From Phil Falk of the Open:
It was a fine day for a race on Saturday, the Scotland 10K, and the CPTC men put up solid results to show it! We are leaving behind us winter weather miseries, so really the only complaint you could lodge was “wow, that sun in my eyes was sure bright!” I stayed on the sidelines this race (due to a quasi running-related injury), which gave me the unusual chance to watch a team race from the sidelines. It turns out this is much easier than running the race! But it also allowed me to see first-hand the impressive efforts, teamwork, and results that CPTC brings out across the whole field.
Matt Lacey, Stan Berkow and Will Davis
Photo: Nigel Francis
We had ten runners under 35 minutes, which placed us in a comfortable third place in the team standings:
Will | Davis | 32:12 | |
Taylor | Burmeister | 32:43 | |
Stan | Berkow | 32:50 | |
Greg | Cass | 33:xx | |
Matt | Lacey | 33:26 | |
Chris | Solarz | 33:41 | |
Patrick | Hynes | 33:54 | |
Jeff | Ares | 34:04 | |
Giancarlos | Zambrano | 34:27 | |
Martin | Huber | 34:45 |
Giancarlos Zambrano and Martin Huber
Photo: Nigel Francis
Many strong performances and shout outs to note: Fritz Huber took down a PR, 34:45. Huge PRs from the brothers Gonzalez Vidals, Offir at 38:14 (44 second PR), and Iber at 37:20 (46 second PR).
Iber Gonzalez Vidals
Photo: Jay Mojica
Ken Tso stuck with a pack of CPTC teammates, and “unexpectedly ended up with a PR by 5 seconds (37:35). CPTC in full effect. Hopefully a good setup for Boston!” And Ben Pedersen adds: “Having not run a 10k in 2 years (since Scotland ’12), I was pretty confident I would run a PR today. That being said, I was pleased with my 36:42, which was square within my target range, and an 8 minute PR was icing on the cake.” Eight minutes!
From David Greenberg of the 40-49:
You know how athletes aren’t supposed to celebrate after winning a semifinal or an early round playoff game? Coaches tell them to keep in mind that the victory that counts comes at the end of the season.
Forget that – I’m celebrating right now – what a day. We did everything right – big turnout, lots of PRs, smart racing.
John Milone
Photo: Ben Ko
First the bottom line: We won the team race by 51 seconds over Warren Street, who had beaten us at Coogans. That should put us in a tie with Warren Street for the lead in the season points championship. Last year we were already a distant third after Scotland, so we are way ahead of that campaign. We traditionally do well in the last few races of the year, so we’re right where we need to be.
I’m most happy with the turnout – We had an amazing 19 people on the line – that is almost 1 of 4 of the 81 CPTC starters. Last year we sent just 11 people up against the Urban Athletics juggernaut… and not surprisingly we took fourth in that race. But more than our win/loss record, a big turnout is exactly what I had in mind when I think of masters road racing. More of the same, please.
But this was a footrace after all, and we won.
Our #1 man was veteran Daniel Gercke. On the team for many years, but injured too much, Daniel turned up the wick at just the right time. Those of us on Strava see how hard Daniel trains, so it was great to see him get in a good race, a personal record (35:57/83.4%) and third in the 45-49:
Daniel Gercke and Jim McQuade
Photo: Jay Mojica
It took me a full 10 minutes to pin my bib in the morning cold – this was my first team race in two years and Team Captain Greenberg had to resort to massive psychological pressure to even get me to the start line. Somehow I managed to avoid doing anything stupid in the first half, stayed loose through uphill Mile 4, and found Jim McQuade to keep me company at the finish. It was a significant PR, and the CPTC support all along the route was better (and louder) than a thousand bagpipes.
Dependable Jim McQuade was our #2, running his best Central Park 10k in four and a half years (36:02/81.27%) and also a podium in the 40-44. Jim has been the lynchpin of the CPTC 40-49 lately, scoring in several consecutive races.
