Report from Veronica Jackson & Jacy Kruzel of the open:
Staten Island Marathon Recap & Safety Classes!
Hi Ladies!
Alysia Dusseau
Congratulations to everyone that battled the elements at the Staten Island Half Marathon this weekend! Through the wind and the rain, the CPTC Women’s Open squad was small but fierce, led by Alysia Dusseau in 1:24:48. Alysia said that even though the weather was brutal (she even overheard someone say that this is great practice if anyone likes steeplechase), it was cool running under the Verrazano Bridge a month ahead of the marathon.
Dani Sturtz
Photo: David Greenberg
Colleen McGurk came in second for the team, and despite the tough weather, managed to PR with a 1:26:28. Hope Cutler crossed the line next, in 1:28:50, and was followed by Amy Kvilhaug in 1:32:11, who said that this was one of the toughest conditions in a race that she has ever run. Our fifth scorer was Dani Sturtz, who used the race as a marathon-paced training run and still pulled out a 1:36:05. Dani pushed harder knowing that she had teammates running on the course fighting through the same conditions and teammates on the sideline cheering.
We also want to note that outside of this great city, our women have kicked off marathon season in high fashion. Shawnessy Dusseau represented the Orange and Blue across the pond and knocked more than a minute off her PR at the Berlin Marathon, coming in 3:18:47. Two weeks later, Jacy Kruzel was able to negative split the Hartford Marathon, coming in 6th place in 2:52:52. The next day, we had a strong presence in Chicago, where Lindsay Kos ran a smart negative split and broke a 5 year PR to come in 3:00:17. After 5 years of injuries, Lindsay’s persistence is finally paying off! Next across the line was Melanie Broder, who also ran a negative split in 3:19:50. Amanda Ullman finished next for the orange and blue in 3:36:37, and was just seconds ahead of Melany Wall, who finished in 3:36:11. Nicole Hopkins also rocked the Chicago course in 3:46:31. Let’s hope the strong races by these ladies inspires everyone taking on the five boroughs on November 6th!
Lastly, in light of the recent attacks on runners, Tara Ellis and Erin Conroy have kindly looked into a few self defense classes and have offered to look into a private class for the team if there is interest. The two classes they recommend can be found at http://femaleawareness.com/ and http://www.chka.org/free-womens-self-defenseaka-smash-class/. Let us know if you’d like to be involved in a class.
Good luck to everyone in the final stretch of marathon training!
Veronica & Jacy
Report from Ani Go of the 40+:
40+ladies take the whole enchilada!
Ladies!
Once again, the masters 40+ ladies brought their A game–this time to Staten Island, standing tall at the podium in first place!
For the love of running, the thrill of competition, we train in all conditions–cold, heat, snow, rain, wind, combinations of all. We prepare and know how to approach the worst scenerios. This was one of them. Imagine a race that takes place in a washing machine on the cold rinse cycle.
This didn’t keep Colleen McGurk, Amy Kvilhaug, Elizabeth Lopes, Audrey Kingsley, and Meg Blake from picking up the gauntlet. The cold, wet gauntlet!
Colleen McGurk
Photo: David Greenberg
First out of the washing machine was the great Colleen McGurk in 1:26.28–even in the most horrid conditions, she did 3 great things: achieved a 81.15% AG, came in 3rd in her age group, and…(wait for it) GOT A PR. WHAAAAATTT???
Says this tough mother–(SHUT YO’ MOUTH!):
Hands down one of the most challenging races I ever ran. The first half was ok and I got into a nice rhythm fast. I have been increasing my mileage slowly the last few months and know that (combined with speed and thurs tempos) helped me get into a comfortable rhythm at a faster pace early. I hit the 10k at 39:47 and felt great BUT not for long. It was at this point that the headwinds (I heard 30 MPH) started to get to me. I fought as hard as I could to keep my sub 6:30 pace but it was too challenging and almost laughable!. And then there was the hills combined with the headwinds. Oof! it was tough! By the time I got up the last hill, I just prayed that the wind would subside – which it didn’t! haha. Total grit race!
However, with all the great Tuesday track workouts, XC training and Thursday tempos, I was able to plow through. It was also a points race and as the 40+ women are in first pace, I wanted to leave it all out there, regardless of the awful conditions. I knew my amazing teammates were fighting the same conditions and that helped me plow through!!!
Because of CPTC’s strong, determined women and amazing teamwork – the Master 40+ took Gold! (and Women 50 and 60+ in Top 3! YEAH!)
It wasn’t the time I wanted or trained for, but it was a PR and a win for the Master women so I’ll take it!!!
That made it all worth it –
Best teammates and coaching ever! 🙂
Go orange!
Indeed!
