GSTC Opens Up Lead in Historic Day
Going into the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Championships, RVRR held a slim one point lead over the Garden State Track Club in the Overall Grand Prix Team Championships, 200-199. However, the Golden Phalanx brought seventy-four runners to battle yesterday, ranging in age from 18-67, resulting in a historic 92 total team points--a USATF-NJ record for most point in one event. Scoring teams in every division, the GSTC now holds the lead in the Overall Grand Prix for the first time in club history, 291-233. Want to know more about this Herculean team effort? See below!
Ogletree Wins, Women Score 5 Teams in Best All-Time Team Effort
Jersey City- As she's done since 2011, Cheyenne Ogletree ran a passionate race as the GSTC front-running woman, leading her team to its most dominant performance in club history at the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Championships early Sunday morning. Not only did her efforts land her the winning $200 purse, she broke the GSTC club record, hitting the tape in 1:20:45, or 6:09 a mile.
The women swept the top three team places, a club first, and also had teams finish 7th and 10th. Having five teams score was also a club record.
In the race of 2,696 finishers, the Women in Gold put six in the top ten. Katie Chaput continued her outstanding fall, finishing second in 1:22:53 (GSTC #3), and thus winning $150. Danielle Czohla averaged 6:24 miles to finish at 1:23:53, ranking her #4 on the all-time club list- and winning $125. Alyssa Douma, like her three teammates, also PRed and finished 4th overall, winning $100 and thus moving up into the GSTC #5 all-time spot. Angela Dunn was the final top-10 finisher, averaging 6:41's for a 1:27:38 finish- good for #8 GSTC all time.
The winning team comprised of Ogletree, Chaput, Douma, and Erin Higgins (1:28:50) averaged 1:24:09; this would have placed 8th in the open men's race, as only three men's teams (GSTC, RVRR, GR) would have beaten them! The silver medal team averaged 1:28:20 and was Czohla, Dunn, Ewelina Marut (1:27:49), and Meghan DeCarlo (1:34:03). The bronze medal team, who averaged 1:31:24, was Chelsea Callan (1:28:47), Erika Meling (1:29:54), Tiff Schwartz (1:32:10), and Courtney Stanton (1:34:44).
Croff Wins Big, Men Sweep Top 5 Team Spots
Jersey City- In his GSTC debut, Chris Croff ran a PR and the third fastest half marathon in club history, as he ran away with a 68:58 win in the USATF-NJ Half Marathon Grand Prix Championships. Winning $200, he became just the third man in gold to dip under 69:00 for 13.1 miles, joining the elite group with Jeff Perrella (68:12) and Tom Poland (68:38). Not a bad first impression, indeed.
The Men in Gold made USATF-NJ association history, becoming the first team to ever sweep the top five team spots in a road race. To pull this off, they put seven in the top ten, and an incredible twenty in the top thirty-two. With the top five finishers on each team counting toward the team total, their top five teams averaged, respectively, 73:45, 74:51, 75:16, 76:16, and 77:34. Garmin Runners finished 6th with a 77:59 average while the GSTC "F Team" finished 13th of 17th teams.
Steve Mennitt ran a 2:00 PR, as his 5:19 pace finished him 3rd with a 69:39 finish, good for a $125 pay day. William Griffin, making his debut in Black and Gold, barely dipped under the 70:00 mark, finishing 4th in 69:59 to win $100. Teammate Michael Fonder, despite nursing an inflamed phalange in his foot, snagged 5th place and the final money spot, earning $50 for his 70:06 finish.
Also in the top ten were Ashwin Anantharaman (70:41/PR/6th), Ken Goglas (70:51/7th), Sean Donohue (71:56/PR/8th), and Mike Anis (72:15/PR/10th).
There were numerous GSTC debut performances that enabled the historic 1-2-3-4-5 sweep of the top five team spots. Those included Donohue, Rob Marczydlo (76:28), Matthew Eder (75:32), Joe Zeoli (77:40), Henry Mattingly (80:40), Bryan McDonnell (75:11), Jon Lindenauer (77:01), Keith Gruchacz (78:33), and Tom Visicaro (80:29).
Women's Masters: A Point is a Point!
The GSTC Master's Women 40s team finished in 8th place our of twelve teams, locking up one point for the club in the overall team score. The team was led by Sarah Hersey, making her Gold Debut, in 1:39:24. Teammates Joan Darnsteadt (2:00:31), Jennifer Briganti (2:02:18), and Prudence Jones (2:21:51) teamed up with Hersey for the very rare women's masters complete team and point!