David Greenberg was third man, as he was at Washington Heights, and finished fifth in the 45-49. His 35:54/80.60% was his best AG% ever in a Central Park race.
David Greenberg
Photo: Jay Mojica
I never felt great out there but I am happy that I was able to get through some tough miles, run a solid time and score for the team. I think if my fitness can pull me through a so-so feeling race, when I get in a good one, maybe big things can happen.
Beyond the top 3, I’m not sure how to order things – there were so many PRs and great races. One of my favorite measures is all time best AG%, and we had many of those.
En Cho continues his massively vertical improvement trajectory. He hit 74% for the first time at Washington Heights and just a month later is already almost at 76%:
En Cho
Photo: NYRR
I ran 37:42 yesterday, a 29 second PR and a new age-grade best of 75.95%. While I didn’t score for CPTC, I’m pleased to finish in the top 10 in my age category, for the first time, in a club scoring race. Consistent indoor track training and racing at the Armory paid off.
Daniel Ifcher was #4 man, converting his Boston training into 10k sustained speed. He set a masters 10k PR and an all-time high AG% on the road:
Daniel Ifcher
Photo: Jay Mojica
I ran 37:14/79.26%, which is technically 6:01, so I missed the sub-6 barrier by 3 seconds, but that is fine… this is a PR in my 40’s and may be best AG score ever. At least so I can recall.
As many of you know, I’ve done a lot of mileage this spring, including several longer races and Boston coming up in 2 weeks. So my plan was to be conservative at the start and see how I felt. 1st mile plan was anywhere from 6:10 to 6:30, given that it can be a tough mile, and then to progress down to flat 6’s by mile 3 and carry that through for the rest of the course, roughly.
I have to say that the team workouts of tempo/ progression/ neg split and the times I could make it to the Armory really helped, as well as the longer races I already have run… I felt solid running through mile 4 and 5.
The only “disappointment” if you can call it that is running a good race and NOT scoring for the team… Ha!
Coleman Cowan also PRd by several definitions – in both absolute terms and in AG% with his 37:27/77.6%/6th place in the 40-44:
What’s been the difference? Tony. He’s finally convinced me to back off all the miles I’d been eating up running ultras and focus on better-quality workouts. I went from 70-mile weeks to about 50-55 that were much more focused on speed than distance. I also added track workouts at the Armory this winter. I was pleasantly surprised that the fewer but faster miles left my legs not only fresher, but stronger as well… exactly like Tony said they would. It took many months for him to convince me his plan would work, but now I’m a believer.
Ed Hernandez’ Boston prep is clearly going well as he PRd by 26 seconds with his 38:53/76.51%:
This race was another P.R. for me at a 10k(38:53),but my goal for this race was 37:59.
I know what went wrong with this race,and again its because of where i positioned myself
at the start.I need to line up with the group and feed off the pace,but overall i had a fair race and will look to do better next club race.
Wolfram Schlenker’s 39:24/72.67% was a masters pr on the Central Park course and like others an all- time best AG%.
Martin Alperin also hit an all-time best AG (43:44/65.96%) in just his third race in the orange.
My race was about where I expected to be. I was hoping to dip under 7:00 pace average but a slow 4th mile put that out of reach. I’m surprised about the AG% being my best in the NYRR system but that appears to be right. (I guess my faster races were not NYRR). I’ll have to start paying attention to AG.
Impressed yet by the number of PRs? They keep coming – this is why I run this race every year and you should too.
Wayne Merdis set a new person best for the 10K:
I think I did very well considering I really haven’t been training the way I am supposed to because of this crazy weather. This race is actually kicking my season off. This race is in fact my CPTC 10K PR.
Michael Nolan hit a PR with his 38:42/77.47% – great to see the orange magic working for him in his first year on the team:
This was a PR for me but that is working off a low base, as I have not done much racing until recently. Regardless, I was pleased with the result (although by mile 3 I was feeling the port and chocolate I had for dessert with friends on Friday night — why I thought that was a good idea is baffling to me now).
