From Greg Cass of the Open:
Through the first 4 Club Points races of the year, the Open Men’s team “held serve,” finishing a solid 3rd in each of the distances NYRR has thrown into the mix so far. Continuing that performance through the summer months can be challenging – vacations, downtime between seasons, tough weather, and too many park loops can all help contribute to the racing equivalent of the summer doldrums. This past weekend’s 5-mile scoring race, the celebratory Front Runners New York LGBT Pride Run, was a classic “trap race,” but the Open Men fought through challenges and distractions to keep their third spot on the podium and further tighten their grip on that place for the full year as well.
Greg Cass
Photo: Da Ping Luo
With co-captain and likely top scorer Phil Falk sidelined with a nagging injury, the team cobbled together a solid group effort on an uncharacteristically cool late June morning. Greg Cass lead the way with a 26:40 – not a PR but but decent when compared to prior years’ 5-milers around this time of year. Austin Taylor came in just behind at 26:49, another strong race from a recent joiner who will be missed when he starts medical school in Michigan later this year (we’ll let it slide since it’s for a pretty impressive reason). Jeff Ares sacrificed his tired legs for one last race before taking some time off, coming in as our third finisher at 27:29. Connor Rose was next at 27:46, jumping back onto the roads for the first time since the BK Half after nursing some bum ribs in the interim – solid ice breaker for working off of no training. Closing out the scoring team was Daniel Gercke at 28:19, impressively double-dipping for the Open and 40+ teams!
Austin Taylor
Photo: Da Ping Luo
There were scores of other impressive performances, and the team looks well positioned for the next scoring race, the NYRR Team Championships on August 1, the most important scoring race of the year and a great opportunity to showcase our depth as the scoring team grows to 10 racers for the morning. Congrats to all the racers and successful CPTC teams, and thank you to everyone who cheered along the way – the level of support never ceases to amaze, never grows old, and is particularly important during those summer races. To the Open Men – keep training…the big one is a month away.
From David Greenberg of the 40+:
After the PR blowout at the Retro Four miler we might have been due for a bit of a slowdown – the 40-49 finished third at Front Runners, surrendering the points lead to Warren Street.
Scorers were Daniel Gercke, Cary Segall and Daniel Ifcher.
In the end, in what is proving a pattern, even though our scoring three were faster this year than last, tough NYC competition has pushed us back. North Brooklyn won the race, with a newly minted 40 year old who ran 26:53, and Warren Street – our main rival – was second.
The overall points are:
Warren Street: 60
CPTC: 59
And with two races dropped:
Warren Street: 42
CPTC: 39
The good news is that from here on out the schedule favors our strengths – namely depth. Being essentially tied after the first half of the season is fine. We should do better in the second half than the first half because the races are longer, come with only 6 days rest in one example, and the Fifth Avenue Mile is a traditional CPTC strength.
Individual highlights:
Daniel G ran 12 seconds faster (28:19/84.78%) than last year, won the 45-49 and has now scored in each of the five points races this year. He also scored for the open team this week.
Daniel:
I ran Pride mainly to celebrate the previous day’s news, so I ran with more joy than grit. Still, the vibe was awesome and the ice pops are the best.
Cary Segall (28:42/79.28%/5th AG) scored for the third time this year. If you want to try to pace off someone, think about Cary. If you can keep up he’ll likely get you to your time – he is a metronome in Central Park, always running well.
Cary Segall
Photo: Nigel Francis
Third scorer Daniel Ifcher’s 29:40/80.30%/5th place was a 13 second masters PR. To get that in a summer race on the hard FRNY course is a great accomplishment. They say mothers are faster after giving birth – maybe in Daniel’s case he will have the same result since his son Tate was born just a few weeks ago. Daniel has now scored in two races this year.
Daniel:
It’s been fun to have the little guy around and maintain my running. Some differences, I’m awake ever earlier in the mornings so people may see me in the Park at some odd hours. I do recognize that it’s been pretty ok to maintain the running schedule, although I don’t know as each stage he goes through what my schedule will allow. It’s fun knowing that I have the little guy to come home to, to talk about the race, even if he doesn’t yet understand (today is his 3 week birthday)…
Specific to this race, I guess I’ve just tried lately to get out of the gate in 6 min or just above that pace for the 1st mile. Esp with this course, that was a smart move. By the time I was getting to the top of Harlem Hill I was already starting to pass a few folks. And just took that momentum through miles 2 & 3, which were just sub 6. It was a nice day relative to most Pride Race days, so the heat wasn’t so much a factor and I didn’t lose too much later in the race. By mile 4 I was pretty much at my limit going up Cat Hill, probably doing that mile in 6 min flat. Then the east side straight where I saw Tony & crew, who let me know that I was running 3rd Master so that gave me a bit more energy for Nigel’s fantastic photo and the finish (thanks Tony, Nigel and everyone else!).
Daniel Ifcher
Photo: Nigel Francis
Race of the day honors go to Nick Garramone – He has been on a hot streak, setting several lifetime PRs this year. At FRNY he set a 23 second PR for five miles (32:30/72.16%/15th AG), again doing it this time on the harder Northern 5 mile course.
