THANKSGIVING DAY RACES ALL ATTRACT RECORD NUMBERS

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, November 25, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

Well what would you expect with the weather sunny, bright and wind free?  Record numbers of runners for this year’s Thanksgiving Day races.  The Flemington Turkey Trot grew by another 29 runners to 4,203 to top the races.  The Dick Meighan Memorial in Saddle River increased by 143 to 2,257 and the Morris Township race grew by another 128 to finish with 2,257 runners.

At the Horace Ashenfelter 8 kilometer in Glen Ridge, the race drew 2,551 finishers, up by 67 runners.  It was won by John Thou of Patterson in 24:04.  The 8 kilometer was both the masters men and masters women USATF championship and the most outstanding performance was by William Zink of Wyckoff whose 28:15 at age 52 graded at 87.21%.  On the women’s side Jane Parks, 59, of Morristown finished in 35:25 for a score of 87.75%.

 The USATF teams turned out in what could be record numbers.  On the men’s side the M40 division had 15 teams with the Morris area Sneaker Factory taking the top spot.  The Do Run Runners, also a local club, took third.

In the M50 division the race was won by the Shore Athletic Club.  The Shore club also won the M60 division.  Eleven men’s teams entered the M50 division and the M60 division.

Running on home turf the North Jersey Masters club scored in several divisions as did the neighboring team, the Fleet Feet Essex club.  That club placed first in the W40 division, with the Morristown based Garmin team second and the Sneaker Factory third.  Eighteen teams competed in the W40 division and 14 in the W50.  Only three women are required in Masters team competition.

In the W50 division the Sneaker Factory team was first and the North Jersey Masters second with the Morris County Striders taking third.  The Madison based Rose City Runners were first in the W60 division while the Morris County Striders fielded a W70 team to take first once again in that division.

According to my unofficial calculations the always mighty Raritan Valley Road Runners brought in 17 more points to solidify their lead at 378 points and the Clifton Road Runners brought in 24 points to stay in second with 330 points.  Third and Fourth place changed with the Shore Athletic Club bringing in the highest number of points from the race at 32 to total 295 for the season.  The Garden State Athletic Club is in fifth with 293.

The next championship race and the final of the season is the Grand Finale Ten Miler on December 9th in Mercer County Park will be the championship for all divisions and give the younger teams a chance to bring in points for the final count.

DOVER RENAISSANCE  NOW THIS SATURDAY

Talk about bad luck.  In 2010 the Dover Renaissance 5K could not take place due to road construction on the route.  In 2011 the Halloween snow storm kicked the Great Swamp Devil to the same weekend as the Dover race and people had to choose one over the other.

This year the race was scheduled for Saturday November 3rd and we all know what happened when Hurricane Sandy shut down a good part of New Jersey.  Bruised and battered the race is now on the schedule for this Saturday, December 1st.  It is one of the last remaining chances for runners to better their score in the New Balance Grand Prix.  Race registration and the start and finish are at the corner of Blackwell and Prospects Streets in front of the Casa Di Puerto Rico Club.

Runners are directed to park in the public lot on Prospect Street and not at the club lot or on Blackwell Street.  The race starts at 9:00 a.m.

TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE HISTORY NOW

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, November 18, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

Folks in New Jersey have a new marker in their family calendar – before Sandy and after Sandy.  We’ve had two USATF New Jersey championships since Sandy.  Actually to be technical, Hurricane Sandy hit after the 8 kilometer cross country championship was held, but with no electricity this reporter has not been able to send a column to this esteemed newspaper until this week.

So like everyone, we are catching up.  The 8 km took place on Sunday, October 28th with warnings to not linger because the storm was on its way.  The traditional post race barbeque was cancelled although the runners were able to chow down on potato salad that had been purchased prior to the park closing warning.  It needed to be consumed, or thrown away.

One hundred and sixty six men ran in the race and 86 women, which could be a record for that event.  The now dominant Garden State Track club took first through fourth in the open men’s division.  It has been a long time, or never since the North Jersey Masters won the M40 division but they did so that day, knocking off the Shore Athletic Club that finished in second. The Sneaker Factory was third.

The best that a local team did in the M50 division was the Do Run Runners who finished in fifth place. The Shore AC took first in the M50 and the M60 division and the best local team for the M60 was the Randolph based Geezers.

The Morristown based Garmin Runners placed second in the open women’s division to the Garden State Track Club.  The Garmin women won the W40 division by two points over the Shore club, while the Sneaker Factory took third.

