Midland Avenue Mile was well hydrated

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, August 28, 2016

MIDLAND MILE WAS WELL HYDRATED

Let’s see.  Perfect conditions for a road mile race.   Cool, slight breeze, low humidity.  That should about do it. 

I guess no one gave the weather gods the order for last Sunday.  Yes, it was cool.  I’m not sure about the breeze.  But the Midland Avenue Mile struck out on the humidity part.

It had been threatening to rain all day and early weather reports for New Jersey were for dangerous lightning after five.  Five o’clock was the time of the first of several mile races in Montclair and that weather report was not reassuring.  But the weather gods held back the lightning and all they sent was the rain.

After the “civilian” race was completed, the first of the USATF – New Jersey races began with the W50 and older heat.  Misa Tamura, 50, of Ridgewood took off and lead from the start according to others in the race.  She finished in 5:41.12 for first in her division and first in the race.

Nora Cary of Morristown was the first W60 division woman, finishing in seventh overall in the race in 6:30.07 and age grading at 88.89%, second only to Erika Campbell, 67, of Ridgewood who finished in 6:40.9, and whose age graded Performance Level Percentage was 95.11%.

The next race, the W40 was won by Jennifer St. Jean of Darien CT in 5:13.11.  Anne Balfour of Morristown was second in 6:11.92 but was first New Jersey USATF member.

With rain continuing to fall the next race was for all men 60 and older, and to no surprise Reno Stirrat of Rockaway appeared first heading for the finish in 5:41.2.  Stirrat’s Shore Athletic Club team made almost a clean sweep with the next three men out of four scoring for the team.

Joining the “if you only ran a little faster” club was the Raritan Valley Road Runners, bumped to third place in the M60 division by the Fleet Feet team whose combined time was 20:55.91 compared to the RVRR time of 20:56.12.  Michael Barry of Succasunna was second man on the Fleet Feet team and Roger Price of Randolph led in the RVRR team.

Atilla Sabahoglu of Somerset had an easy win in the open men’s division, finishing in 4:39.33 ahead of 78 other men in the race. 

Roberta Groner of Randolph also had an easy win, cruising across the finish line in 5:05.05 ahead of 64 other women in the race. 

The Morris area Garmin club had a field day.  Their M40 and their open men’s team won both of those divisions as did their W40 and open women’s team.

The Morris County Striders women’s team did well with a third in the W50 and fourth in W60 while their W70 and W80 teams won their division.

CROSS COUNTRY THIS MORNING

Many runners will be heading for Thompson Park in Monroe this morning for the USATF-NJ cross country championship 5kilometer cross country race.  If you are itching for a race closer to home this coming week I am not seeing many.  There is a 5K in Brookdale Park in Bloomfield on Saturday, September 3^rd, and a 5K in Sparta on Monday, September 5^th.  The race will run around Lake Mohawk with a start at 8:30 a.m.

MIDLAND SCHOOL

Oh how quickly we forget.  Well, how quickly I forgot.  The Midland Run 15K that I referenced in last Sunday’s column was named for the Midland School that benefited from the two races, 15K and 5K, that was run in May at Moorland Farms in Bedminster.  Thanks to Barbara Rushman, club historian for the Rose City running club for her gentle reminder.

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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.

August is a month for first for USATF - NJ runners

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, August 21, 2016

AUGUST IS A MONTH FOR FIRST FOR USATF NJ RUNNERS

This evening runners will be competing in mile races in Montclair.  This is not the first year for mile races in the USATF-NJ New Balance grand prix schedule, but it is the first for the Midland Mile.

Although the name evokes nostalgia for the Midland Run, this Midland race is only one mile while the old Midland Run was a tough 9.3 miles.  I don’t think that I know why the 15K was named Midland, but this Midland is so named because the course begins and ends on Midland Avenue.  As described on the race website, the race is a point to point with no turns and just a slight upgrade.   That it is newly paved and tree lined should make up for that slight upgrade.