I am now focused on making some more time improvements. I don’t have a spring marathon so the Brooklyn Half is my next target, and I would like to beat my time at the NYC half.
A warm welcome to Dennis Younglove who made his CPTC debut on Saturday and was happy to meet his goal of breaking 40:
I just wanted to see the numbers 39. The first half was a bit fast but I was able to hang on without too much slowdown.
The opposite of a novice, Michael Caggia has been racing in CP since 2007. But this was his second best 10k ever.
CPTC veteran David Dorsey made his comeback stick with a solid 39:46/75.38% – let’s wish David health as his comeback proceeds.
David Dorsey
Photo: Jay Mojica
Laurence Go is moving in the right direction with his best AG% in a year.
Robert Neal has run just three CPTC races but this was his finest with a 38:58/76.34%.
Tim Stockert finally hit the results officially in orange and set his Central Park personal record for 10k: 38:29/77.9%.
If I left you out, I apologize – a turnout of 19 guys creates giant amount of data, almost all of it very, very good.
Out of Central Park we had a few performances to note well:
Andrew Hogue was fifth in the 40-44 400 (53.45) at the World Masters meet in Hungary.
At the other end of the running world, Alexandre Tilmant continues to push the boundaries with a successful 50 miler:
For the record I ran Leatherwood Mountain 50M near Ferguson, NC. Brutal course with 10’000 feet of total climbing (and the same down…) in terribly muddy/slippery/rainy conditions. 10h30mn, 7th overall, 2nd Master.
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Last year a group of CPTCers ventured all the way to Jersey City for the Newport 10000 and well-earned brunch after. It’s a fast course – a treat after so much Central Park racing. I’ll probably race it again – it would be fun to have a group of us again. Let me know if you can race and we can set up transportation and logistics. Saturday, May 3.
Brooklyn is next – we have a huge crew for that one – I’m really looking forward to it. After that is Portugal on June 15, where I am hoping the new kids on the block – Cary Segall, Brenn Jones, Gerd Zeibig and others – can step in and take the baton.
Gerd Zeibig (age 39), John Milone, Coleman Cowan
Photo: Jay Mojica
From Chris Donnelly of the 50-59:
With the strains of Scotland the Brave filling the air on a beautiful, sunny morning for racing, CPTC’s 50+ men notched another NYRR club points victory in Saturday’s 10k. Orange was everywhere, as CPTC fielded 81 runners, eight of them in the 50-59 age group, and the team landed a win, place, or show in just about every category.
This week’s result moves the 50+ men back into the lead in the club points competition. Alan Ruben, having clocked a blistering 1:21:10 at the NYC Half Marathon a few weeks ago, rocketed here to another first-place finish in the 55-59 age group to lead the CPTC scoring effort. Alan ran 37:37, good for an 86.48% AG. Art Palmer was our second scorer, his 39:11 (83.04%) good a fourth place overall in the 55-59 age group.
Art Palmer
Photo: Jay Mojica
This team continues to show tremendous depth, with three more runners dipping below 41 minutes. Any of them would have been sufficient to lock up a first place finish for the team. Chris Donnelly rounds out the scoring with a 40:28 (77.11% AG), good for 8th in the 50-54 AG. Casey Yamazaki was hot on his heels, at 40:30 (76.42% AG) for 9th in the 50-54 category. The amazing Yasuhiro Makoshi of the 60+ men, who scored numerous times for us last year, was a mere 10 seconds back of Casey, at 40:40 (82.84%).
Chris Donnelly
Photo: Ben Ko
There was plenty of additional support on the road, too. CPTC training seems to agree with Mikal Scott, whose AG scores have marched steadily higher since his first race for the team back in October. This time out, Mikal ran a personal best 41:50, for a 75.82% AG, his best showing in an NYRR race.