Last Sunday the Giralda Farms 10K was host to the masters men championship. Gary Rosenberg, team captain for the Garmin M40 team came away with a huge smile on his face after his team won that division.  It had been a long time coming with injuries plaguing the Morris County based team.  The Sneaker Factory team took second.

Another group of men with smiles on their faces was the Morris County Striders M50 team.  Although they placed third it was the highest score they had managed in some time.  The Do Run Runners took the third spot in the M60 division and second in the M70 division.

The club and team scores have been posted on the USATF website and they show the Raritan Valley Road Runners in their customary first position.  The Clifton Running Club is in second and trailing by just over fifty points.  That Garden State Track Club is not far behind the Clifton Club but they have only a thirty point lead over the Shore club.  That may sound like a good size lead, but the Ashenfelter race is for masters men and women and the Garden State team is made up of mostly open runners.  Their lead could disappear after the 8K.

The next and final Championship is the Grand Finale Ten Miler on December 9th.  All divisions are represented.  The Garden State club could come back to capture more points but so to can the masters clubs.  It could get very interesting.

Clearly it is Game On for the upcoming Ashenfelter 8 kilometer race on Thanksgiving morning.

THANKSGIVING MORNING THE BIGGEST TURNOUT OF THE YEAR

Ashenfelter may be the draw for USATF New Jersey masters runners and last year close to 2,500 runners turned out for the race.  But there are rival races throughout the state.  The biggest and oldest is the Flemington Turkey Trot.  Last year it finished over four thousand runners.

Olympian Julie Culley of Annandale won the women’s race in 15:06 to place seventh overall.  Since Culley ran a personal best in London last August of 15:05 at the Olympics in the 5,000 meter race, the stats for the 5K in Flemington last year would have you scratching your head.  But the course was cut short last year through a marshalling error.

In the heart of Morris County is one of the newer Thanksgiving races; the Turkey Trot 5K that takes place in Morris Township at the Ginty Field location.  Last year the race drew over two thousand competitors.

If race days dawns as pleasantly as the long range weather forecast are predicting, all of the races could have record turnouts.

POINTS WILL CHANGE IN NEW BALANCE GRAND PRIX WITH NOVEMBER RACES

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, November 4, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

The fall racing season is in its final stage with November and December races offering the last chance to improve on USATF New jersey New Balance Grand Prix scores.  A look at the current standings makes for interesting reading and analysis.

Gary Leaman of Hardwick has the lead on the men’s side.  Leaman, who runs for the Sneaker Factory team has had an outstanding year, but at age 53, it is unlikely that he will stay on top as the season concludes and younger, faster men come in.

All non championship grand prix races give 500 points to the first place man or woman, with the points descending from there.  Championship races start at 700 points, which is a wonderful way to maximize points.  But each distance category allows for only two championship scores.

Leaman has all his nine races and scores 5,632 points.  At this point in the season there is always someone lurking below who is missing a race or more.  Michael Loenser of Piscataway is one such “lurker”.  He is in 17th place with 5,101 points and missing one race and only needs to score 532 points to beat Leaman.

Further down the list is Youssef Rochdi of Parsippany.  His score is 4,683 points and with two races missing there is no doubt that he could capture 950 points to go ahead of Leaman as well.

Can a runner who is missing three catch up?  Tim Morgan of South Plainfield has 3,968 points and is lurking in 75th place. He needs one championship and one non championship in the Category Two, and one non championship race in Category Three in order to pick up 1,665 or more points to topple Leaman.  He can find that at the Great Swamp Devil 15K taking place today, or wait until the Ten Mile Season Finale in December.  The next weekend he can run the Giralda Farms 10K, or go to the Ashenfelter 8K on Thanksgiving.  He would still need a non Championship Category Two and the Westfield five mile Turkey Trot on the Saturday after Thanksgiving is back in the grand prix.

On the women’s side there is not as much drama.  Kavitha Manley of Piscataway is in the lead with 5,677 points but that spot is in jeopardy with Catherine Smith of Wayne needing just one race to take over the lead.  Smith won the overall grand prix in 2011 and there is no reason to expect otherwise of her.  She has perfect scores in six races and two 698 point races.

Cheyenne Ogletree of Garfield has been winning races this year but she would need over one thousand points to take the lead.  She would need to score 500 points in a non championship Category One and a Category Three.  Her weakest scores are her Category Two races where she has 697, 683, and 496.  She would need to improve on at least two of them.  Like Morgan, she could find the races but would have to win them all to beat Smith with her near perfect scores.

[Editor's Note: Cheyenne now has a 700 point Cat 2, and Catherine Smith has a 500 pt Cat III.  She could win with just four points under a perfect score.  But the women's race could be very close!]