Nick:
This was my Pride Run PR (and probably a 5-mile PR). What started off as “I’m going to take this easy” turned into a surprising burst of energy. I let the crowd pass me by on the first mile and then steadily cranked up my turnover on the hills, picking up my knees up and over as I crested them. I used the downhills to bring my heart rate down while maintaining the pace. Cat Hill almost was my undoing, but I caught my breath and then bombed down the straightaway on the East Side into a sprint through the finish line. I was pleased that my time was over a minute faster than last year.
Tim Stockert also had a good day – 6th in the 45-49 and a course PR (29:55/80.27%/6th AG)
Tim:
It was a very good race for me yesterday. I felt very strong in the beginning and though I started fading a bit around Cat Hill, it was still my best time in the Pride Race in over 15 years. So, all in all, my times are still getting faster which is good news for future points races. And a big shout-out to all of my teammates who are so incredibly supportive…. those who ran the race and those who were on the course cheering us on. It was truly a day of pride, joy and happiness!
Finally, I want to point out some important comebacks and debuts.
Most importantly, Andre Lejeune is back on the racecourse after some health issues – always great to see resilience.
Andre:
This race was a comeback race for me. I’ve battled various injuries over the last few years and have remained focused on marathons. I have raced any short distance races since 2012. My training has been interrupted by the birth of my son 2 months ago, so I came into the race with no expectations other than trying to do my best for our team. I felt great and injury free running 34:11 far from a PR but happy to be racing again. The highlights were seeing coach Tony and teammates, but the biggest motivation was seeing my mom who was visiting for the weekend, my wife, and son Thomas at W.90th cheering for me….
Andre Lejeune
Photo: Nigel Francis
CPTC veteran Michael Siegell raced for the first time this year, and a big orange welcome to Kevin McCoy who made his CPTC debut.
On to the big cheese – Team Champs. In a tight year TC can make the difference since points are doubled. We will benefit from the fact five score at that race rather than three – our depth is the best in the city and if we can bring it to the line we should do well.
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Peter Brady raced a masters 3000 in Eugene as part of the USATF championships and finished a close second in a club record PR 8:52.50:
Peter:
It was amazing to get the opportunity to run at Hayward at the national championship meet in front of a great and knowledgeable crowd. It would have been great if I could have won, but I’m still very pleased with my second place finish. Results are here: http://www.flashresults.com/…/06-25_USATF/101-1_compiled.htmSeeing many of the best runners in the world up close and personal before and after my race was very cool and jogging with the great Bernard Lagat was a unique experience. All in all a great day!
We should take a minute to recognize the success of the 40+ track team – they are killing it this year, setting six club records, which is a big deal in a club this size and long lived:
60m – Anthony Davis 7.17
100m: Rawle Delisle 11.16
200m: Rawle Delisle 22.59
1500 (indoors) Peter Brady 4:02.21
Mile (Track) Peter Brady 4:23.24
3000 Peter Brady 8:52.50
From Chris Donnelly of the 50+:
CPTC’s 50+ men showed a lot of guts in last week’s Frontrunners Pride Run 5 miler, and we came away with a solid effort amid ever stiffening competition. We’ve come up short on bodies in some recent races, and that wasn’t the case here as Alan Ruben and Casey Yamazaki jumped into the fray in a tremendous show of team spirit. It was a day for pride of all kinds, and our seventh place finish doesn’t quite tell the whole story.
Chris Donnelly led the scoring effort, with a 32:06 (77.87% AG): “I took Tony’s advice to heart and kept it in check until West 90th Street. Even though Cat Hill was a tough slog, the early restraint left me with strong enough legs to nail the final mile at close to 6 minute pace.”
Chris Donnelly
Photo: Nigel Francis
In an unexpected return to the roads, Alan Ruben crossed the finish line next, with a 32.:36. Showing up in the corral for his first race since the Washington Heights 5k in March, Alan said he wasn’t sure what he’d have to offer, but in the end it was a bold 79.99% AG effort and seventh place in the 55-59 age bracket. This, after no training to speak of during the last few months. At the finish line, a competitor pointed to Alan and pronounced him “a true champion.” An understatement if ever there was one.
Once again, we got some timely help from 60+ captain Hank Schiffman, running a 33:46 (82.17% AG) to close out the 50+ scoring effort. We’ve had a 60+ scorer in every points race this year except for Washington Heights. They’re not older, they’re just faster. Thanks guys.
Toshiki Ikehata was next, running 33:57 (71.84% AG). This was only Toshiki’s second race for the team, and it was his best time ever in a NYRR five miler! Casey Yamazaki, bouncing back from a hamstring issue that’s kept him off the club points circuit this year, gamely jumped in to support the team. Casey’s 34:27 (71.98% AG) shows him on the mend; it was a faster race over a longer distance than his recent effort in the Japan Day run. Finally, we had the mighty Budd Heyman crossing the line at 37:21 (69.22% AG). Budd has run in three points race so far in 2015, and has shown consistent performance across all his NYRR races this year.
