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Three days of competition by over 1000 entrants from ages 8-18 ran successfully at Fitchburg State College last weekend at the USATF Region I Junior Olympic Championship meet. The New England association hosts this meet in a rotation once every five years with five other associations from the rest of the New England states and the eastern half of New York.
The meet avoided severe weather - heavy downpours and some thunder rolled in on Saturday moments after the conclusion of the day's final event, and mist was the worst of the other two days. Thanks to the many officials and the Fitchburg State College staff for their tireless work.
The top 3 individuals and relays may advance to the National meet in North Carolina at the end of July, and a number of local youth made the standard. The preliminary results are posted on
coolrunning.com with final updates after corrections and updates will be posted on CR and at
www.usatfne.org/track on Wednesday.
Almost 500 youth age 18 and under took part at the
USATF New England Junior Olympic Championship meet at
friendly Fitchburg State College on Saturday, vying for
qualifying spots for the Region I. Rain held off, and the
meet ran efficiently, as the top 6 individuals and top 3
relays were eligible to advance to the Regionals next
weekend, also at Fitchburg, where 5 other associations from
New England and New York will also be contesting spots at
Nationals. Results of the New England Junior Olympic
Championship meet are available on the track page.
Light rain, wind, and raw conditions kept numbers down and
performances modest at the USATF-NE Open Championships at MIT
on Sunday. Greater Boston TC swept the men's and women's team
titles for the umpteenth year, with New Balance Boston second
in both divisions. Results are available at www.usatfne.org/track
The USATF-NE mountain circuit hit the halfway mark on
Saturday at the Northfield Mountain Race / NE Trail Running
Championship. Pacing the fields over the 10.5 mile
up-and-down course with 1200' of climb were Josh Ferenc
(BAA/Keene NH) and Abby Mahoney (CMS); Ferenc had almost a
half minute over Justin Fyffe of CMS (whose runners took 8 of
the top 10 places) and Mahoney's gap was over 2 minutes on
orienteering ace Samantha Saeger.
It was one of the more pleasant days in the race's history
with low humidity, a smattering of sun, and relatively good
footing most of the way. Among the 216 finishers (2nd largest
ever) were two age groups records, Eric Morse (M40) and Lisa
Doucett (W50).
Providence senior Danette Doetzel won the 10,000
meters at the NCAA Track & Field Championships held in
Fayetteville Arkansas last weekend. The senior capped her
career with the gold in 33:25.71, winning by 14 seconds. Two
NE athletes scored in the high jump, with Carin Knight
of U. Conn 4th at 6'0", and Harvard's Becky
Christiansen clearing the same height but with more
misses for 5th. Also earning All-American honors were Boston
University's Tahari James who bounced 43'7" for 7th in
the triple jump, and Rhode Island's Jasmin Jennings,
spinning the hammer 197'4" for 8th .
On the men's side, a pair of Ivy Leaguers brought home
awards, as sophomore Craig Kinsley of Brown boomed his
opening throw 240'6" for third in the javelin, and Harvard
freshman Nico Weiler soared 17'6.5" for 6th in the
pole vault.
Start of Rhody 5K Road Race
Photo Courtesy Tom Derderian
Boston Athletic Association runners Luke Meyer and
Mariko Holbrook won New England titles and led the BAA
to double wins at the 10th annual Rhody 5K / USATF-NE
Championship on Sunday. Nearly 800 runners (up from last
year) attacked the separate men's and women's races on the
truly flat and fast course around the Twin River complex in
Lincoln. Warm and sunny - but not extreme - conditions helped
35 men under 16:00 and 19 women to 19:00 or better.
Matched in stride by last month's 12K winner Joseph
Koech (RUN) for over a mile, Meyer, a former Yale
all-American moved to a 13 second margin in the next two
miles, hitting the tape on the greyhound oval at 14:33. The
BAA blue, always strong at this distance, placed their five
scorers at 9th or better. Holbrook, clocking some strong
times through the spring, took the women's championship
(second overall behind BU grad Marissa Ryan) in 17:25, 22
seconds ahead of Tamie Robie.