Men's Masters: 60s Snag Silver
In one of the biggest surprises of the day, the GSTC Men's 60's team finished second place out of nine teams—good for seven points. Averaging 1:43:49, this is the highest masters men's finish in club history. While Francis Beideman (1:40:33) and Peter Auteri (1:41:26) have been consistent team participants, the deciding factor was the addition of the third man to complete the scoring team, Massoud Messkoub. The 67 year old cranked out a 1:49:28, helping GSTC's first 60s team to its clutch silver medal finish.
In a tragic moment, masters' standout Marty Doherty broke his foot in the opening mile of the race stepping in a pothole. While this prevented the men's 40s team from having a complete scoring team, most especially the masters group will lose their strongest runner for the remainder of the fall season. We wish Marty a quick and speedy recovery.
The men's 50s team, however, did grab six team points thanks to their 1:40:56 average and 5th place finish. Brian Harris was the top finisher in 1:35:51, with Jeremy Stratton (1:37:21) right behind him. Beideman, Auteri, and Messkoub rounded out the team for the GSTC.
See Star Ledger article HERE, with lots of GSTC pictures
See results HERE
North Enclave Wins GSTC Brouhaha
The North Enclave is the new Enclave Champ, dethroning the Princeton Enclave from the top of the Enclave Mountain. Thank goodness, because we were all tired of hearing Peter Bolgert saying his enclave was the "Winningest Enclave in Brouhaha History."
The scores were as follows: North 23, Princeton 34, Central 36, Beach 64, and Morristown 70. The Jersey City and South Enclaves had just three finishers, rendering them both an unfortunate incompletes.
The Enclave Brouhaha is a contest between regional training groups of the GSTC. All men and women are assigned a number based on their overall finish within the team. The top five finishers-male or female- for each enclave are added up, and the enclave with the lowest score wins.
Ogletree, Czohla, Douma, and Marut were the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th finishers for the GSTC women, and McDonnell was the men's #9 finisher. This adds up to 23 points, giving the North their victory. Despite Enclave Captain Adin Mickle's claims that the "South is Rising Again," we don't know what the $%^& he's talking about, as they recorded their second INC of the year.
Chaput (2), Fonder (4), Anantharaman (5), Schwartz (10), and Bolgert (13) enabled the defending champs to scrap together a silver medal finish, as the Central grabbed bronze thanks to the finishes of Mennit (2), Goglas (6), Anis (8), Erika Meling (9), and Kyle Price (11).
In the upcoming cross country races, the Enclave Brouhaha will be scored not on the top three, not on the top five, but….on the top seven!
1. North Enclave: 23 points.
Ogletree (1), Czohla (3), Douma (4), Marut (6), McDonell (9), K. Auteri (11), Meghan DeCarlo (12), Courtney Stanton (13), Danielle Stanton (14), Lindenauer (16), Steven Comanto (21), Joan Darnsteadt (25), Rob DeCarlo (32), Jaris Rousseau (33), Brian Harris (35), Beideman (40), P. Auteri (41), Dave Donza (42),
2. Princeton Enclave: 34 points.
Chaput (2), Fonder (4), Anantharaman (5), Schwartz (10), Bolgert (13), Cathy Stutzman (17), Mattingly (24),
3. Central Enclave: 36 points.
Mennitt (2), Goglas (6), Anis (8), Meling (9), Price (11), Marczydlo (14), Chuck Schneekloth (15), Tim Morgan (18), Keith Gruchacz (20), Steph Donatone (20), Visicaro (22), Edsel Flores (23), Aysha Mirza (23), Jones (28), Dan Teichmann (29), Mark Parisen (31), Danny Siegel (35), Jeremy Stratton (37), Nick Waclowski (38), Sai Medicherla (39), Jonathan Campanaro (45)
4. Beach Enclave: 64 points.
Chelsea Callan (7), Donohue (7), Christina Chafos (15), Erin Blum (16), Dennie Waite (19), Ken Walsh (25), Vanessa Chafos (27),
5. Morristown Enclave: 70 points.
Chris Croff (1), Erin Higgins (8), Hersey (18), Jill Zablocki (21), Heather McDermott (22), Jay Margolis (26), Jennifer Briganti (26), Mark Miniverni (27), Terri Rozyla (29), Dave Dos Santos (30), Andrew Tschesnok (34), George Feese (43), Messkoub (44),
INC: Jersey City Enclave
Griffin (3), Bearisto (19), Darnell Armstrong (28)
INC: South Enclave.
