Tuesday, December 23, 2014

(12/22-12/28): 2014 aGSTC Awards Banquet!



THE WEEKLY EMAIL

Nothing but a G-Thing, Baby

The Fourth Annual
Black and Gold 
Awards Banquet

Saturday, January 24
The Old Bay Restaurant
Downtown New Brunswick 6-9pm


Registration is limited to first 150 members 
and their friends and family


Next week we will all vote on the following awards:

Most Valuable Performer
Most Improved Performer
Quotes of the Year
TMA
Rutgers Athlete of the Year
Behind the Curtains Award
Recruiter of the Year
Enclave of the Year
Track and Field Awards
Masters Awards
Social Media Award
Jeff Perrella Excellence in Injury Award
Team Performance of the Year
Individual Performance of the Year
Others TBA


aGSTC 2014 Awards Banquet
Three Course Meal
Open Bar
Club Awards
Hall of Fame
Guest Speakers 
Club Gear Raffles




 





The Spring Training Plan
From Ken and Mike: "We are currently working on the plan for the upcoming spring racing season.  In the meantime enjoy another week off or active rest.  Feel free to start easy running if you so desire."

Next week, we will email out the link for yearly dues.  All dues-paying members will receive the spring training plan, along with having access to aGSTC marathon plans, middle distance plans, sprint plans, etc.


Twitter Follower of the Week
As you may know, Josh Neyhart runs the club's Tinder page.  Oh wait, we mean Twitter.  If you haven't followed us @GardenStateTC, you should.  In fact, we have 839 followers--14 more than last week.  Not bad not bad not bad at all.

That said, the Twitter Follower of the Week is the Indiana Invaders.  They used to be a really good club.  But they've since faded like our hairline.  Either way, we also like their follower @TheAngryAssRunner.  They clearly beat Anis to the punch.



 

ROAD RELAYS TWITTER
Dude!  Follow our Road Relays Twitter account...we have 114.  We need to get moving.  @RoadRelays.  Holla at us!

Cheyenne's Somethings of the Week




Gold Star
Welcoming New Members
by Ashwin Anantharaman

James Perlas









James chose to become a runner because he knew it would help him become a better person all around. You learn to challenge yourself and push yourself and others to succeed when your brain says you can't. Like most things, running is usually just more fun with a team. He enjoys solo runs as well as group runs; but actual competition and racing  is always better when you have a teammate to push you, and vice versa.


Outside of running he loves love DC comics. He enjoys lots of sports, from basketball to wrestling (though he is not particularly good at them). He works as his college's Men's Outreach Coordinator which also keeps him passionate about healthy masculinity and social justice.
He has a tough time picking his favorite place to run. He had some incredible runs in the Basque country of Spain but also loves running around Sleepy Hollow and in the alpine boat basin.

Kyle's Korner
Kyle's Korner is a segment of the Club's weekly email that will focus on reacquainting you with a different current club member each week. We will catch you up on how they are doing with regards to their training, their lives, and other general nonsense. This segment intends to be informative and educational while attempting humor in a purely inoffensive way. Mostly.

This week we spoke to the wild and crazy Chris Schneider. He started stepping up his game in a big way his last year at ESU and has been raising the bar for himself ever since. Coming off an impressive Fall season he is looking to continue his efforts for track.
 
Kyle: Top 'o the mornin' to ya Chris. Thanks for joining us.
Mr. Schneider: Anytime bruh
Kyle: Now to start off, you have had a most successful Fall season these last few months, can you tell us about it?
Mr. Schneider: Well it was a rough start getting used to training outside of college and once I got in the groove of things it became easy and I really have to thank ken and the gang for letting me workout with them cause that def contributed to it. I wish the ending woulda been as good but with me getting used to a longer season and my new job
Starting up there was only so much that could be done, but it coulda been worse I guess lol
Kyle: That transition is never an easy one. You had some monster races this Fall though so I'm sure you must be looking forward to next Fall.
Mr. Schneider: Oh of course, first things first though I have the late winter and spring to worry about.
Kyle: What are your goals for track?
Mr. Schneider: For now try to duplicate my times from last year, if I do anywhere near that I'll look into raising the bar a bit.
Kyle: A modest approach. So tell us about this new job. What got you there?
Mr. Schneider: I recently got hired as a sales rep for coca cola, I spent the summer doing a ton of internships and networked to beef up my resume and I guess now I am where I am because of that.
Kyle: I sense a running metaphor. Stay dedicated and do the ground work because through good training you will reach your goal. Sorry kids some people are just born with this. What do you do as a Coke'sman?
Mr. Schneider: Look at back rooms/shelves/coolers  and check with merchandisers make sure they have plenty of product so that they can run their sales accordingly. 