Koech placed second and took his second straight masters
title, matched by Craig Fram (Whirlaway) and Cathy
Merra (GCS Triad) in their 50+ divisions. Other division
winners were Mark Wigler (NMC 60+); Jim Daley
(CMS, 70+) for men, and Sim Piergentili (Whirlaway,
40+, her third win in 2009) and Linda Usher (CMS,
60+).
Besides the BAA club daily double, Whirlaway left the
facility with three age division wins - W40+, M40+, M50+.
Remaining trophies went to CMS women at 50+ and North Medford
Club men at 60+. Greater Boston TC now tops both the open
men's and women's rankings.
Runners chowed down on the GP circuit's most generous
post-race feed. Standings are posted at www.usatfne.org/gp, with
race results at coolrunning.com.
The series goes into a summer hibernation, resuming at the
Ollie 5 Mile on Saturday, September 12 (note the
date).
Bill Rogers celebrates National Running Day
Photo Courtesy of the B.A.A.
Bill Rodgers and the Boston Athletic Association joined USATF-NE at the June 3 Mini-Meet at MIT for a group run to give support to the first National Running Day. A good time was had by all as "Boston Bill" spent nearly 2 hours talking running with the attendees, and the BAA supported the day's competition. We appreciate their support!
The Track and field schedule has been updated, and the entry for the USATF-NE Open Outdoor Championships is now available at usatfne.org/track.
It's been unusually difficult to obtain use of track and field facilities for some of our events this summer. We have finally secured a site for the NE Masters Championships - Cranston West HS in Cranston RI on Sunday, July 19. Most events will be contested including all 4 throws. There will be no steeplechase or 400 hurdles (we will run 300 hurdles for all ages). Entry will be at usatfne.org/track by June 5.
The Track and field schedule has been updated, and the entry for the USATF-NE Open Outdoor Championships is now available at usatfne.org/track.
It's been unusually difficult to obtain use of track and field facilities for some of our events this summer. We have finally secured a site for the NE Masters Championships - Cranston West HS in Cranston RI on Sunday, July 19. Most events will be contested including all 4 throws. There will be no steeplechase or 400 hurdles (we will run 300 hurdles for all ages). Entry will be at usatfne.org/track by June 5.
The USATF New England Association will host a USATF Level I coaching school. The school will be held Friday afternoon July 24 through Sunday afternoon July 26 at Governors' Academy in Byfield (Newbury) MA> The curriculum, covered in 21 hours over 2 1/2 days, is a good introduction to coaching the sport as a whole. It's particularly useful to youth club coaches, club track coaches, and high school coaches. It is also a pre-requisite to attending the specialized Level II schools.
A description of Level I and the registration material - all online - is at usatf.org/groups/Coaches/education/. Sign up early as the school will be limited to 125
After a strong spring season with wins at Amherst and New
Bedford, Heidi Westerling (BAA/Acworth NH) led the
women in the 2009 KeyBank Vermont City Marathon on Sunday.
Just over a month beyond her creditable time and 14th place
finish at the Boston Marathon,
Westerling finished 9th overall in 2:35:02, over 3 minutes better than
the previous women's mark set by Gordon Bakoulis in 1995 - and 21
minutes up on the second place female finisher.
It was her third win at the Green Mountain classic.
The men's race was won by John Crews of Raleigh NC in
2:19:31, with the Moulton brothers, Pat and Casey, top New
Englanders in third and fourth.
Led by Ryan Carrara, a near record field headed up
the first mountain at the traditional opener of the USATF-NE
Mountain Circuit, the Wachusett Mountain run. Construction on
the paved route up the hill forced the traditional course to
the summit to become an up-and-down combination road/trail
course.