ING New York City Marathon

Many New Jersey runners will be on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge on Staten Island next Sunday for the ING New York City Marathon.  Each runner paid $255.00 for the privilege or $216.00 if they were a member of the New York Road Runners club.  It raises the question of whether racing, or at least racing in a high profile race, is becoming a sport for only the wealthy.  Certainly costs have gone up to host a huge event like the one in New York but can costs have gone up to that degree?

A recent article in the New York Times pointed out that the fee is “more than the $100.00 more than the fee for any of the four other major world marathons and nearly five times the cost of the London Marathon alone.”

I wonder how many runners have opted to not run in the New York race because of the high fee.  I do not run marathons so I cannot be objective on this but I would like to hear from those who do.

[Editor's Note: Of course the NYC Marathon was subsequently canceled due to Hurricane Sandy.]

SYRACUSE FESTIVAL OF RACES DREW NEW JERSEY MASTERS RUNNERS AND TEAMS

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, October 7, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

For five years the Syracuse Festival of Races 5K has been the national USATF masters 5K championship.  Participation by New Jersey runners was sparse the first year or two but they made up for it in a big way last Sunday for this year’s race.

Five New Jersey teams competed and the team with the biggest payoff was the Clifton Road Runners whose M70 team won that division and whose B team took fourth.

The Clifton club is now in the lead in the team grand prix in that division and their B team is in third, and only off second by one point.  Two more races are to be run this season and the club should get to at least one of them.  The potential spoiler is the Shore Athletic Club that placed second in the division at the race.  They cannot pass Clifton but they could keep the B team from placing in the top three.  Shore would have to run in both races to do that.

Expectations were high for Ed Smith of Mountain Lakes who aged up to that division this year and his Shore AC team was not disappointed.  Smith won the division with a time of 22:01.  Jim Leitz of Bayonne placed third in 23:19.  New Jersey dominated the division with seven of the 14 runners who finished.

Shore’s M60 team placed third and the Raritan Valley Road Runner’s were sixth.  Despite the Raritan Valley name, two of their men are from this area.  Roger Price of Randolph finished in 19:00 for seventh and Carl Weaver of Morris Plains finished in 22:05.  Also in that division was Steve Austin of Long Valley, a Morris County Strider who finished in 22:41.

The Striders were represented by USATF NJ President Edward Neighbour of Sparta, who finished in 22:24 in the M45 division.  Also in the M45 division was Peter Tummey of Rockaway who finished in 20:20.

Cande Olsen of Chatham had a good race, placing third in the W60 division with a time of 24:53.  In 2010 Olsen won the division with a 24:13.

SHADES OF DEATH ON SUNDAY

At more than a week out from the second annual Shades of Death Half Marathon in Allamuchy the entries have already gone one hundred over the number of finishers the first year.  Runners have been meeting at the Allamuchy Township School for the past few Saturdays to run the course.  Since the course is a double loop it has been easy to run just half of the half or all of it on a training run.  Next Sunday, October 13th, they will be running the real thing.

Thirty or more of the runners will be partnering up to do the relay, since that double loop makes for a perfect relay setting.

With growth comes change and this year the registration will be in the school gym and not the cafeteria.  Good news all around as runners will have access to indoor plumbing, although there will be outdoor toilets in the parking lot and on the course as well.

In 2011 the weather was perfect but a little warm so just in case of a repeat warm day, there will be another water stop on the course making it four for every loop.  Parking will be at the Town Hall and Green Acres rather than the Panther Valley Mall.  There is no parking at the school but shuttle buses will be taking the runners to the start.

The Allamuchy Harvest Fest is taking place that weekend and the shuttle buses will be making trips to the festival as well.

RUN FOR THE SEEING EYE IS ON!

It was the race that wasn’t last month.  The Run 4 the Seeing Eye couldn’t go on in September.  A little issue with a tornado closed down Morristown, but the race is taking place next Saturday, October 13th.  The start has been moved up to 3:00 p.m. in deference to an earlier sundown.  The one mile Doggie Dash/Walk will start at 2:30 p.m.

NEWPORT HALF MARATHON DREW A CROWD

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, September 30, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

It is no secret that half marathons are the new in thing in road racing.  At last Sunday’s Newport Liberty Half Marathon in Jersey City the crowds of runners were staggering to anyone who has come to the race in past years.  They filled the streets and the lines for the portable toilets snaked up and down the street.  Just getting into the parking deck was a challenge for anyone arriving after 7:00 a.m.