Looking at the pre-registration list it is clear there will be a good turnout.  Late breaking news has the number of runners now over 400.  These are not one mile fun runs, but serious competitions. 

In 2015 when the mile races were the College Avenue Mile in New Brunswick, the fastest time was 4:21.76 run by Joshua Neyhart of Port Reading and the fastest woman was Ester Erb of Lawrenceville who finished in 5:02.74.  Masters racers in 2015 included Reno Stirrat who won the M60 division in 5:28.16, Gary Rosenberg of Morristown who placed fourth in the M40 division in 4:55.15, and Beau Atwater of Bernardsville who won the M55 division in 5:17.84 and fourth man over age fifty.  All three of the men will be running tonight.

The first heat, the Family Mile, will go off at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Public Service division, and then the first USATF division, the M60 and up that will start at 5:30 p.m.   Each heat will begin approximately ten minutes apart. 

Post race refreshments include hot dogs and beer, always welcome after a summer night race.

CROSS COUNTRY NEXT SUNDAY AT THOMPSON PARK

The next “first” is the cross country 5 kilometer race at Thompson Park in Monroe Township.  To my knowledge this is the first time, at least in recent history, that the USATF NJ 5 kilometer has been run in this park.  A look at the course map, which is available on the USATF NJ webpage, shows an opening mile loop that almost returns to the start before heading out for a larger loop for the next 2 miles.  Of course a map does not illustrate terrain.  Most runners from this area will be on it for the first time so need to be prepared for anything – including hills.

Pre-registration for the cross country race ends on Tuesday, August 23.

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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.

Verizon race has been rescheduled

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, July 24, 2016

VERIZON RACE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED

The Verizon Corporate Classic has found a new date and a new distance.   It will go off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 4^th from Atno Avenue next to the Morristown high school, just as had been planned before the race had to be cancelled when a furious storm threw trees and wires on the 5K course.

Those things remain the same, but the distance has been shortened from a 5K, or aka 3.1 miles to a two mile course.  It is also not going to be timed and no awards will be given.  How this will affect the turnout is unknown.

The last time the course was shortened was in 2013 when heat had become a factor.  The decision to shorten the course was made that same day so folks who had planned to run were on their way.  Since the race – well now we must call it an event – was not timed there is also no count of the participants.

With a head’s up that it is not a race and the distance has been chopped there may be people who will not show.  On the other hand there may be plenty of people who welcome a shorter course and don’t care one bit how fast they run. 

And, and it’s a big And, if they want their souvenir T-Shirt and their goody bag, they must show up to claim them.  

TEAM BLOKE 5K FOR CANCER AWARENESS IS COMING SOON

In 2015 I wrote about the Team Bloke 5K and Doug Clark and his upbeat, even inspiring attitude while he battles an aggressive brain tumor.  The race was created to help the Clark’s, who live in Mendham, with non covered medical expenses.

Clark is a national caliber triathlete.  His battle with the cancer began in November of 2014 and although he has been a model patient it has been a rough year.    Prayers as well as a race entry fee or a flat out donation would really help to lift the family’s spirits.  The race is on Saturday August 4^th in Mendham.  

MIDLAND AVE MILE IN MONTCLAIR ON AUGUST 21

Run a mile?   No way!  Well. Way.   Yes of course most readers of this column are LDR folks, as in Long Distance Running.  What’s a mile doing parading as a road race? 

Road miles were at one time quite the thing in long distance racing.  They brought out the track milers and tempted the distance runners.  Road miles have made a small comeback, and New Jersey, being on the cutting edge of the running scene added a road mile two years ago down the shore and last year it was run in New Brunswick – the College Avenue Mile.

That race did not happen this year and now the mile races, both for open athletes and masters athletes is being hosted by the Midland Avenue Mile in Montclair.  The mile is a point to point along Midland Avenue that according to the race website has been newly paved and has zero turns.  You will start at one spot on the avenue and just run until you reach the finish at the other end.  Simple.