Budd Heyman
Photo: Nigel Francis
If some familiar faces were missing from the mix, it’s probably because they’d raced already. Bob Markinson filed this report on the June 21 Queens 10K:
[The Queens 10K] marks my one year anniversary of competitive racing. The following are my results: 48:15, 7:46/mile pace, 65.20% AG… not as well as I would have liked, but an improvement over my debut last year: 51:21, 8:17/mile pace, 60.77 % AGP.
Check out Eiji’s posted photos. http://www.marathonfoto.com/Proofs?PIN=90T783&LastName=Ebihara
He finished strong with an exciting head to head race approaching the finish with a PPTC competitor.
It was oppressively humid (94%) and we were soaked! ”
The following are the results of the 50+ CPTC men:
Toshiki Ikehata (in his CPTC debut) at 45:04 68.13% AG
Eiji Ebihara (seventh place in 55-59) 45:17 70.65% AG
Bob Markinson 48:15 65.2% AG
Oscar Garcia 50:56 61.76% AG
From Hank Schiffman of the 60+:
Talk about a day in which the overall picture was obscured, this was it. There were super stars out on the starting line, but we didn’t know if our Yasuhiro Makoshi was among them; alas, no. The 60+ men group has picked up a couple of megalodons: WSX’s Jaime Palacios and TRR’s Steve Calidonna , chalking up 87.27% and 85.18% respectively. Who do they think they are, Dan Gercke and Peter Brady ?
As to CPTC 60+ men, our faithfuls were in Central Park, notably with Kevin McGuire as a cheerer rather than a runner. Our big guns were out and we had backup. In light of all the talent on the hoof among the competition, our 60+guys ran as well as they looked.
Venti Blonde, no room, Hank Schiffman (yours truly) scored first, in 33:46, 34:14 last year, 33:35 in 2013. Frank Handelman’s observation rings true:
You can always run faster than the year before. I know, sooner or later this will not pan out, but for a time it will. Maybe not faster than 5 years before, but one year before, yes.
Hank was snapping at the heels of Alan Ruben till mile 2 when Alan surged, then settled in. Come mile 3 he put the hammer down and was gone up yonder chasing wife Gordon . Welcome back Mr Ruben !
Second scorer, Chris Neuhoff , 34:53 (34:38 last year, 35:45 2013) is seeing his AG% go up: 75.54% to 78.68% to today’s 78.83%.
Chris :
The Gay Pride Race went well for me. I was hoping to hit 7 min pace and just squeaked under with 6:59.
It was great keying off Captain Hank for about a minute as he zoomed past me at the start.
Tony gave me good advice about conserving energy for the first two miles. I need to train more on hills. I was telling friends the week before the race about “the big hill”, “the rolling hills” and “cat hill”. I got to get over it…them!
Third scorer, Gary Gosselin , 35:47 came in at 74.79%, a shade under 75%.
Gary’s focus is on the 2 marathons, Boston and NYC. He shoehorns road races into his overall scheme towards 26.2. His big weekly mileage and comprehensive training is the rising tide raising his speed in all venues.
Both of these guys were flying below my radar pre-race. I lost track of the fact that they were running. Meanwhile, Phil Vasquez and Dave Delano were accounted for. Phil ran 40:14 and Dave 48:26 (last year 48:02).
Phil has been making steady progress in recovering from foot surgery, sensibly plotting his way back to avoid a setback.
I assumed it was just the 3 of us. Instead they proved our backup as Chris and Gary showed up and pushed their weight around. 3 solid scorers beat 2 high cards. Taconic and West Side each were dragged down by their 3rd runner. Brooklyn stole the show with 3 picture cards. They had 2 kings and Jack McShane , just recovering from a touch of Lyme.
Thus it came to pass that CPTC finished in 1:44:26, second place to Brooklyn’s 1:40:47. We bested Taconic by less than half a minute with their 1:44:53. West Side, for all their speed their super star came up short with a slow third runner in 1:46:36.
The standings:
BRRC 72 (-2 = 45)
CPTC 50 (-2 = 34)
WSX 43 (-2 = 33)
TRR 38 (-2 = 26)
WIT 30 (-2 = 23)
VCTC 29 (-2 = 21)
FRNY 18 (-2 = 13)
Yes, WSX is running in our shadow. We need focus, a talisman to prevent injuries, a bit of luck and able bodies at the starting line.
One day later, 4 of our 60+ men were almost half of the 9 CPTC runners in the Achilles Hope and Possibility 5 miler.
Chris Neuhoff pulled off back to back 5 milers running 35:03/78.43%, 3rd in age group.
Harry Lichtenstein ran 42:29/64.14%.
George Hirsch , 1st in age group, ran 43:45/81.48%.
Doug Labar , ran 46:39/56.87%.
If we are serious about this team point horse race we have to be hitting on all cylinders for the Club Championships. Register, run, cheer on our women, stay for the group photo and more.
Captain Hank