CPTC 40+ from Larry Go:

The CPTC 40+ men made a valiant charge at team champs but came up a mere 42 seconds short with another narrow loss to the new and improved Urban Athletics.

We’ve got quite a steep hill to climb in our quest for a 3rd straight team championship with our 2nd place finish at Team Champs. With five races to go we’ll head on to the rest of the season and see how close we can make it. In any case, we can look forward to cooler temperatures and faster racing as we aim for our fall goals.

Unofficial season standings:

All races:
Urban: 98
CPTC: 83
West Side: 76

With two worst races dropped:
Urban: 75
CPTC: 63
West Side: 56

Looks like the hot and humid weather and injuries took a toll. The course change with the addition of the Harlem hills didn’t do us any favors either.

Scorers were:

Matthew Deangelis: 27:50/80.56 %/4th 40-44
Dan Gay: 28:23/ 79.01 %/6th 40-44
Cary Segall: 28:50/ 78.34 %/8th 40-44
Eric Lattin: 28:51/ 79.53 %/9th 40-44
Brad Kelley: 29:08/ 82.62 %/3rd 50-54

Race of the day honor goes to Matt DeAngelis who set a second five mile PR in as many races by knocking off another 39 seconds off his previous PR at Front Runners last month.

Matt DeAngelis:
My game plan for the race was to start conservative due to the humidity (and altered route), run competitive and really focus on the west side hills. I feel like I accomplished all three, despite Cat Hill giving me a reality check (yet again), as it led to a 40 sec (masters) PR on the day. I came into this race a little more rested than the last few I had run and think the speed work I’ve done recently really helped as well. I also want to give a “thank you” to Martin Huber – we ran together most of the race, he pushed the pace in critical parts of the course that helped me run a PR. As for the team, I think we ran well and should be proud of a second place finish – so congrats to all my Masters teammates on the day! Great work out there!

Eric Lattin:
I thought the race was extremely challenging given the hills and the conditions. Being from Nevada I have never run at that intensity in that type of humidity. It was like sprinting in a hot shower for a half hour. Overall we did great as a team just came up a little short. Looking forward to cooler temps. GO ORANGE!

Daniel Ifcher:
I imagine that my race experience was a lot like many other folks – sweaty, smelly, hot, crowded start corral; fast start; painful finish – does that sound about right? Going in I had hoped to run around or under 30 min flat, given the course and weather – I ended up 30:19 and I’m happy with that. It’s a competitive race, as we know, so the start is quite fast and I let the crowd bring me along through the first mile. As I’m sure you know I tend to start on the slower side, but I knew there would be a lot of fast guys so I went with the flow and ran a 6 min mile to start. And that is how the race pretty much went until mile 4 – ouch! That was the slow mile, up cat hill. The last mile I remember 3 Orange cheering sections, each one helped give me a surge so thank you! One consolation we can always say about the race is that we all race in the same conditions, so hot or not, it’s an even playing field.

Top 10s:

Matthew Deangelis: 4th 40-44
Dan Gay: 6th 40-44
Cary Segall: 8th 40-44
Eric Lattin: 9th 40-44
Brad Kelley: 3rd 50-54
Lahseni Mohammed: 2nd 45-49
Daniel Ifcher: 9th 45-49

Participation statistics:
6 races: David Alm
5 races: David Greenberg, Brad Kelley

2016 Scorers:

5 – Brad Kelley
3 – Eric Lattin
3 – Matt DeAngelis
2 – David Greenberg
1 – Mohammed Lahseni
1 – Tim Stockert
1 – Coleman Cowan
1 – Josh Rayman
1 – Peter Brady
1 – Dan Gay
1 – Cary Segall