Open runners will run in one heat and masters runners will be divided into groups according to their age divisions.  The Men 60+ first, then Women 50+, then Men 50, on down with each race about ten minute increments.   The older women and men will need a little bit longer than ten minutes but it appears that the time schedule is flexible.

The open races will be seeded by time into three heats.  All of this will make for a very fair and fun race.  Clubs may need to exert a little pressure on their members to get full teams and they have an incentive to do so.  It’s that one point for the teams that finish out of the point spread.  All teams earn at least that one point.  The team scoring this year is going to be really interesting and this mile may weed out the - well sorry to have to print this – the chickens.

Be brave dear runners and grab some points for your team. 

TAKING A SUMMER BREAK

I am taking a summer break.  Look for this column again on Sunday, July 21^st. 

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Verizon race cancelled by Mother Nature

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, July 17, 2016

 

VERIZON RACE CANCELLED BY MOTHER NATURE

Yes, the Morristown Police cancelled the Verizon Corporate Challenge on Thursday evening, but it was really Mother Nature who made the call.

Rolling rapidly through Morris County an Apocalyptic summer storm tore into Morristown and surrounding areas in what some have described as a tornado.  The weather service disagrees but the effects were much the same with trees down and taking power lines down with them.

A Facebook photo montage posted by Robert Barwick shows the destruction at Morristown High School that took out four of the organizer’s canopies and flung them about like rags on a pole.

Race director Dan Brannen did reconnaissance of his own after getting word from the police that the race could not go on.

“Immediately after the storm, while it was still winding down, I drove the middle section of the course.” Said Brannen.  “There was a tree which had fallen on a wire, and there was a situation where the wire was up in its normal position on one side and all the way on the ground in the other side.  The tree was hanging on the wire.  At any moment the wire could go, and then the tree would go.”

Worse hit along the course was Washington Avenue according to Brannen.

“The police had it completely closed off and JCP&L had trucks there,” he said.  “As of eleven p.m. Thursday night the road was still closed.”

Brannen said that the police commandeered their orange traffic cones that were to have been used to create a running lane for the runners and put them to use to block roads.

Most cancelled events, like the Verizon race, do not attempt to reschedule.  Yet the organizers of the event would like to reschedule if possible.  The uniqueness of the event almost demands a do-over.

While the storm was tearing through the high school parking lot staff was able to salvage all of the Goody Bags and the Goody Bags in this race are a very big deal to the participants. 

They were able to salvage about half of the-shirts.  Half of the brand new, just printed T-shirts were ruined and will have to be replaced.

“At the very least we owe it to our participants to come somewhere and turn in their bib tag and get their T-shirt and Goody Bag,” said Brannen. 

They do not have a location where these things can be available for people to come in and pick up.  So it has to be done is such a way that everyone comes at the same time. 

“Logistically it’s the only way that it can be done,” he said.  “So if we’re going to do that why not try to recreate the event in some form.”

So many factors go into rescheduling.  The professionals who put on the event have other events on their schedule.  Like the River to Sea that Brannen co directs that will be taking place on Saturday, August 6th. 

Approval would have to be given by the town council to run the full 5K course again.  Is the timing company and crew available?  Are the key volunteer groups available?

“We are in the process of researching dates, but we have to take a shotgun approach with about ten different entities,” he said.  “By shotgun I mean, you can’t check with the town council and get approval from them and then go to the school and get approval from them.  Go back to the timing and scoring company – you have to do it all at once.”

Because of the nature of the event it would have to be a week day evening Brannen pointed out.  With each passing day a bit of daylight is lost.  Ambient lighting on the course for the slower runners who might take an hour to finish the course has to be considered.

With all of these factors to consider Brannen was emphatic that they intend to reschedule the event in some form. 

“We are reaching out to all the appropriate parties,” he said.  “But we haven’t pinned anything down yet.”

The Verizon race website is sure to post more information when it is available and notify team captains of any decisions that are made.

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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.