Published by the DAILY
RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, February 4,
2018
New Jersey runners run with the stars
It has often been said that running is a unique
sport where the very non-professional runner competes in the same race as the
elite. While this is certainly true in road races like marathons and
championships, it is closer to real in a national cross country meet.
The elites in cross country warm up on the same
grounds, they use the same bank of porta-potties as the rest. They are
truly viewed as a part of the same bunch of runners, even though they bear the
name of Galen Rupp or Leonard Koirer, Stanely Kebenei or Evan Jaeger.
On Saturday those same men competed at Apalachee
Regional Park in Tallahassee FL with the Garden State Track Club and the Shore
Athletic Club. The excitement for the masters men's 8km race was as high
as for the open men's 10K where Rupp, Koirer, Kebenei and Jaeger competed.
The park's hard pack dirt course features
multiple loops of a single hill course with variations for the different
distances. The downhill portion featured closely trimmed grass before
disappearing from spectator view into the trails. Spectators could watch
live as the runners passed the bleachers, or follow on the plexitron that
alternated between showing the places of the runners during the race, or shots
of them at key places on the course.
In other words, the venue is worthy of any world
competition. When the masters men's field went by the viewing area
for the first time, Montville's Elliott Frieder was part of the lead pack that
included Sam Tiegan of Hawthorn and Jonathan Frieder of Rye Brooke NY. The pack
had thinned when the men came by on the next lap but those three maintained
their position in the top ten.
The rest of the team, Chuck Schneekloth of
Franklin, Thomas Knowles of Oakland and Aaron Cooper of Englewood finished in
that order.
Further back Reno Stirrat of Rockaway was the
lead man on his Shore Athletic Club's Men 60 team. Next was Kevin Dollard of NY
and Scott Linell of Colts Neck and Roger Price of Randolph, finishing in that
position.
In the first race of the meet, Susan Stirrat of
Rockaway finished 7th in the W60 division and Madeline Bost of Randolph won the
W75 division by virtue of being the only entrant in that division.
Oh, back to those elite runners. Korir out
kicked Rupp after running side by side down the home stretch, and Kebenei out
kicked Jager in their finish line duel.
This meet is a selection meet for the world's
cross country meet in odd years. That means that the meet yesterday did
not have the entries that it will have in 2019. The 2019 meet will again
be at the Apalachee Park on the same course.
While Tallahassee is not easy to reach the
park's cross country courses are considered excellent and the park a great
venue. The same New Jersey teams are expected back in 2019.
##
Race Results can often be found at www.compuscore.com or
at www.bestrace.com
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.
Contact Madeline Bost at madelinebost@verizon.net
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