TeamChamps16_Men16

Photo by NYRR

From Chris Donnelly 50+

CPTC’s 50+ men put the team back into the the Team Championships with 15 runners answering the siren’s call for this grueling five mile race.  Our participation was so strong, in fact, that the Orange accounted for one in ten runners among men aged 50-59. It was great to see so many of us out there, and those that couldn’t run standing on the sidelines, providing much needed encouragement, because in the end it was sunnier than we hoped,  warmer than we feared, and the course was as challenging as we knew it would be.
The course change, due to construction on the 102nd Transverse, dumped us back on the tougher upper 5 mile loop configuration, taking us through the Harlem Hills,  that many of us ran a month earlier at the Front Runners Pride Run. While that’s a great event, the juxtaposition of back-to-back 5 mile races on different courses (upper loop/lower loop) has always kept the experience fresh; different race strategies, with a similar finish clawing up a daunting Cat Hill before pressing to the end on East Drive.
Yet, the Orange rose to the challenge, seizing first place among 27 teams in this critical, double points competition, vaulting our 50+ team solidly into first place in the NYRR teams competition, placing three of the top 10 runners in the 50-54 group and two of the top 10 in 55-59.  Brad Kelley, Gerry O’Hara, and David Blumel crossed the line as our scoring team for a total time of 1:30:29 solidly two minutes ahead of a resurgent Urban Athletics team, and a fiercely competitive Dashing Whippets squad that’s been nipping at our heels all year (shout out to DWRT’s Jonathan Kline for his first place finish for 55-59). Coach Tony’s often opined that every effort counts, that everyone contributes. It’s never been more true than in this race, where the scoring trio encompasses both our youngest and oldest members, and with plenty of firepower in reserve.
Brad Kelley again led the CPTC effort, as he’s done since turning 50 earlier this year. Brad’s 29:08 (83.88% AG) was good for third place among men 50-54. Here’s  a link to Brad’s race on Strava:  https://www.strava.com/activities/658946645
Brad: “It was great to see so many team members out in force. from the gun I knew it was going to be a rough day and all I can say is despite being 26 seconds slower then I was in Front Runners (28:42 as opposed to 29:08 this time) I gave my all and pushed throughout. looking at the faces on the start line one could have had the impression that we had just finished the race, not that we were about to set off. I guess it was a combo of the heat hills and humidity but it to me was brutal.  I’ll see folks next at 5th Avenue since I will be in Macedonia the next few weeks. I hope everyone stays motivated and uninjured.” And of that earlier  Front Runners race, Brad recalls: “Some races you feel good and the pain really only hits the last mile. I guess due to the heat and the nonstop hills this was one of those wire to wire pain races. It was great running in a pack of CPTC 40 somethings, funny to now look at these guys all as young. With a little more than a mile to go, myself, Mohammed Lasheni, Cary Segall and Dan Gay were all within a few strides so coach Tony just had to yell at us as a group.”
Gerry O’ Hara, now back on the road, also delivered an amazing run despite some desperate moments in mile 4. A few encouraging words from competitors helped Gerry keep it in gear and he crossed the line at 29:40 (82.48% AG), taking 4th place in the 50-54 age bracket.
David Blumel was our third scorer, at 31:27. The 59-year old took third place among men aged 55-59, with his 82.6% age graded effort, averaging 6:18 pace. In his last outing at the Retro 4 miler, David was nursing an injury and wisely kept it in check. Not so this time, as David earned his first scoring role in a race for CPTC. David, of course, is the sharp edge of an attack CPTC will soon launch on the 60+ points competition; David, Alan Ruben, Art Palmer, Stanley Young, Dennis O’Donnell, and Victor Osayi are all poised to cross over into the 60+ team in the coming months. Here come the reserves, Captain Hank Schiffman.
Tsukasa Kawarai, who recently aged into the 50-54 bracket, was right on David’s heels, running 31:31 (76.38% AG) good for eighth place in the age group.