Angela Dunn (5), Adin Mickle (10), Joe Zeoli (17)
Team Runs: Enclaves at Work!
Monday: Princeton Enclave 6pm @ Mercer Co. Park. Meet by bathrooms at the West Picnic Area. Follow green arrow here.
Monday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center
Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook
Tuesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center
Tuesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Holmdel Park
Tuesday: North Enclave 6pm @ Saddle Brook
Wednesday: Princeton Enclave 5pm @ Turning Basin Park (Princeton/Alexander Rd)
Wednesday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center
Wednesday: Morristown Enclave 6:15pm @ Morristown Running Company
Wednesday: Beach Enclave 6pm @ Pt Boro HS with Coach Greer
Thursday: North Enclave: Event/run at Fleet Feet. Contact DeCarlos for more information.
Thursday: Central Enclave 6pm @ Rutgers Student Center
Friday: Central Enclave 4pm @ Rutgers Student Center
Saturday: GSTC Sprinter/Jumper/Hurdler practice: 9:30 @ Donaldson Park in Highland Park
Saturday: Princeton Enclave TBA @ Village Park (Lawrenceville)
Saturday: Morristown Enclave 9am @ Morristown Running Company
Sunday: Team Run at Washington's Crossing, 9am
See Facebook Event Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/550689108320292/
Other Results
Ruscel Kirkland had a busy weekend, running 19:15 at the Mental Health 5k on Sunday and running 5:20 at the 5th Avenue Mile. Speaking of the 5th Ave Mile, three other GSTC'ers did it: Ted Doyle (4:31), Sam Harris (4:48), and Woody Kongsumut (5:24).
Dave Hamilton ran 3:00:30 in the Air Force Marathon on Saturday. Finishing 33rd overall of 3,163, he was 16th of Active Military out of 1,600, and was 5th in the men's 35-39 age category.
Finally, Liz Licorish won $100 by winning the Runnemede Rotary 5k this weekend! She ran 22:11 for the dubya…we love it!
By Amy Denholtz
The Steady Striders will be meeting this Thursday at 6:00pm at the Rutgers Student Center in New Brunswick. Prudence Jones will be leading the run, so if you want to hop in for some miles at 10-12 minute miles, email her at
GSTC Personal Training Daily Tip
By Erika Meling
For running, strengthening the upper body is just as important as working the lower body. Your arms are what propels you forward and helps maintain speed throughout the workout. When you run, your arms counterbalance the motion of your legs, which results in saved energy. Having a strong upper body will also keep you in proper running form when fatigue sets in.
Email her with questions at GSTCpersonaltraining@gmail.com.
Gold Star
By Ashwin Anantharaman
Sarah Hersey
Sarah joined GSTC a week ago after Karen Auteri convinced her that we were the coolest people around and she should get to know us. Her pre race/running routine is drink diet coke, a bit of chocolate, a protein bar and water. She just started racing a couple of years ago and has completed 1 10k, 2 5ks and a couple half marathons with her PR being 94:33. Outside of running she also competes in triathlons, loves to travel as she tries to spend 1 day in each state and has only 4 to go. She also likes to volunteer and spend time with family and friends
Andrew Tschesnok
Andrew joined GSTC 10 days ago after realizing he would be of huge help for our masters team(40 or older). He started running again last year after getting injured in college. His Prs from college are 4:18 for the mile, 2:30 for the 1k and 32 mins for the 10k. He basically got off the couch and trained for a marathon in 4 months. He still ran an impressive 3 hours 35 minutes after a nearly 20 year hiatus. His goals are to be a better masters runner by break 80 minutes in the half and possibly 34 in the 10k. He says the problem is consistent running but joining GSTC is the right step into becoming a more consistent runner. He spends time with his family when he is not running especially his 21 month old and has a pilots license.
Quotes of the Week
"Vultures always circle above me for whatever reason." -Jeff Blough, masters captain, during a Princeton Enclave run
"I've been hanging ot with Jeff Blough all week…there's got to be something." -Peter Bolgert, via FB chat, when asked if there were any good QOTW from his runs
"It was great to run with the GSTC today!! Such an awesome performance by the team. Thank you to Nick Mercoun Breanne Hollenbach Maryam Haque Ybrahina Cohen Al Alonso and my parents for coming out to cheer me on!! You guys are great!!" –Ewelina Marut, via FB post
"BEAST!!!!!! So proud of you!!!!!!!" -Karen Auteri, FB post to Danielle Czohla, after her magnificent run
"I just set my Personal Record for a half marathon at 1:56:14. That's 28 minutes faster than my previous PR set in April!" -Jonathan Companaro, in new first GSTC race, experiencing the magic of the gold uniform.