Carrara (New Balance Boston/Hudson MA) took the measure of
Kevin Tilton (CMS/N.Conway NH) by just 4 seconds over the
five-plus miles (30:44). In the women's contest, just one
place and eight seconds separated winner Adrienne Shields
(38:20, Brighton MA) from Abby Mahoney (CMS/Holyoke MA). The
335 mountain goats were supported by the Central Mass
Striders.
Results are at coolrunning.com. The circuit continues at
the all-road Pack Monadnock Run on May 31. See info at
usatfne.org/trail.
Scoring after one event is at Coolrunning. Scorers and circuit-long
"mountain goats" who hope to gain a waiver into the 2010
Mt.Washington Road Race must have 2009 USATF membership.
Three collegians won NCAA Divsion 3 Collegiate titles at
the D3 Championships in Marietta Ohio last weekend. Stephen
Headley, a junior at Springfield College won the 100 in 10.51
(and took 3rd in the 200); sophomore Bryan Kolacz of Keene
State (NH) won the hammer in 201'8"; and Lauren Philbrook, a
senior from Williams College, led the 10,000 in 35:24.78.
Williams brought home seven all-American honors, and M.I.T.
returned with six.
Joseph Koech and Kim Duclos were the tape breakers in the 35th Bedford Rotary 12K, the third stop in the 2009 USATF-NE Road Race Grand Prix; 480 crossed the finish line in the championship, with another 211 in the accompanying 5K. The course was essentially the same as previous editions of the championship contested in the town.
An elite level open runner several years ago, Kenyan Koech has settled in Melrose MA, and led from early in the race to set a course record of 37:50 on the 2 year old course that ran out of the Bedford High School with a finish on the track. The Team RUN ace had 14 seconds on the improving Dan Vassallo of adidas New England.
Duclos (Central Mass Striders) similarly led for most of the race and set a new circuit standard of 42:31, 2:29 up on silver medalist Jennifer Campbell (Cambridge RC).
Koech was also top masters finisher ahead of teammate Titus Mutindi, who still leads the M40 scoring. Craig Fram (Whirlaway) turned 50 since the last GP race, and was over a minute ahead of John Barbour, while Gordon McFarland (CSU) took his second 60+ division championship in a row. Tara Cardi (Reebok RR-Providence) led a strong masters field - 4 in the top 10 results - with a fourth overall placing. Among the 50+ women, Cathy Merra followed her 4th place in the Boston Marathon last month with a division win, and Patty Foltz added to her series lead with a 60+ age group win.
A strong team effort by the upstart adidas New England (originally christened as Go the Distance over the winter) gave them 3 minutes over Whirlaway for men's honors, but the WRT masters took both 40+ and 50+ team trophies and leads those divisions after 3 races. Cambridge Sports Union were first in the 60+ group. Central Mass Striders outlegged Greater Boston on the women's side as the two squads are 1-2 on the series scoreboard as well, with Whirlaway 40+ women matching their male counterparts in both individual and GP total placings, and GCS Triad earning their first 50+ team win.
Team scores are posted at www.usatfne.org/gp, with race results at coolrunning.com. Next on the GP schedule is the 5K which returns to the Twin Rivers course in Lincoln RI on Sunday, June 6.
USA Track & Field today announced Team USA men's
marathon squad for this summer's IAAF World Championships in
Athletics, with Lowell's Nate Jenkins one of five
marathoners who will toe the line for the USA. The Worlds
will be held in Berlin, Germany, August 15 - 23 with the
men's marathon running on August 22.
Jenkins (GLRR/Saucony), along with 2004 Olympian Dan
Browne qualified based on their performances at the Olympic
Trials Marathon in New York in November 2007, Nate in 8th at
2:14:56 and Browne in 6th at 2:13:23. Rounding out the team
are Justin Young (CO), based on his 2:13:54 at the 2008
Rotterdam Marathon, and Fernando Cabada (CO) and Matt
Gabrielson (MN) from their 1-2 finishes at the 2008 USA
Marathon Championships in Minneapolis.
The women's marathon team, with no New Englanders, was
announced earlier this week; the track and field team will be
selected at the USA Championships June 25-28 in Oregon.
