the Baker’s Dozen Half. Could
that be why so many have signed up?
On the other
hand, after the Garden State Ten Miler runners are invited to head down to
Somerset’s Stagehouse Tavern with a huge menu and an even bigger bar, and two
dollar drinks thanks to Molson Coors.
I doubt that
runners are picking a race from the post race offerings, but it is a fun
contradiction. Satisfy a sweet tooth or quench a beer thirst.
##
A calendar of
USATF sanctioned events can be found at www.usatfnj.org or at www.raceforum.com for running and tri and biathlon events.
Madeline Bost
973-584-9302
madelinebost@verizon.net
973-584-9302
madelinebost@verizon.net
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