Three thousand, two hundred and twenty six runners entered the race while 2,641actually finished.  So many no-shows is common for half marathons according to race timer David Siconolfi of CompuScore whose company scored the race.  Still, the number of finishers was up over four hundred from 2011.  Given that the runners were offered perfect race weather, albeit windy on parts of the course it is surprising that so many did not show.

One who did show was Ken Goglas of Randolph who lead an elite pack of runners out and he stayed in the lead to finish in 1:09:11.  Jeff Perrella of Westfield was second in 1:09:21.   Cheyenne Ogletree of Garfield won the women’s race in 1:22:02.

Goglas and Perrella were on the winning open men’s team for Garden State Track Club.  The club’s C team was second while the Morris area Garmin Running club took third.

Team competition has had a changing cast of clubs.  The Garden State club that didn’t exist until late 2010 is one and the Garmin club that was created out of the disbanded Running Company is another.

Perhaps the oldest running team in the state is the Sneaker Factory and their M40 team took first in that division.   Relative newcomer team, the Do Run Runners were third as was their M50 team in that division.    The Morris County Striders M60 team finished in fourth place.

Ogletree lead her Garden State Track club team in for first in the open women’s division while the Garmin runners took third.

In the W40 division it was all local clubs in the top three; Garmin, Sneaker Factory and Do Run.  The Sneaker Factory took first in the W50 division.

Two Morristown women won prize money when they hit the top numbers in age grading; Jane Parks, 59, whose 1:40:04 was scored at 83.77% and Nora Cary, 57, whose 1:39:09 was scored at 82.26%.

Four local men were age graded above 80%; Beau Atwater, 54, of Bernardsville was scored at 84.25% for his 1:22:13 finishing time.  Bill Bosmann, 62, of Rockaway was scored at 82.37% for his 1:30:29, Antonio Mass, 48, of Budd Lake reached 81.94% for his 1:20:17, and Roger Price, 63, of Randolph reached 81.66% for his time of 1:32:09.

TEAM SCORES CAN CHANGE

Team scores in championship races and thus in the team and club grand prix are subject to change.  Team captains are required to verify that their runners have current membership in USATF-NJ and that they are citizens or have valid green cards.  A number of teams have not done so and the verification process for the USATF staff and the Long Distance Running committee is proving quite troublesome.

Team captains and club members should be able to see the up-to-date scores for the team grand prix but there has been a lengthy lag in posting the scores due to the verification problem.

RUN THE TRAILS SAFELY

As more and more runners discover the wealth of trails in Morris County and beyond, they need to be aware that they may not be alone.  Several areas are now allowing bow hunters to hunt on land that was previously closed to hunting as the defoliation of native flora by deer is becoming a serious problem.  Runners need to wear bright colors, not white, when running trails during the fall hunting season that has begun in many areas.

LONG DISTANCE RUNNING COMMITTEE ACCEPTS PROPOSALS

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, September 16, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

It is at the September meeting of USATF New Jersey’s Long Distance Running committee where members may submit proposals for changes in rules and regulations for the coming year’s competitions.  One proposal made by Sneaker Factory team captain John Sabatino of Morris Plains was well received by the attendees at the meeting.  Sabatino pointed out that the points table for team scoring has undergone changes over the years in an effort to keep the divisions balanced.  He feels that the system is currently out of balance.

Sabatino had noticed that older teams were able to garner far more points than is possible in the open and younger masters divisions due to allowing each runner to run on two different age divisions teams.  When the fields in the older divisions are small as in the age 70 and 80 divisions, one team of three runners can win in two age divisions and bring to their club twelve points.  This is important in the overall club grand prix where the scores for all the team divisions are totaled.

His proposal would not cut down the top points in the older age divisions but add points to the younger divisions.  For instance the open men division that currently has ten points for the first place team would be raised to twelve points.

The committee asked Sabatino to analyze the scores for 2012 and make a comparison using his proposed new table.  Once it is done and perhaps adjusted the proposal and the analysis will be posted on the USATF website.

Another proposal, made by Division Chair Ed Neighbour of Sparta, was also addressing the issue of the so called “double dipping”.  His proposal may catch more push back from the clubs.  Each team whose scoring members were in the same age division would receive one bonus point.  A M50 team that had one or two runners who were over age 59 would not receive a bonus point while a team whose members were all in the 50 to 59 range would.

Rule changes are proposed at the September meeting.  This allows for time to review and consider them before the vote at the February meeting.

MEMORIAL RACES FOR NEW JERSEY RUNNERS

It is quite common to find races that are run in memory of someone, but memorial races for runners are not as common.  Two such races are coming up on the calendar.