Meet information and entry form for the USATF-New
England Junior Olympic TF Championship at Fitchburg State
College is posted on the USATF-NE JO pages
The meet qualifies for the Region I meet June 27-28, also
at Fitchburg State, so we expect large numbers to
participate. There are a number of other youth meets on the
schedule, including the MIT mini-meets May 20, 27, and June
3, and a series of events hosted by the Amherst (NH) Track
Club and , the 35th annual Bedford Rotary 12K in Bedford New
Hampshire. The race begins at 9:00 a.m. and the site this
year is the Bedford HS (see Amherst TC website).
USATF reminds Masters athletes that the early entry
deadline for all USA entries for the World Masters
Championships in Lahti, Finland is Friday, May 15th in order
for entries to be processed and sent to Finland. Entry forms
and other athlete and travel information can be found on our
website at the USATF Website.
The USATF-NE Mountain Running circuit gets started in just
under three weeks at the 17th Mt.Wachusett Road Race; there
are a few changes to the popular series.
- There are course changes this year at Wachusett. Due to
road construction this year, it will be a half trail/half
road race, and go up-and-down with a distance of 5.25 miles.
The start on Mile Hill Road remains the same, but it then
diverges to include hiking and ski trails, totaling about 3
miles up and 2 miles down.
- Ascutney will also be a half road, half trail instead of
all trail
- Cranmore, as the USA Mountain Championships, finds
runners from 16 states already confirmed including 17 former
members of US Mountain Running Team. Course photos & map
have been posted at www.whitemountainmilers.com/cranmore
Ricardo Jaquite - Boston's Madison Park HS
(Photo: John Nepolitan/www.dyestatmetro.com)
The country's oldest and largest relay meet, the 115 year
old Penn Relays is more than a track meet; it's a
rite-of-spring festival with HS, Collegiate, and Open
competitors part of the carnival. Three days of events
covering the entire TF schedule gives a sense of how big
track and field is beyond the state boundaries in the
northeast, as 271 boys 4x100 relay teams took to the track in
one afternoon. From that last 4x100 team up to the USA vs the
World relays featuring international stars, it is track and
field to the max.
Ricard Jaquite (Madison Park, Boston) became a rare
scholastic winner from our region at Penn, taking highest
honors the hgh school triple jump. His final attempt,
spanning 49'1.5" won by just 1/2 inch, and the student by way
of Portugal becomes one of the best bouncers ever from the
New England.
In the Olympic Development (OD) / open events, BAA runners
secured two victories; Lucas Meyer won the 5000 in
14:07.96 (with Harry Norton of North Andover third in
14:11.40) and Mariko Holbrook was the 10,000 winner in
34:40.05. Olympian Joanne Dow (Manchester NH) won the
5000 meter walk 23:17.33 setting a new masters W45 American Record.
Rounding out the gold medalists, Jasmine Jennings
(Rhode Island) won University divsion hammer throw at
190'3".
Also making the podium were Emily Jones (Harvard
MA), second in the scholastic 3000 at 9:32.22; Eric
Aish of (Boston), second in the OD steeplechase with
8:56.06; Drew Soltysiak (Gr.Boston TC) third in the
javelin with 213'3"; and Providence College men, third
in the 4 x mile relay in 16:22.95. In masters relay events,
the Mass Velocity sprint relay crew had two medal
performances, 2nd in the M60+ 4x100 (51.79) and 3rd in the
M50+ 4x400 (3:50.18).
Among the records set was the scholastic 4x800 where
Albemarle of Virginia, who set a new indoor standard at the
Nike Indoor Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center in March,
beat Morris Hills NJ. Both teams smashed the old mark with
Albemarle in front in a stunning 7:30.67. It was the second
time the 4x8 HS record was set at Penn; 88 years ago, Cedar
Rapids IA booked a mark of 8:25.4, almost 50 seconds
slower!
