8 K CROSS COUNTRY RACE BLESSED WITH PERFECT RUNNING WEATHER

Written by Madeline Bost
Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, November 20 2011
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2011

In one sense there were no surprises at the USATF New Jersey championship 8 kilometer cross country race at Deer Path Park on Saturday. What would have been a disaster on October 30th in the snow was blessed instead with perfect running weather on November 19th.

The new comer Garden State Track Club won the open men’s division as well as the women’s. Their men had won the 5 kilometer back in October so no surprise there. But their women had only picked up fourth.

It was no surprise that there were a substantial number of no-shows. About 10% no-shows is common in road racing but in cross country I would guess that less than 5% of the people who pre-register for cross country do not show up on race day. But the change to November 19 and a Saturday at that threw a lot of people out of the race thanks to previous commitments.


In 2010 eight open teams competed in the men’s division. On Saturday six teams competed and two of them were the Garden State club and they weren’t there in 2010. It is as though the open men, and open women have disappeared, except for the new club.

Justin Scheid, 25, of Sparta won the race in 25:49. He ran alone with a wider lead as the race went on. Second place was Anthony Harris of East Brunswick and he was over a minute back in 26:56. Five men were masters in the top 16 finishers. Thomas Yakowenko of Metuchen who is 43 was sixth overall. Mark Zamek, 48, of Macungie PA was eighth and Rich Burke of Morristown, 44, the first local man to finish, was ninth in 27:46.

Zamek, who won the Midland Run in about 1992, told me after the race that a few years back that his time of 27:32 would have put him in about 30th place in the same race. I did a little research and hit pay dirt. In 1996 Zamek, then 36 finished the same race in 27:53, in 26th place. Twenty-five of the men ahead of him were under age forty. The other one, Tom Bowmaster of Morristown, at age 40 finished in 27:26.

Nine women over forty were in the top 16 in Saturday’s race and three were over age 50. The race was won by Catherine Smith of Wayne in 31:10. She had over a minute on Cheyenne Ogletree of Garfield who finished second in 32:07 after outsprinting Misa Tamura of Ridgewood who clocked 32:08. The first local woman to finish was Stacey Graham of Morris Plains, 47, who finished in 39:33.

Team scoring is always subject to correction, usually due to a data entry error, but preliminary scoring shows the Sneaker Factory scoring third in open men and first in M40. The Morris County Striders open men placed sixth and third in the M40, M50 and M60 divisions.

In the women’s team division the Rose City Runners and the Morris County Striders tied for third with 67 points. In the W40 division the Striders placed fourth and Rose City fifth with the Do Run Runners sixth. In the W50 division the teams traded places with Rose City second and the Striders third. Do Run Runners followed in fourth. The Striders picked up firsts in W60 and W70 thanks to their dedicated senior women. Notable by their absence were the women runners from the Sneaker Factory and the Raritan Valley Road Runners. Those clubs have women who are running this morning in the Philadelphia Marathon, and obviously unable to compete in both races.

Their absence will have an impact on the team and overall club scoring. Each team earns an extra two points for competing at the cross country races. Next up for the teams is the Ashenfelter 8K on Thanksgiving morning in Glen Ridge. After that race the tally for the teams from the race yesterday and the Ashenfelter will tell the teams what they need to do at the USATF ten mile race on December 11th.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING RACING

Many runners will stay local and run in the Morris Township Turkey Trot to benefit the Interfaith Pantry on Thanksgiving morning. Registration will begin at 7:00 a.m. The headline 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. with a mile fun run at 8:40, and a kids trot for the under 12 year’s olds at 9:15. The distances for the kids are graduated based on ages of the kids. The awards program is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. 

SNOW STORM WREAKS HAVOC WITH RACE SCHEDULE

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, November 6, 2011

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2011

Last Saturday as the snow continued to fall and it was becoming more and more obvious that this was going to be a snowfall for the history books, the USATF New Jersey long distance running executive committee members were making a decision that no race organizer wants to make.

The eight kilometer cross country race that was scheduled for the next day at Deer Path Park would have to be cancelled, or at least postponed. They were not the only ones who were facing that prospect. In this area the Great Swamp Devil 15K in Basking Ridge with its revised course and earlier starting time was also on the line. In Convent Station, the Safe Dating Challenge 5K at St. Elizabeth’s was also scheduled for Sunday, October 30.

As the afternoon wore on it soon became apparent that no race would be held the following day. Roads were closed due to fallen trees and downed power lines. It wasn’t safe to go anywhere. In some towns the public works departments had not anticipated the extent of the snowfall and had not salted the roads and they were treacherous, never mind the downed trees.