Amy Kvilhaug
Photo: David Greenberg
Second out of the wash is Tell-It-Like-It-Is Ms. Amy Kvilhaug–after finishing with cries of “that was terrible” has this to report:
Last week we wrote about the Bronx being perfect conditions. Staten Island was the complete opposite – remnants of Hurricane Matthew and the hills of Staten Island (is that even a thing) were certainly felt today. I actually started the race feeling pretty good – not realizing the whipping wind was to my back! On the way home, we had a lot of climbing , lots of deep puddles and a lot of wind to battle. It was a rough day for racing for me. I ran as tough as I could and was only able to muster a 1:32:11. I’d certainly say this race went down in the books as one of the toughest conditions races I have ever run in. So I’m ok with the fact that I did as best I could. Great job to my teammates who battled and all ran well.
Oh yeah!
Elizabeth Lopes
And the final scorer of The Dream Team, Elizabeth Lopes, comes out of the wash with 1:36.43, solidly in the top 10 of her age group, and boosting the ladies to the top place finish!
And I did say we had a full load of wash? Meg Blake and Audrey Kingley crossed both lines – start and finish. Ladies, those medals were well deserved!
Congrats to our open and masters teams, for their heroic efforts and for their top finishes!
Next up–THE NYC MARATHON!!!
GO ORANGE!!!
Captain Ani
Report from Sylvie Kimche of the 50+ & 60+:
On a Sunday morning as ugly as the Bronx 10 miler morning was glorious (at least that’s what i was told as unfortunately i could not be there due to dental surgery gone wrong 10 days earlier…), our valiant ladies W50+ & W60+ took to the streets & the waterfront of Staten Island. The golden ladies W60+ team consisting of Barbara Byrne, Barbara Fratta & Rebecca Guenther got 2nd place team (ahead of VCTC – see comments about team standings below).
The W50+ team with Stacy Creamer, Wanda Wang and the assistance of Barbara Byrne took 3rd place.
W50+
Stacy Creamer
Photo: David Greenberg
The multi-talented Stacy Creamer was first for the W50+ team and 2nd in her W55-59 age group in 1:41:27, a 7:45 pace & 79.77% AG%.
In her own words:
I was a reluctant participant in Sunday’s Staten Island Half. Mentally my race season ended with Triathlon Nationals back in mid-August. I’ve been running and swimming a lot since but haven’t felt much like racing although I did do the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half in September–6 minutes slower than I ran the previous year! But the women’s 50+ team needed 50+ bodies so I agreed to contribute mine.
For the week leading up to Staten Island at least I was able to console myself with the apparent fact that we were to have picture-perfect weather. I’d get a beautiful long run in. So imagine my chagrin–and everyone else’s–when that forecast changed for the soggy on race eve.
Nothing like getting up three and a half hours before a “local” race and leaving your home two and a half hours before the start. But the minute I hit the subway I felt encouraged by the hoards of fellow half marathoners to be.
The bag-sniffing canines at the Manhattan-side ferry terminal were a little less inspiring. But the boat ride itself was heartening, especially given the view of the Statue of Liberty. Her light shined bright even in the rainy gloom.
My pre-race highlight was dancing to Taylor Swift’s Shake It Up in my coral along with Amy Kvilhaug. The rain was light but steady at this point. The race started a mere five minutes late. It had been years since I’d run the Staten Island Half; this course was familiar to me only in patches.
The rain grew heavier as the race progressed and it got windier, too. And of course hillier! Thanks to the minor lakes of puddles dotting the course, my shoes were utterly soaked by mile 5. But enough whining! It’s soul-satisfying to be a contributing member of a team as wonderful as ours, and I often run better when something more than my own pride and ego is at stake.
My time wasn’t much to brag about–1:41:27–but it was good enough for second place in my F55-59 age group. My fastest mile (not my first) was 7:08; my slowest was 8:15. My average pace was 7:40 on my Garmin, 7:45 according to the NYRR:) More importantly, I made my real goal of scoring for our women’s 50+ team, which included Wanda Wang and Barbara Byrne. We took third place.
My biggest accomplishment of the day beyond that was catching the 10:30 am ferry back to Manhattan. My runner tracking says that I finished the race at 10:16 am. That means it took me 14 minutes to get my finisher’s medal, collect my bag from the baggage check, and hightail it to the ferry, which was about half a mile away. Not bad. I think I had the slowest finishing time of anyone sailing on it back to Manhattan.
The main takeaway: I’m so glad that I did this race! The conditions were miserable for everyone so it was quite a bonding experience. And even when you’re far from a personal best and under-trained for the distance, the satisfaction of contributing to team results is extremely rewarding.