Full results can be reviewed at pennrelaysonline.com
Kenya's Salina Kosgei won the closest women's race in the 113-year history of the Boston Marathon. Dire Tune (the 2008 Boston champion from Ethiopia) crossed the finish line one second later.
Photo: Victah Sailor
Ethiopia's Deriba Merga won the men's 2009 Boston Marathon.
Photo: Victah Sailor
Eric Blake and Sherry Piers were top New
England finishers in Monday's B.A.A. Boston Marathon. Nearly
23,000 finished the journey from Hopkinton to Boston, the
ideal temperatures cancelled out by the almost constant
headwind. Winner Deriba Merga, 4th place finisher at
the Beijing Olympics, moved out of the 12-strong pack with
two others on the downhill into Newton Lower Falls, and
hammered off his final challenger up the Braeburn Hill after
the firehouse turn. The Ethiopian's win was just the second
non-Kenyan gold in 18 years.
After winning the closest finish in race history in 2008
Ethiopian Dire Tune was on the other end of a finish
kick on Monday as Kenyan Salina Kosgei used her old
track speed to win the kick and cut the closest ever finish
gap to just one second.
American runners Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher,
honest contenders for the win, each took third place in their
races; it was the first time since 1985 that Americans had a
top 3 finish in both men's and women's races. Hall forced the
early pace and was still aggressive after the break, while
Goucher lead in the later stages and only seeing a gap before
the final turn onto Boylston Street.
South African Ernst Van Dyk scored a record eighth
Boston win in the men's wheelchair race.
Blake (BAA/New Britain CT) repeated his honor of first
from the six state region, finishing 24th in 2:23:54. Piers
(Falmouth ME) had negative splits and recorded an 11th place
finish, 14 seconds from cracking the top 10 with her 2:37:04
that dropped her personal best from last year's Olympic
Trials on a day where PB's were uncommon. The host B.A.A. was
women's open team winner with Somerville Road Runners a
surprising second. The B.A.A.'s male counterparts were third
and top from NE behind Hansons-Brooks Distance Project whose
3 scorers were in at 2:18 or better.
Sim Piergentili (Whirlaway/Wilmington MA) placed
40th in 2:54:48 for top NE master and eighth overall, while
Robert Landry (Gr.Springfield Harriers/Ludlow MA), at
2:36:46, led NE men 40+. Whirlaway Racing Team was
best among local masters, second team of women 40+ and fourth
men 40+.
Marathon results in many forms for every participant,
state, and team, are at www.baa.org.
B.A.A. racing action started on Sunday this year, as
Jarrod Shoemaker and Maria Varela went into the
history books as winners of the inaugural B.A.A. 5K which
ended at the Boston Marathon finish line. Shoemaker, a 2008
Olympic triathlete from Maynard, Mass., won in 14:29, while
Varela, from Brighton, Mass., won on the women's side in
17:37. They led a field of nearly 4,000 runners, with
included six past champions including Joan Samuelson, Amby
Burfoot (1968), Greg Meyer (1983), Ingrid Kristiansen (1986,
1989); Neil Cusack (1974); and Lorraine Moller (1984).
A pair of close finishes marked the debut of the
professional B.A.A. Invitational Mile. Darren Brown of
Austin, Texas, won the men's mile in 4:11.6, taking the lead
with about 250 meters remaining on the three-loop course
before breaking the tape at the Boston Marathon finish line.
On the women's side, Anna Willard of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.,
ran on the shoulder of Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan
before surging past with 200 meters to go for a 4:38.6
win.
Scholastic athletes from the eight host cities and towns
along the Boston Marathon course squared off in the first
invitational miles of the day. The girls race found Newton
teammates Margo Gillis (5:10.6) and Carolyn Ranti (5:14.1)
ahead of Rebecca White of Natick (5:17.4). The boys' race
pack only broke up in the final 200 meters with Ryan Hardiman
of Brookline finishing in front in 4:37.3, followed by Daniel
Hamilton of Newton (4:38.0) and Omar Abdi of the Boston
(4:39.2). Two runner team titles based on total time were
Boston (men) and Newton (women).