Alan Ruben was next, taking 6th place among men 55-59 with his 32:25 (80.13% AG).  After last month’s Front Runners race Alan noted: “I was happy with my effort and pacing of the race, but still getting used to my ‘slower’ times. I’ve been doing consistent workouts for some time, so don’t think there’s much improvement to come – we’ll see.”  Those of us getting left in the dust during Alan’s “consistent workouts” have another view entirely: The intensity is there, and we continue to look forward to some awesome races from the man we all hold in such esteem.
Chris Donnelly was next, running 33:41, a solid improvement over his Front Runners time of 33:59.
Chris:  “Not a great time, but I raced well this time after feeling like I bombed out on this course in the Front Runners race a month earlier. If anything conditions were worse than the earlier race, but I had a plan and stuck to it. Wiping away the flop sweat in the corral before the start I decided that the downhill pounding in mile one wasn’t going to help me and my errant left knee, so I targeted a too-slow marathon pace (6:50) for the first mile with the aim of tightening it up as the race went on. It worked. I hit my mile one split perfectly, then got to work, speeding up through each mile to the end, except for mile four, which everybody ran slower. I attacked on Cat Hill and scampered up through the runners then set my sights on teammate – and my lunch run co-conspirator – Brenn Jones way up ahead. I nearly caught him as I emptied the tank in that last mile with a 6:18. And those guys dressed in banana costumes? No way I was gonna let them beat me. Anyhow, this was progress after a rocky stretch. Much better race than Front Runners, which started out slow, and then fizzled out altogether.” See Chris’ Club Champs race on Strava, here:   https://www.strava.com/activities/659007568
Casey Yamazaki, who’s easing back into racing, followed next, at 34:24 (71.69% AG), taking 20th place in the 50-54 age group. Casey carved out a nearly one minute improvement over June’s Front Runners race. Mikal Scott, who’s also just getting back into shape is making great progress. Mikal clocked in at 34:51 (72.63%) taking 14th place among men 55-59.
Mikal:  “Weather was crap for everyone; Mega thanks to Captain Donnelly for helping me beat my target time (just 2 seconds) by running with him until Cat Hill…seriously wanted to quit after the hill, but seeing his performance through mile 4 he inspired me to keep at it and I was able to get second wind and finish. In retrospect, I should’ve run opening mile about 10-12 seconds slower, it may have helped me after Cat Hill. Lesson learned.”
There was plenty of additional support; Stanley Young ran 36:05 (7199% AG); Dennis O’Donnell came in at 36:19 (71.51%), and Michael Siegell crossed the line at 36:34 (66.36% AG)
Bob Markinson was having a helluva day, carving 43 hard seconds off last month’s race with his 37:56 (65.58% AG), and then earning MVP status during the annual CPTC softball game with his black belt infield skills and hustle. Parenthetically, Tony, do we all really have to run 40 meter repeats?
Bob: “With Front Runners my strategy was to start conservative through the Harlem Hills (7:49, 8:01), pick up the pace at mile 3 (7:34) hang on through Cat Hill (7:55) and have a strong finish (7:23). Total time: 38:39.  I was satisfied with the strategy and finish, but not happy with the time, so for Champs 2016, I thought I could shave some time off each of the splits, starting with the Harlem Hills (7:29, 7:42), the rest of my splits were almost identical to my Pride run (7:33, 7:55, 7:17)–Total time: 37:56–a 43 second reduction from Pride 2016, and 14 seconds faster than last year’s champs (38:10) which was the lower 5 mile loop.  Considering the  weather, and the course, I was pleased with my performance Saturday.  It was great to see Sue, Wanda and Tony cheering from the sidelines and softball was a blast! Thanks!”
Hang on, we’re not done yet.
– Victor Osayi was back in action, running 39:52 (65.18% AG);
– the ever present Dr. Budd Heyman ran 39.52 ( 64.58% AG);
– Oscar Garcia ran 40:02 (62.15% AG);
– Fred Paredes ran 50:01 (48.26%)
Where are we now?
The Whippets decisively defeated CPTC in the late June FrontRunners race, with UA placing third. Our scoring team was Brad, Alan, and recent recruit Don Favre. Before we hit the late season long roads, please consider competing in the late summer 5k race, the Percy Sutton Run, our next club points race. For the moment CPTC’s 50+ men have solid, though not insurmountable lead in the points race. For now, the 50+ race looks like this:
CTPC -94
DWRT -86
UA – 66
TAC-53
BRRC -41