Mikal Scott
Photo: Jay Mojica
Joe Bachana got a nice runner’s birthday present with his 46:32 (65.99% AG) performance, noting: “It was a great race. The weather was perfect and the winds didn’t really pick up until afterwards. It was also my first race in the 50-54 age group, which is stacked pretty deep with talent.” Budd Heyman followed closely behind, with a 46:54 (68.79% AG). Finally, Stuart Alexander was back in action – and back in tartan. Stuart clocked in at 50:13 (65.35% AG), styling a kilt as he crossed the finish.
Stuart Alexander
Photo: JayMojica
Next up: The Brooklyn Half Marathon. Go orange!
From Hank Schiffman of the 60-69:
CPTC 60+ men earned a close 2nd to the Brooklyn Road Runners 2:07:29, running 2:09:51. Taconic took 3rd with 2:13:39.
This was a day of reversal of fortunes as Timothy Delany of Taconic, their primary scorer, fell apart in mile 4. Newly graduated to the 60 year old age group, Brooklyn’s John Shostrom, who ran a 19:19 at this year’s “Coogan’s” 5k, was this year’s sub 40:00 guy. His speed combined with Jack McShane’s talent launched Brooklyn into 1st. Darwin was correct, competition keeps the breed strong.
Thus, Yasuhiro Makoshi, our shining star/1st scorer, took 2nd in age group running 40:40, down from last year’s 39:38, which was faster than this year’s John Shostrom’s 39:46. Yasuhiro’s 6:34 pace translated to 82.84%, 28th man overall age graded. He scurried by me after the start like the White Rabbit, late for dinner with the Queen. It was the 8th highest age graded runner of the 81 CPTC in this race.
And yet some things don’t change. Last year I finished 4th in age group and 25th age graded men overall: no change this year. I ran a 6:42 pace in 41:33 for 83.29%. Last year it was a 6:39 pace in 41:12 for 83.22%, again our second scorer behind Yasuhiro. WAVA has solved the ironic problem of running slower and appearing faster.
Hank Schiffman
Photo: Jay Mojica
Kevin McGuire was our 3rd scorer. His 47:38 (faster than last year 48:32), 7:41 pace effort afforded us our 2nd place. 3 other runners, registered for this event scratched due to injury and illness: Dan Molloy, Chris Neuhoff and Dave Delano. Kevin was right there to catch us from a free fall. He was 12th place in age group out of 91 at 71.36%. His disposition gets percentages in the high 90s.
Kevin McGuire
Photo: Jay Mojica
Kevin adds: “Was a great day to run. Park is starting to bloom for Spring. Was thinking about all the guys who were sidelined for this race. Hope to see the team at full strength next race.
I did miss Coach Tony at miles 1 and 5 screaming words of wisdom at us. He is recovering from the flu and will be at it again shortly.”
Backing up Kevin, freshly back from Germany, was CPTC veteran Rick Shaver running 48:11 at a 7:47 pace, 69.9%, and just behind Kevin in age group, 13th out of 91. Rick was there to catch us had Kevin found himself on the bench.
Rick Shaver
Photo: Jay Mojica
Warming up pre race with Kevin was Fred Trilli, our ambassador to the 65-69 age group. 25th in that group, he ran 59.48% in 1:00:22 (last year 56:12).
Hounded with injuries, Bill Allert was our final finisher, at 1:02:26. Bill said: “I felt the team’s bases were covered for this one. I came almost straight from a family wedding the night before, not the best pre-race preparation, so I ran socially with friends.”
After 2 out of 11 races, we are in 1st place with 27 points, 2 points over Brooklyn with 25 and Taconic in 3rd with 25.
Next up is the Brooklyn Half on May 17th. Registration is closed. Let me know if you are running.
Hats off to Sid Howard for running 800 meters in 2:53:29, taking silver Men 75-79 at the World’s Masters Championships.
Photo: Ben Ko