Though the weather hasn't been entirely cooperative,
colleges and high schools are several weeks into the outdoor
track and field season. The current outdoor schedule for New
England and regional/national events is posted at the track
and field page, usatfne.org/track/outdoors.html.
It will be updated regularly as events and dates are added
or modified.
Rebecca Donaghue (New Balance Boston) ran to 36th
place - and third American - at the IAAF World Cross Country
Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. Team USA was
fifth in the women's race, won by Kenya with an amazing 14
points (1-2-4-7). The 3 loop 6K course competitors met with
was described in one IAAF press release as a "sometimes
violently undulating route through the countryside, their
shoes traversing an ever changing surface of sand, gravel and
grass." A strong wind, evident at the course's uphill finish,
added to the challenge.
"I got a good start, but I had a bit of trouble breathing
once the race got underway," noted Donaghue. "My legs felt
pretty heavy, especially going up that last hill. I've never
felt that bad finishing up the hill".
"I think competing against international fields helps make
you tougher. I am so proud to represent the United States and
wear the uniform."
Former Harvard runner Lindsey Scherf, finishing her
eligibility at graduate school in Oregon, also represented
the US, placing 75th. The US Junior Women and Junior Men also
placed fifth as teams, with the Senior Men eighth in their
uber-competitive races; Kenya (3 wins) and Ethiopia (1 win)
took the first two places in each competition with two
divisions going to tie-breakers. Results, stories, and photos
can be found at iaaf.org.
The USA Masters National Indoor Track and Field
championships headed south to Landover Maryland and the
Prince Georges County Athletic Complex last weekend, where
local competitors earned a share of top medals over the
three days of action.
Winning a pair of golds each in the meet's largest field of
entries every (over 900) were Craig Fram (M50-54m,
Plaistow NH) in the Mile / 3000m, Dennis Melanson
(M75-79, Westwood,MA) in the 60 / 200, Mary Harada
(W70-74, Newbury MA) in the Mile / 3000m, and Barbara
Jordan (W70-74, Burlington VT) in the 60 and 200m.
James Morton (M50, Springfield MA, 800m) and
Stephen Peckiconis (M50, Roslindale MA, 3000m race
walk) also raced to gold.
Mass Velocity Track Club finished 6th overall in
the team standings. It was only the second time in twelve
years the meet has not been held in Boston; it will return
to Boston for one more year in 2010. Full results - but
still being corrected - are at usatf.org.
Lexington-based Saucony, Inc. is offering runners and
residents a temporary solution to the unavoidable "pit stop"
dilemma during the current Boston Marathon training season: a
portable toilet service for one month along this highly
traveled section of the marathon course.
"As we enter the final weeks of training for Boston,
there's a major increase in runners training along the Newton
hills, especially on the weekends," said Sharon Barbano,
Saucony vice president of public relations, and a former
Boston Marathon runner herself. "On those long runs, nature
often calls and this stretch of road offers no place for
impromptu relief, except the bushes and gardens on or near
private homes. We hope this pit stop offers a practical
solution for both the runners and the neighborhood during the
final weeks of Boston training".
The Saucony porta-john is located away from any private
homes, near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and
Walnut Street, just west of the Johnny Kelley statue along
the access road. It will be serviced regularly. Removal of
the unit is set for April 13th, when long training runs are
completed and runners are resting up for the 113th running of
the Boston Marathon on April 20th.
In addition to the excellent athletic performances
produced at last weekend's Nike Indoor Nationals, a pair of
local administrators were recognized by the National
Scholastic Sports Foundation (NSSF) for their excellence
in support of the sport.