On October 9th, 2011 lifelong Montclair resident and member of the Essex Running Club, Doug Williams was struck and killed by a hit and run driver.  On the club website, Williams is remembered for his caring soul and gentle nature.  He is also remembered for his passion for running marathons.

The 5K race that was formerly known as the Goodwill 5K has been renamed in his honor. The 500 point New Balance grand prix race is being held on Sunday October 7th starting at 9:00 a.m. from the Montclair Art Museum.  The course is described as a USATF certified three turn route.

Proceeds will benefit a Scholarship in his name at Montclair State University, School of Business, where he graduated in 1985.

Also on the 7th is the Jonathan Slusher Memorial 5K in Califon.   According the website that is set up for the high school scholarship fund in his name, Slusher was a lifelong runner.  While in high school he ran in the cross country Meet of Champions and was the second scoring man for Voorhees and 37th in the state with a time of 16.42.  In recent years, the website said that he ran with a running club in Pennsylvania, and his name can also be found in New Jersey races.  Slusher was a journalist by trade who died at age 45 in 2010 from brain cancer.

The race starts out on River Road and then doubles back on the Columbia Trail to the finish at Califon Island Park in Califon.  The race has a late start at 1:00 p.m.  It is not a New Balance grand prix event.

MENDHAM RACE NEXT SATURDAY

Next Saturday, September 29th, the Mendham Harvest Hustle 5K and a one mile fun run is taking place at Mendham Borough Park on Mountain Avenue.  It features a USATF certified course and it is part of the New Balance grand prix.  The one mile run starts at 8:00 a.m. with the 5K going off at 9:00 a.m.  The race is clearly an event for families with an expo and family fun fair that starts after the race awards ceremony.

FULL FIELD AT CROSS COUNTRY 5K

Written by Madeline Bost

Originally Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, September 16, 2012

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2012

Two hundred and forty-six runners were on the line at Deer Path Park in Hunterdon County last Saturday for the USATF New Jersey cross country 5 kilometer championship.
Eleven open men’s teams finished the race with the Garden State Track Club taking the top four spots by spreading their talent among all four teams.  Their fastest runner, Anthony Harris of East Brunswick who finished first overall in 15:51, was on the club’s C team.

The Shore Athletic Club took first in the M40, M50, but a ploy similar to the Garden State club backfired in the M60.  Shore had sufficient men in the M60 to field two teams and they split their speedster between the A and the B teams, hoping to push the Raritan Valley Road Runners team that is currently in the lead in the team grand prix to third place.  They were cutting it close and when one of their men went down and another team member stopped to give aid, the Raritan Valley team grabbed first.  Both Shore men finished but they had lost precious seconds.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the Shore’s B team placed second while their A team was pushed to third.  In February a rule was established that a B team would remain a B team even if it finished ahead of an A team of the same club.  This is important for points in the team grand prix.  Fourth place was taken by the Morris County Striders in the division.

On the women’s side, winner Cheyenne Ogletree of Garfield (18:06) brought the Garden State’s open women’s team in for first place, but second went to Raritan Valley and third to the Morris area Garmin Runners.

The Garmin Runners have been dominating the W40 division and they did so again on Saturday.  Second was taken by the Sneaker Factory and third by the Do Run Runners.  In the W50 division first was taken by the Sneaker Factory and second went to the Clifton Road Runners.  The Morris County Striders were third, with the Rose City Runners fourth.  The Morris County senior women took first in the W60, W70 and the W80 division.

Thirty-nine men’s and 28 women’s teams competed.  Even teams that did not finish high enough to earn points in the team grand prix, did win points at the race.  As an incentive to the clubs all teams receive a bonus of two points.  Even a team that finishes in eleventh place is valuable to a club’s score in the cross country races.

The next cross country championship, the 8 kilometer, will be at Deer Path Park on Sunday, October 28.

NEWPORT LIBERTY WATERFRONT HALF MARATHON NEXT CHAMPIONSHIP

The Newport half marathon is the championship for all divisions of USATF clubs.  It will take place next Sunday at the Newport Town Square in Jersey City.  Last year over twenty-two hundred runners finished the race and more can be expected this year.

RAIN OR SHINE, THE RACE WILL GO ON

But sometimes a race can’t be held.  No, a little rain won’t stop it but when a tornado appears heading your way, the show stops.  That’s what happened last Saturday afternoon in Morristown when the first annual Run 4 the Seeing Eye had to be cancelled.  Organizers are looking at a date in October for it to be held.  Runners will be notified via email and can always go to superheroracing.com for the latest update.