Congrats to you Stacy for all your accomplishments and for showing up for this team race (which according to everyone was miserable…)… and your mad dash to get to the 10:30 am ferry… ?…
Wanda Wang was 2nd for the team in 1:46:24, a 8:07 pace. She was 12 in the 50-54 age group. (She was there because of (thanks to) her team spirit and she too did not enjoy the race…)
Here is her experience on Sunday:
Arrived half an hour at the race, dropped off the bag, came out the stadium and rushed to use the port-potty and the race started. Sorry for the whining but I really did not enjoy the race. It was cold, wet and windy! And my right calf and toes cramped up after mile 7. High light of my race was seeing Barbara through out the course. We went back and forth for miles and miles. Sorry Barbara that I did not see you at the finish line. My leg and toes were in a lot of pain and I had a very difficult time trying to change to dry clothes afterwards. So happy that I finished! I will never run this course again! This is definitely a good reminder. Congrats to Barbara, 83.19%, highest age grading for CPTC! Great team work Stacy and Barbara. We scored 3rd! 🙂
Congrats are in order for you too, Wanda, for slugging through such an unpleasant race….
Based on all this misery, I sure hope that the Staten Island Half will not be a team race next year.. or if it is, i hope for better weather and better organization from NYRR!
W60+
Barbara Byrne finished 1st for the team and 2nd in her W60-64 age group in a time of 1:47:02, an 8:10 pace and an 83.19% AG% (*Please note that Barbara is at very top of her age group as she’s entering a new age group in a few days). That was a faster pace than in the Bronx 10 Miler (8:15 pace) or in the Grete’s Half the previous Sunday (8:24 pace). You may think that Barbara is training for the marathon…but no, she just enjoys long race (even in windy and rainy conditions)…?
In her own words:
I’m so sorry, I didn’t see Barbara and Rebeca either before or after the race. I did hang around until about 2.46 on the clock, but I was extremely cold, found no-one from CPTC (although I did see Wanda during the race), and there were ridiculous crowds of people milling around in a tight space, trying to get into dry clothing. It was a mess, both a literal muddy mess in the ballpark, and a mess figuratively speaking as regards to the organization of race day central.
The race itself was quite enjoyable for me today. Wind and rain was a bit rough, but for me, more conducive to racing than hot weather. I believe I ran fairly even splits and faded just a bit over the last 3 miles, but nothing like the complete meltdown in last weeks trial run at Grete’s Half. For that, I’m happy!
Kuddos to Barbara for her race and for scoring for the W50+ team, helping them to their 3rd place.
Barbara Fratta was 2nd for the team and 1st in her brand new W70-74 age group in 2:41:54, a 12:21 pace. She definitely did not enjoy the race and the weather.
As she puts it very bluntly:
Today’s race was awful. Although NYRR can’t control the weather, they can control the start and the course. I used to PR in SI but not so in the past two years when they changed the course. With the staggered start and closing the corrals before 8:30, we waited 20 min to start.
Ending in a muddy field just topped off the day. Yes, I placed first in my AG. But, beating 9 other older woman is not a big deal since my finish time was pathetic. Needless to say, I will no longer be running the SI Half (I’m making a list of all the negatives. This way, if I even consider doing it next year, I’ll read my memoir and avoid SI at all costs….)?
But….How did Barbara B finish in that incredible time and then say she enjoyed it??? She is a rock star and I’m so jealous and happy for her.
Too bad the Merms beat us but we bested VCTC so that’s a plus!
Well, Barbara, despite your miserable experience this year, you did great for the team, so kuddos to you!
Rebecca Guenther toed the line, always a reliable teammate to complete the team when needed. And needed she was….She was 3rd for the team in 2:42:15 a 12:23 pace. She too had a hard time with the adverse conditions:
I found the weather to be quite miserable. The gusts of wind coming off the water were so strong it almost stopped you in your tracks. My running has been very slow over the last year— I was about half an hour off my previous best time on that course. I found the course to be quite hilly (due to the changes they’ve made to the course? or was I just in better shape the other times I’ve run it?). I don’t love the course and i did the race only because it was a team’s point race. I’m so glad to hear that the team placed 2nd— that made it worth it!
Congratulations to you, Barbara (Byrne), on your spectacular time.
Thank you, Rebecca, for being such a trooper and battling the elements just so we would have a team. And I’m so glad that you scored for the team this time!…
Now about the Club Team standings:
With the W60+ being ahead of VCTC on Sunday, when we remove the 2 worst races, we’re now behind VCTC by only 1 pt (108 to 109). So all will depend on what happens with VCTC in the NYCM….the suspense continues…
As for the W50+, the CPTC team is in 2nd place but cannot overtake Taconic RR, especially because we do not have a W50+ team for the NYCM… When we remove the 2 worst results, CPTC is now behind Taconic RR by 13 pts (100 to 113)… At least we are solidly in 2nd place!
Congrats to all the CPTC teams for their great results in the SI Half, especially the 40+ Men AND Women taking 1st place! WOW !!!
I don’t know if Tony was there for encouragements but in any case, thanks to him for all his great training and advice to his runners!
GO ORANGE!!!
Sylvie