From Hank Schiffman 60+

2016  Team Championship CPTC 60+ Men Race Report
The fight for 3rd place in the 60+ men division of the 2016 Team Championships proved beyond our reach. We raced the good race but did not wrest the bone from the teeth of the slightly quicker Front Runners. The Goddess of Running can be fickle but she does not lose track of time. We were 46 seconds out of 3rd place; our fastest scorer was 2:10 behind theirs. But 2 seconds to our good proved to be a barbed wire fence separating us from 5th place Van Cortlandt Park TC. The average age of our 60+ guy running team pointers is increasing. Until (or if ever) NYRR scores solely on AG% the coin of the realm is faster feet. Father Time should be delivering our way a newer, faster crop of older guys in the coming year. Meanwhile, in the street brawl for 1st place in this race Taconic RR left Brooklyn RR with a bloodied nose, proving a pair of aces is a hard hand to beat in this game.
Unofficially, at this turning point race of the season, we are 3rd in the standings with 58 points. Front Runners is in 4th with 54 and Witold 5th with 50. Brooklyn reigns with 99 followed by Taconic’s 74. With too many uncertainties the subtract 2 races formula will not make the view to Club Night any less opaque. We need to fight the good fight up till the end: the Sutton 5k, the Bronx 10 miler, the NYC Marathon and the Ted Corbitt 15k. Percy Sutton and Ted Corbitt are still open.
You ask, what difference in performance did we see in this race run at 74 degrees and 79% humidity verses the LGBT Pride Run, the same course but 67 degrees and 76% humidity? Well I have the numbers right here. The top 6 runners in 60+ men who ran both races saw their AG% drop an average of just shy of 2%. The 4 runners on our team who ran both events: Hank, Gary, Kevin and Phil, averaged the same 2% drop.  Only one male runner age 60+ cracked 80% in this race while 3 did so in the Pride Run. The falling tide lowered all boats:
Hank Schiffman: 35:49  7:10  77.3% (Pride Run: 43:51 6:59 79.44%)

Gary Gosselin: 37:41  7:33  70.80% (Pride Run: 36:25 7:17  73.28%)

Chris Neuhoff: 39:28. 7:54  69.48%

Dan Molloy:  39:30  7:54  69.44%

Kevin McGuire:  41:21  8:17  65.72% (Pride Run: 40:03. 8:01 67.85%)

Doug Labar: 42:06  8:26  62.80%

Phil Vasquez: 42:07  8:26  63.93% (Pride Run: 41:18. 8:16. 65.21%)

Chip Olsen: 43:34  8:43  64.76%

Harry Lichtenstein: 45:35  9:07  59.62%

Frank Wilson: 48:39. 9:44 60.70%

Dave Delano: 49:32  9:55  57.53%
Chip Olsen: “I’m not sure how many Club Team Championships I’ve run but it’s always been one of the toughest races of the year – the hills this year (on top of the temperature and humidity) made it the hardest I’ve run yet and Cat Hill really did it for me.  Oh well – maybe it will help for the Percy Sutton hills!
My right knee starting stiffening up last night, a day and a half later!
Thanks to the women of CPTC for cheering us on – it meant a LOT to me!”
Hank Schiffman: “Here’s a shout out to the aspiring 60 year olds who ran this race for CPTC: Alan Ruben, Stanley Young, Dennis O’Donnell and Victor Osayi. Also: to Dan Molloy for taking 1st in age group in last week’s NYC Triathlon, you are a monster, to Chris Neuhoff’s fine run after a long injury, to Gary’s climb back into his schedule after a setback, to Kevin, Dave and Phil for their continued presence on the starting line for CPTC, for Doug running this one even though his training and focus is the track, for Chip climbing back onto the saddle upon injury recovery, for Harry working on getting his racing pace back and Frank, our 70+ guy for showing us that it is only a matter of a few years that we will have a determined 70+ team.”
Thanks to our whole team for all the roadside support. Let’s push the envelope in the Percy Sutton 5k.
Captain Hank