"5 Things I learned yesterday.
1. I am not in the shape I was in last year....yet.
2. Our men's 60s team is really good.
3. Never underestimate 18-23 year olds in their first half marathon.
4. It is more enjoyable at these races when we have more people there.
5. Will Griffin is the happiest person on this team, maybe the world." -Ken Goglas, via FB post
"Battled back and forth with this guy for the last three miles of the race but got him in the last quarter mile." -Sean Donohue, FB captain of finish line picture at race
"Congrats to everyone who ran in the Half Marathon today! Regarding the brouhaha competition, it looks like we've been beaten by the Central Enclave, and probably the North Enclave as well. Stay tuned for Chuck Schneekloth's error-ridden recap tomorrow!" -Peter Bolgert, Princeton Enclave weekly post. As of this week, there is now an editor….so there! Anyone else want to spend all day Sunday putting this damned email together?
"69th overall out over 3,000 people and PR my time by 3 mins from last year with a time of 1:24:39 average pace was 6:22 per mile." -Mark Miniverni, via FB post
"I'm having dessert now? Where is the weekly email?" -David Dos Santos, via text, asking impatiently Monday night.
"Coming!!!!!!!" -GSTC weekly email correspondent
"That's what she said." -DDS
Tim Morgan Award: Welcome to the Team!
For some, a TMA is a regular occurrence. For others, it's the email section they look at first, but dread to see their name. The smart ones just fly under the radar, avoiding any possibility of receiving the GSTC Scarlet Letter. For most, it is a rite of passage, a welcoming into the team, a tradition that dates back to the ancient times of….2011. Or, one may argue, the birthday of Tim Morgan, whenever the heck that was.
All that aside, we welcome Josh Neyhart, a 3:48 1500m runner (~4:05 mile), with his first TMA. He received numerous emails and texts regarding details of the race this weekend, and as the team manager, his duties with pictures, uniforms, watching over team bags, etc. were quite clear, as were the time, location, and other expectations of the services he so happily volunteered with Nicole Callaghan.
At 7:18am, he sent a text asking "Where in Jersey City are we meeting?", and followed this with some Morgan-Esque questions of confusion and chaos. We are fairly sure he never even made it to the race, despite the week of discussion about it. While we appreciate the apologetic texts afterward, we welcome you to the few, the proud….the winners of the Tim Morgan Award.
Next, Jaris Rousseau gets his first call upon the Timmy carpet. First, he drives twenty miles SOUTH to carpool in the team van with us NORTH (we drive right by Union, where he lives, when going to Jersey City). Next, he's ten minutes late—not cool. Then, as he's rushing out of his car, he locks his keys in his car. THEN, he stops in the middle of his race because he had a huge breakfast to go to the bathroom. Jaris is a living, breathing testament to the old adage, "Common sense ain't so common."
Finally, the race director of the Liberty Waterfront Half Marathon gets the nod for the overall safety negligence on their half marathon course. When the headline of the Star Ledger's article emphasizes the many injuries incurred during the race—that's just not good. At all. Some are independent of the course, but some were directly correlated—such as our runner breaking his foot in a pot hole. No one is asking you to repave the entire course, but hell- ride the course and throw up some cones in the danger zones. Furthermore, having several water spots is another easy fix, requiring someone with a shovel to just get their hands a little dirty. The GSTC has removed larger water puddles for both Road Relays and the College Ave Mile, and we were disappointed such safety measures were not taken by the race management here.
This Week in Training
By Chris Tafelski
Priority 1 this week is recovery. A hard HM is a lot to pull together from, so we're going to take it light until late in the week, and even then it's going to be very off-the-clock. Err on the easy side, with lighter volume if necessary. Listen to your body. We had fantastic results, and there's more to come. But we can't get to more quality training until we're back to 100%. We are supposed to have excellent weather this week, so that will help!
Monday - super easy recovery day - 40-60 minutes and some light stretching.
Tuesday - comfortable distance and strides. Volume is totally up to you.
Wednesday - medium run of 75% long run duration - pace is up to you. You may want to start off easy and let it progress naturally just based on feel.
Thursday - another comfortable distance day with strides.
Friday - fartlek run with 8-10 pickups of 1:00-2:00 at 10k pace, with enough recovery time to run the next pickup feeling good.
Saturday - same as Tuesday and Thursday.
Sunday - long run!
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