Larry Martin (Londonderry NH) was honored with the
NSSF Mike Byrnes Coach of the Year award. After his own
athletic career at Londonderry HS and University of New
Hampshire, Martin went on to over 30 years of coaching
successes in the Granite State. Following multiple state
championships in the early 70's with a fledgling program at
Raymond HS, he went on to set state benchmarks in his career
at Londonderry HS. Along with 24 state titles and three New
England championships in cross country and track, there were
over 100 individual state titleists, seven national champs,
and three Footlocker finalists. Away from the school, Larry
coached the NH Tracksters youth club, and still serves as
state Indoor Track Chairman, founder and director of the NH
Junior HS Cross Country Championship (largest in the
northeast), publisher of NH XC Journal.
Larry Newman (Bradford MA), long time statistician
and announcer in New England, received the Allen Dawson
Achievement Award from the NSSF. Larry, a certified "track
and field nut", has long kept the New England High School
"All Time" records and statistics. He served as one of the
announcers for last weekend's meet, capping his season-long
schedule of being the voice of numerous scholastic and
collegiate meets.
Patrick Tarpy and Heidi Westerling led over
1900 runners through the Whaling City to win at Sunday's New
Bedford Half Marathon, the second race of the 2009 USATF-NE
Grand Prix. It was a double-double, as both had won at the
series opener Jones 10 Mile in Amherst MA threw weeks
earlier. Both also earned bonues for their winning times.
In his first race at that long a distance, Tarpey (Team
RUN/ Providence RI) ran 1:03:27 and put almost two minutes
between himself and runner-up/masters winner Joseph Koech,
with defending champ Derese Deniboba (ETH/NY) a full turn
around the dial behind. Titus Mutinda (M40, Team RUN/
Lowell MA) led the NE masters, with Dave Oliver (M50,
GLRR/Westborough MA), Gordon MacFarland (M60,
CSU/Brookline MA), and Harry Carter (M70,
BAA/Blackstone MA) topping the other age division charts.
Westerling (BAA/Acworth NH), so consistent in the GP event
longer distances, clocked 1:11:35 for the rugged loop, the
fastest time by any female in 19 years. Whirlaway teammates
Simonetta Piergentili (W40, Wilmington MA) and
Nancy Corsaro (W50, Methuen MA) along with Patty
Foltz (W60, GLRR/Stowe VT) took home the age group
titles.
Ever the team event in its calendar position as a
pre-Boston Marathon tune-up, over 25 teams scored in both
open divisions and nearly as many masters squads placed. The
Boston Athletic Association, led by Matt Ely put 5 men
in the top 14 to score the win, and the blue's women also
took gold. Whirlaway took both masters titles, as well
as the men 50+, where the CMS women matched the
Kaz-men. Cambridge Sports Union prevailed among the
men 60+.
The change in directorship to the Friendly Sons of
St.Patrick went seamlessly, and a festive atmosphere
prevailed in the race area following the competition, as
downtown businesses partnered in the post-race "Restaurant
Run".
The series resumes on May 16, returning to Bedford NH
after a year away for the 12K championship. Team scores will
be posted at www.usatfne.org/gp.
With several National records etched into the
books, the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center
provided a sparkling finish to the indoor season. One of the
two "HS Nationals" contested, the meet saw a larger crowd -
and more all-tie list marks than the last scholastic season
closer held here ten years ago. Directors are the National
Scholastic Sports Foundation.
Two New Englanders took home gold on the "home" track; the
girls from Newton Centre Athletics won the 4 x mile in
NE Record 20:25.90 - and took second in the 4 x 800 (8:58.63,
first NE team under 9 minutes) as well, while Andrew Springer
(Westerly RI) won the mile in the nation's fastest for 2009,
4:08.47 - and also placed fifth in the 2 mile (9:06.25) just
a few hours later.
Silver medals went to Charlestown MA boys (3:33.33) in the
Sprint Medley, and Boston's Ricardo Jaquite in the triple
jump, 49'11", a New England best. Bronze went to Rhode
Island's Mike Gama in the weight (72'9.25"), Emily Jones
(Harvard MA) in the 2 mile 10:25.76, Emmaline Berg
(Holliston) in the shot (42'2.75"), and Waltham TC/Newton
girls Sprint Medley (4:07.90).
