Run to Win

Photo by David Colby Young
Photo #68 of 124The Elliot Festival Day 5k was this morning in Elliot, Maine. There were 683 finishers this year, including Kay West (pictured right) who finished below the USATF age group guidelines time in 1:28:53; she was the oldest finisher at 97 years of age!

The weather conditions were near perfect for running, with clear skies and cool temperatures in the mid-60s. The course is slightly aided with about 5 feet of total elevation loss.

Ethan Hemphill did not face the stiff competition that he had last year, but bettered his time to win the race in 15:08. There were 20 finishers under 17 minutes, when Mariko Holbrook came in to win the women’s race by a healthy 26 seconds.

Team results for this race are based upon an age and sex graded time, so despite winning the race Ethan did not even score to help Dirigo in their almost 2 minute win over Whirlaway Racing. The age graded times of Tom Ryan, Mike Payson, and Pete Bottomley were all faster than Whirlaway’s first runner.

Dirigo had a good showing at the race; my time was not even fast enough to make it into the team results. I failed to meet my goal of running under 16 minutes. I was right on pace through 2 kilometers (6:24) but wound up running at about the same pace as I have for most of this season. My 16:37 was a 1 second season PR.

In a reversal of last year specifically, and just about any race with a downhill finish generally, I managed to out sprint TJ Hesler by about 4 seconds coming into the finish line. I did not manage to keep up with Chris Gatchell, who ran a personal best 16:16 (congratulations!)

(Full Results – Team Results – Race Photos: Set 1 – Set 2 – Set 3)

The USATF Club Cross Country Championships were this past Saturday. Linda Somers Smith of Washington won the female master’s 6k race in 22:15, leading her Asics Aggie Running Club teammates to a victory of 1 minute and 14 seconds over Club Northwest. Tracy Lokken led the Front Line Racing Team to a 1 minute and 11 second victory over Fleet Feet Racing – Boulder by finishing the 10k course in 32:44. The open races were won by Amy Hastings in 19:59 for the 6k and by Matthew Downin in 30:13 for the 10k. The Boston Athletic Assoc. and ZAP Fitness took the team awards.

Dirigo had a showing in the men’s 10k, placing 5^th. Todd Coffin (33:41) and Dan Franek (34:19) led the way, placing 12^th and 26^th, respectively. Mike Payson (35:31), Pete Bottomley (35:32), and Tom Ryan (35:44) rounded out the scoring for a total of 170 team points. Dan Dearing (37:39) and Peter Hall (38:07) also competed. Tom Ryan was 2^nd in the 50+ bracket.

In the women’s 6k, Christine Reaser was 9^th over all in 23:22.

A 24 hour monsoon saved the race from not living up to it’s “Mudstock 2007″ name, leaving the course sloppy and wet. Over 500 master’s from 60 teams lined up at the start, leading to the largest field for any USATF cross country race to date.

(Full Results – Picture)

The USATF cross country masters championship races were yesterday at Saratoga Springs in New York.

Dirigo won handily in the men’s 40-49 race, beating the Genesee Valley Harriers 48 to 76. Brian Pope of Oxford, MS won the race in 15:25, followed by Mike Payson (15:28) and Todd Coffin (15:34).

Tom Ryan won the 50+ race in 16:25; this placed him fourth with an age-graded time of 14:15.

Shore Athletics Club of NJ beat out the Finger Lakes Runners Club by 1 point in the women’s race. Carmen Ayala-Tronco won the race in 17:19 by almost 40 seconds.

From the Dirigo press release: (Click here to continue reading…)

The Eliot Festival Day 5k was this morning in Eliot, Maine. The field was not quite as deep this year, but still saw a record setting winning time of 14:16. Pat Tarpy of Providence (formerly of Yarmouth) beat the field by almost a minute. Casey Moulton and Ethan Hemphill came through in 15:12 and 15:18 to round out the top 3. Rehima Kedir and Reba Naser of Ethiopa won the women’s race, coming in right behind me in the low-mid 16:40s. Kristen Barry was third in 17:14.

There was no team award this year, but Dirigo would have won it had there been one. Everybody that came down on both the men’s and women’s side went home with cash or hardware. Josh Zolla missed breaking 16 minutes by 6 seconds. Bill Mariski and Tom Ryan were the first masters runners in 16:19 and 16:20. I was a short ways behind them in 16:38, failing to catch PR Racing’s TJ Hesler.
(Click here to continue reading…)

The Portland Trails 10k, aka the Tukey Trot 10k, aka the Trail to Ale, was run this morning. It also played host to the Maine Senior Games. It was rather warm with temperatures near 90º, but a constant breeze kept the course feeling a little cooler. Michael Slinsky won the race in 32:38, followed by Jason Cakouros in 33:15. Christin Doneski won women’s race in 38:20.

Tom Ryan won the Maine Senior Games in 35:52, which was run as part of the same race. He finished almost 10 minutes of second place David Colby Young.
(Click here to continue reading…)