Judy Stobbe, Roberta Little, Lisa Daley, Colleen McGurk
CPTC 40+ Women’s 4x400m Relay Team takes home silver at Penn Relays
I just received an email from Hank Schiffman about the Men’s 60+ Relay Team at Penn and within the body of the write up about those extraordinary guys (how great to be 60+ and sprinting at Penn!), Hank couldn’t have put it any better:
“The real winners were our women. Our 40+ team came in 2nd. They were magnificent” http://pennrelaysonline.com/Results/results.aspx?en=383
Hank hit the nail on the head. Magnificent they were.
With a time of 4:34.85, the CPTC 40+ team showed their dominance finishing second behind the Southwest Sprinters TC. Lisa Daley led things off for us, throwing down a FAST 1:04.34 on the first leg putting us in great position on a cold night. She mentioned that “it was great to be back competing and that this podium finish with the team was a great welcome back.” Lisa, with those kinds of times, we hope you stick around for a long time to come.
Lisa handed off to Judy Stobbe who closed the gap even further. Her 1:09.69 propelled the team into second place for the second leg. As always, Judy gave us an eloquent description of the experience: “First and foremost, I can’t express enough how much I appreciate our team, and it is so evident how strong we are in relays and team events. Penn Relays is no exception. One of the most coveted track relays in the world! On a chilly night, our team bonded together (literally to keep warm!!) to take home an incredible silver medal out of 11 speedy teams. We started with the strong and powerful Lisa—she ran her heart out and got us in a great position for that FAST first leg! I look up to her every day for her strength and want to know what her secret is in pounding out low 60s in a 400m!! I ran 2nd and was just laser focused on getting the #2 lady—she was about 10m ahead of me until 300m and then I let out a big grunt and just tried to get in that gear for the final 100m…luckily I passed her to hand off to Roberta. Roberta ran (what I think) was her best 400m ever. She created a HUGE gap between 2nd and 3rd place running a fierce fast split. Bertie handed off to Colleen. I can’t say how much I appreciate Colleen coming down to race, when we know she’s a killer middle/longer distance gal, and wasn’t feeling 100% coming off a tough week of travel and moving. She sacrificed for our team and ran a STELLAR anchor. I told her that her only job was to not let anyone pass her, and she did just that! She solidified that silver medal spot!!! And, a HUGE thank you to the amazing Ani Go for coming all the way down to be our alternate. She cheered, supported and encouraged us before, during and after….what we all know is stressful in those moments leading up to the gun! Incredible teamwork….one of the most exciting and gratifying relays I have competed in! Looking forward to next Saturday at the St John’s meet where I am racing the 1500m.” As always, Judy you are so supportive. And so humble. And of course so talented. And I can’t wait to have you on campus for the race next weekend! Come support the softball team when you’re done.
Next up was the gutsy third leg – Roberta Little! When I saw her time, I knew it had to be one of her best. For those of you who know Roberta, she works endlessly and is so dedicated to improving so this was awesome to see. Running a 1:08.73 and creating a nice gap for our anchor, Bertie made a huge contribution to the team’s strong finish. (By the way Roberta, I LOVE your fierce competitiveness in your recap….oh no she’s not) – “PENN RELAYS 2016!!!! Penn is electric, exhilarating , stressful ha! and COLD-:) I was pleasantly surprised with my split, but still have more work to do. When Judy handed me the baton I knew the Orange Crush team was right behind me and I heard her teammate yell ” stay with her” , but in my head I said ” oh no she’s not” and ran as hard as I could to maintain our second place position and get as far away from her as possible. I loved watching each of the ladies compete and run their hearts out. Thank-you to Ani,Jerome, Tony and the men’s masters 60+ team for cheering us on! Amazing job to everyone! Run on!” Amazing job to you Roberta. Hard work paying off!
The anchor was held down by our rock star Colleen McGurk. For those of you who don’t know Colleen, she is about as determined a runner as you will see. I love watching her race because she ALWAYS leaves it all on the track. Colleen ran a 1:12.11 and secured the second place podium finish for the Orange. Her sentiment is always supportive and not only is she a great teammate, but if a great friend too. Colleen I can’t thank you enough. She said, “Penn Relays is such an exciting event!! The energy and athletic prowess surrounding the event is so inspiring!! 400m is not my jam and I am currently training for a half marathon but the energy of the event made me feel like a sprinter – if only for a minute! I found out when I arrived that I was the anchor. I felt stressed mostly for fear someone would pass me and we might lose our place. I knew when Roberta handed me the baton that we were in second place and my goal was not to let anyone pass me. I ran as hard as I could and was able to accomplish this goal. I ran the same time as at Millrose but it did feel a bit smoother and I felt more fluid so I was happy about that. One of these days, I will PR in this crazy, painful yet rewarding distance. I am so proud of my speedy teammates who killed it! They motivate me to run faster for shorter distances!! I also want to give a shout out to Ani Go who was the alternate and canceled her plans to meet us at the race for support AND with a bag full of extra clothes, snacks, band-aids – basically anything that we needed! She was a life saver and an amazing support system. The teamwork and camaraderie was so wonderful. I am so proud to wear Orange and to be a part of the team that took silver at Penn Relay 4×400 Master Relay!!” Well put, Colleen.
In the email that I referenced above that Hank sent out, he discussed how runners are often such superior people and made mention of Ani Go, who as the alternate made the trek to Philly to support the team. Ani may not have run the event, but it’s the little things that go a long way and Ani you are an example of greatness as a teammate and member of CPTC.
To the coaches of CPTC-NB…Devon, Tony, Pete, Jerome and company – we can’t thank you enough for the support and guidance you give us all. Thank you for sponsoring our 40+ women’s relay and for giving us the opportunity to represent the team.
-Amy Kvilhaug
Masters Track Captain