Six US high school records peppered the results; Friday,
Conor McCullough (CA), whose father was an
all-American at BU, started things off with a pair of records
topped by the first HS toss of the 25 lb weight over the 90'
line (92'7.5") while Illinois freshman Lukas Verzbicas
shattered the scholastic Boys 5000 meter record in 14:18 (and
won the 2 mile in a US frosh record 8:57.44). Sunday, boys
records in the 60 meter hurdles (Wayne Davis, 7.70) and 4x800
(Albermarle 7:36.99, first HS ever under 7:40 indoors).
The meet could not have been run as successfully as it was
were it not for the 50+ local officials and the cadre of
volunteers from various local high schools who graciously
worked over the three days.
The full results are at National
Scholastic Sports Foundation website, while you can see
thousands of pictures and get downloadable videos of every
event at the new website IAMSPORT.org.
At the USATF Indoor Combined Events championship, local
athletes Kasey Hill and Matt Chisham recorded
creditable scores and placings in heptathlon and pentathlon,
respectively. Chisham, an assistant coach at Harvard, placed
fourth of eight in his seven event specialty with 5443 points
behind winner Jake Arnold (5748). He tied for the best high
jump and had the second best pole vault in the two day
competition. Finishing seventh was former Brookline MA and
Dartmouth College star Mustapha Abdur-Rahim, now training in
Arizona.
Hill's score of 4051 placed sixth of eleven qualifiers
behind winner Diana Picker (4391). She recorded the best mark
of the competition in the shot put - 41' 9 3/4".
In the European Championships held in Torino, Italy,
Mary Cullen, Providence College alum who has been
training with coach Ray Treacy in Providence over the fall
and winter, earned a bronze medal in the 3000 meters. Cullen,
who won the NE XC championship in the fall and set an Irish
national record in that event at the BU Valentine meet,
clocked the fastest time in the qualifying round and then
pushed the pace in the final and held on for third in
8:48.47. Teammate Roisin McGettigan, with the same PC
pedigree, was fourth in the 1500, just 1/10 out of the
medals.
Kasie Enman (BAA/Huntington VT) placed third at Saturday's North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Cross Country Championships. Athletes representing nine national federations competed in the fifth annual event at the Chain of Lakes Park in Titusville FL.
Enman's bronze medal was part of a strong pack race by the US senior women, who places 1-3-4-5 to take the win over Canada. Her time was 20:23 over the 6K course.
In the senior men's race, former Providence College and BAA runner Dylan Wykes of Canada placed second.
The Boston Athletic Association announced the creation of
a new 5 km race to be held on the Sunday before the Boston
Marathon. On Sunday, April 19, the first BAA 5-K will run
through Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, finishing at the
marathon's famous finish line on Boylston Street. Entries are
limited to 4000, and registration is available online only,
at www.baa.org beginning Thursday, March 5, at
10:00 a.m.
Entry for the 2009 Mt.Washington Road Race is now open.
Event registration is totally on-line, and it is by
lottery.
All race applicants, both lottery and lottery bypass, must
register between March 1 and March 15. Successful selectees
will be posted shortly afterwards; there is no waiting list
for non-drawn names.
All information can be found at www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com. Please read all
information and instructions carefully.
Dan Verrington (CMS/Bradford MA) finished fifth
overall and won his second straight masters title at the USA
50K Road Race Championship at Caumsett State Park in
Huntington NY on Sunday. The 46 year old Verrington clocked
3:25.22, but was only third New Englander as Central Mass
Strider teammates Justin Fyffe (E.Dumemrston VT) and
Ben Nephew (Mansfield MA) took the open silver and
bronze medals, respectively, behind winner Michael Wardian
(Arlington VA), who won his second consecutive USA 50 km
title in 2:56:36. USATF-NE treasurer Stephen
Peckiconis (CSU/Roslindale MA) was 17th in the 91
finisher field, and 2nd in the M50 division.
. The Championship will also be held at Caumsett for the
next three years. Results - www.usatf.org
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