Cancelling is actually the easier option. Postponement implies that there is an alternative date. That is usually not the case. A date is set months in advance. Police and volunteers are set for that date and not available for an alternative. Timing companies are booked for other races. It just isn’t feasible in most cases to move to another date.

A perfect example is the Almost Fall Classic four mile race that should have been run in Cranford on August 28 but was postponed thanks to Hurricane Irene. When was it finally run? Yesterday morning, Saturday, November 5th.

For the races scheduled for this past Sunday one was cancelled, the Safe Dating Challenge. Pre-registered runners should go to the OYMP website after November 9th for information on race shirt distribution. The Great Swamp Devil races, 15K and 5K, are on hold while looking for an available date. The cross country 8 kilometer race at Deer Path Park is rescheduled for Saturday, November 19.

Whoa, you say. The Giralda Farms 10K in Madison, which is the USATF New Jersey championship, is on Sunday, November 13. Runners who compete in the championships will have less than a week to recover before running the cross country race. To make matters worse, the 8K road championship, the Ashenfelter in Glen Ridge is on Thursday, November 24th, Thanksgiving morning.

If you think this is folly please refer back to the paragraph regarding postponements. If you want to complain you may want to take it up with Mother Nature. Otherwise plan your training and recovery accordingly. There is really nothing else you can do about it.

GIRALDA FARMS 10K MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

For several years the Giralda Farms 10K in Madison has been a USATF New Jersey championship. This year it is serving as the championship for both genders with a purse that begins with $200.00 for first, for both genders going down to eighth place using the age grading calculation. There is also a purse for the open runners that does not go quite as deep.

The 10K course is not an easy course and deceptively starts on a substantial downhill. In fact that hill is the basis of the entire race. One is either running up the hill, across the top of the hill, the bottom of the hill, or running back down. I would suppose that there is a net downhill, thanks to the start, but am not sure.

For those who wish to avoid the challenge of 6.2 miles of said hill, there is a 5K that is no less hilly, but blessedly half the distance.

Both races start promptly at noon and for that reason it is advised to not be tardy as the road into the parking garage can become quite congested by late morning.

CROSS COUNTRY RULED ON OCTOBER 23RD

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, October 30, 2011

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2011

Deer Path Park in Readington saw a record number of cross country runners last Sunday [edit: October 23, 2011] for the USATF 5 kilometer championship for all divisions.  The recently formed team, the Garden State Track Club showed their strength and numbers with a win in the Open men division for their A team and second place for their B team.  Raritan Valley Road Runners took third but the start up club also took fourth and fifth.  The Sneaker Factory open men were sixth with the Morris County Striders taking eighth out of eleven teams. [results here]

Raritan Valley took top honors in the M40 division with Sneaker Factory second.  The North Jersey Masters were tops in the M50 division with local clubs all out of the top three.  The Rose City Runners were fifth and the Do Run Runners were sixth and the Striders seventh.  The Striders placed third in the M60 division.

The Open women’s division was won by the Running Company solely on the strength of their W40 squad.  The Sneaker Factory women took third, the Rose City team was sixth and the Striders were seventh.  Rose City had the best local team in the W40 division finishing in fourth place with the Striders placing sixth.

Sneaker Factory has been dominating the W50 division and they did it again at the cross country meet.  Rose City was second and the Striders took fourth.  It was all Morris County Striders in the W60 and W70 division taking in first in both divisions with no other club able to field teams.

This morning, weather and course conditions permitting, the teams will all be back for the 8 kilometer contest on the same grounds.  A lot more is up for grabs with the top open men and women’s teams earning that five hundred dollar travel stipend to Seattle in December for the national club championship cross country race.

NEW JERSEY MASTERS TEAMS HAD A GOOD DAY AT NATIONAL MEET

It can’t get any better than what the Clifton Road Runners and the Raritan Valley Road Runners teams experienced this past weekend.  Both teams, the Clifton club’s M70 team and the Raritan Valley club’s M60 team came home with gold from the USATF national cross country 5 kilometer championship in Fairpoint NY that was held on Saturday. [results here]

The Clifton team was unchallenged in their division with Hilary Peterlin of Oak Ridge leading his squad in with a time of 26:37.  Hard on his heels was James Leitz of Bayonne who finished just six seconds back in 26:43.  Joseph Saley of Teaneck was the next man to finish, in 28:32 with Al Swan of Clifton fourth man on the team in 31:17.

The Raritan Valley team was far from unchallenged with seven other teams to contend with in the M60 division.  Roger Price of Randolph led in the team in 20:27 placing him third in the M60 division.  Terry Delph who lives in Coopersburg PA was the second man on the team and his 21:39 gave him third place in the M65 division.  Carl Weaver of Morris Plains was third scoring member with his time of 22:35.  Doug Brown of East Brunswick was fourth on the team in 24:52.

ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON THINS OUT THE NEW JERSEY RACES NEXT WEEKEND

Race directors shy away from holding races on the first weekend in November fearing a loss of runners thanks to the ING New York City Marathon.  But not all runners are marathoners, and not all marathoners run in New York each year.

Some race organizers recognize that and in the case of the Friend2Friend half marathon trail run next Sunday, the race is billed as “The perfect antidote to the N.Y.C. Marathon Lottery Blues.”    The race offers cash awards and trophies to the top three overall as well as medals in five year age divisions.  The location is at Kittatinny Valley State Park in Andover.

If a half marathon is not what a runner is looking for, then the Transitions Autumn Fest 5K in Hackettstown is another alternative on Sunday.  It has the added perk of being one of the last Category three 500 point New Balance grand prix races on the calendar.

Head east and south and catch the Not Quite Fall Classic four miler on Saturday in Cranford.  The race was postponed in August when Hurricane Irene blasted through.

CROSS COUNTRY RACING COMING UP

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, October 9, 2011

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2011

 

The two championship cross country races are next on the USATF New Jersey championship schedule.  The first, the 5K will be held Sunday, October 23^rd at Deer Path Park in Hunterdon County.  The 8 kilometer championship is on the following Sunday, October 30^th, also at Deer Path. [edit: 5K Results here]

Deer Path Park is well liked by most cross country fans as it features a true cross country course.  There are some hills, but nothing like the Bowl at Holmdel Park, and the surface, while not as groomed as that at Holmdel is level with no roots or rocks to trip up an unwary runner.  If it has rained there may be some wet spots with a little mud but easy to get through.

For the 5 kilometer race the course is a double loop, which makes it a good spectator course, something that cannot be said of many cross country courses.  The 8 kilometer also features multiple loops but with a more intricate layout than the 5K.

 Map of the Deer Path 2 lap 5K XC course 

Team competition is the emphasis for cross country racing and many a road runner has had his or her arm twisted by a team captain who needs to fill out a racing team.  In cross country the open women’s teams must have five runners, rather than the four that is currently needed for road races.  Open men and masters 40 and 50 teams also require five members to score.  All masters women and masters 60 and 70 teams require only three.

Of the local teams the Sneaker Factory has the most teams in top positions in the team grand prix.  That club is leading the open men division and is tied for first with Raritan Valley in the M40 division.  Their W50 team is leading their division.

Because road racers need a little enticing to coax them off the roads and onto the dirt and grass there are incentives in the team grand prix.  All teams receive a two point bonus, even those teams that finish below the usual scoring place.  For instance a team that finishes ninth will still garner two points for completing the race.

There is another enticement for individuals in the New Balance Grand Prix.  The floor is raised from 200 that is in place for road championships to 300 for the two cross country championships.  One hundred is the floor for non championship races that have a top score of 500 points.

The national USATF cross country committee now offers a very valuable incentive to the top open teams in the 8 kilometer race.  Each winning team, male and female will be awarded a $500.00 travel stipend to the national club cross country championship in December in Seattle WA.  Last year the Raritan Valley Road Runners men’s team was able to go to the meet that was held in Charlotte NC.

NEW JERSEY MASTERS COMPETED IN 5K NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Three clubs sent masters teams to the Syracuse Festival of Races 5K last Sunday.  This is the fourth year that the race has been the masters championship and the fields keep getting stronger each year.

In the M60 division Roger Price, 62, of Randolph placed sixth in 18:41.  Larry Price, 63, of Summit finished in 10^th place with 19:33.  Other top scoring men in that division included Harold Nolan 64, of Navesink who finished in 19:45 and Carl Weaver 62, of Morris Plains who finished in 20:33 in 18^th place. [results]

In the M65 division J.L. Seymore, 66, of Somerset placed sixth in 20:05.  Przemyslaw Nowicki, 67, of Holmdel finished in 20:32 for seventh and Douglas Brown, 66, of East Brunswick was eighth in 20:53.

The Raritan Valley Road Runners finished in fourth place in the M60 team division with the Shore Athletic Club fifth.  The Shore club won the M70 division, lead in by Ralph Garfield, 76, of Manalapan who placed third in his division.  Jim Leitz of Bayonne placed fourth in the M70 division to lead in his Clifton Road Runners that placed second to the Shore team.

Next up for the Masters nationally is the 5K cross country championship that will be run on October 23^rd in Fairport NY, near Rochester.  That is in conflict with the 5K cross country race here in New Jersey so teams will have to dig down to put teams at two different venues on that day.

Both the Clifton M70 team and the Raritan Valley M60 team are in contention in the new national masters team grand prix.  They will have met the three race in the series requirement but still need to get to the cross country race this month and the one in Seattle in December to maximize their points. [edit: National Masters 5K XC Results here]