Kyle: So you keep your Coke in good supply and make sure its being stored properly? Have you any intention of shaving your head and sporting a panama jack hat aviators and goatee? 
Mr. Schneider: Hell no! This flow is the only thing I got going for me as for the facial hair.... I
Can't grow that too well....
Kyle: As long as it isn't goglas status. So back to the running, what events will you be running during track?
Mr. Schneider: I'm looking to focus 1500/5000.
Kyle: You looking to compete at club nationals?
Mr. Schneider: I have no clue, I'd have to see when it is and what my schedule is like.
Kyle: A tactful planner. Well that's all the time we have this week. Thank you for talking with us.
Mr. Schneider: Thank you sir
Kyle: Tune in next week to see who we interview






 

aGSTC'ers Run Super Santa 5k

Morristown- 'Tis the season to buy presents, write holiday cards, and...run races looking like Santa Klaus!



A sizable group of club members participated in the Super Santa 5k, put on by SuperHero Events.  Club member Heather McDermott is one of two co-owners of the organization that also hosts the SuperHero Half Marathon, the Oktoberfest 10k, and the Pre-Game 4 Miler.  



Club members who participated included Josh Rockland 20:43, Sara Diaz 24:07, Erin Varga 25:20, Erika Bow 26:06, Steph Edwards 27:26, Prudence Jones 31:56, and Ana Garcia 32:53.  


Men's co-captain Mike Fonder 
won the race in 16:02, with masters standout Andrew Latincsics finishing third in 18:09.  


Fonder won the race hours after interviewing for a shopping mall job as one of Santa's elves.

              
Edwards after the awards ceremony






           







  






    





After the Super Santa 5k
Bonica PRs in 15k
NYC- Steve Bonica, one of the club co-founders, ran a sixty second PB in the Ted Corbitt 15k last weekend in Central Park. He ran 56:42 with splits of 6:11, 6:01, 6:03, 6:07, 6:00, 6:00, 6:08, and 6:00 en route to his PR run.

aGSTC Announces 2015 Leadership Team
The 2014 LT met in early December to vote on various items, including the new LT for the 2015 campaign.


 
Executive Committee
President- Chuck Schneekloth
Vice President- Ken Goglas
Enclave Leader- Woody Kongsamut
Team Leader- Erin Varga
Team Leader- Matt Baker
Consultant- Jay Margolis

 
Enclave Captains
Brooklyn- Steve Bonica
North Jersey- Karen Auteri
Summit- Chris Croff
Jersey City- Nick Murphy, Dan Teichmann
Morristown- Heather McDermott
Central- Erika Bow
Beach- Josh Gonzalez
Princeton- Woody Kongsamut
South- Adin Mickle, Angela Dunn
Delaware- Chris Warren

 
Team Captains
Women- Erika Meling, Nicole Salge
Men- Brian Weitz, Mike Fonder, Peter Bolgert
Masters Men- Matt Baker
Masters Women- Erin Varga, Prudence Jones
Steady Striders- Erika Bow, Amy Denholtz
Track and Field- Ricky Garcia, Mark Parisen, Erin LaCosta
Throws- Olivia Raya
Emeritus- Chris Tafelski
Rutgers Running Club- Rob Klink
Essays 4 Equipment- David Fett
New Membership- Bri Teichmann
Adidas Liaison- Joe Jacobs

 
Interns
Graphic Design- Dani Franco
Special Projects- Melissa Evans
Special Projects- Renee McGowan

FEATURED TEAM EVENT THIS WEEK

10:30am Wednesday, Christmas Eve Team Run at the Manasquan Reservoir


TMA: 
Totally Misunderstood Award
It took the USATF over three days to finally post the final results for club nationals last weekend.  No idea why.  It's too bad that such a fantastic event got marred by such bad publicity for days afterward, as message boards and social media had a field day with this unheard-of delay in result postings.

Quotes of the Week
"Water is the most disgusting thing when you're just hydrating.  It's like taking medicine.  But soon as you're thirsty...a COLD bottle of water is like taking a bit out of some checker fries.  #TrackLife"  -sprinter Ish Robbins via FB

"It's all fun and games until the guy who is doing work on your basement walks in on you jammin out to Timberlake." -Chris Schneider, via FB

"Got in a really nice 4 mile run with Margi Shah tonight--who else wants to run with me??  Step on up."  -Steady Strider co-captain Erika Bow via SS FB page

"That's it!  I'm starting my training now!  We had an impressive run...but now I'm feeling super hungry."  -Martha Grinnell, after her masters 40s team finished fourth...just missing 3rd by two points and 2nd by six points.   The top three get awards and prize money.

"Been staying quiet about my training since actions speak louder than words."  -LJer Nafee Harris via FB.

"I can't wait to read my quotes in the weekly email."  -Adin Mickle, via email, who is constantly fishing for QOTW and gets sad when he doesn't have any. 

"Today' workout is brought to you by Pull Ups.  Pull Ups: reminding you how weak you really are."  -thrower Matt Wagner via FB

"Don't take away my 20k racewalk IOC or so help me."  -Francis Garcia, via FB, having fun with the recent chatter about several Olympic track events getting cut by the IOC


"Two of the worst things you can do to me is try to make me something I won't do and tell me something I CANT do."  -sprinter Ish Robbins, via FB

"Just joined the garden state track club and they have welcomed me with open arms.  They are also giving me the opportunity to get back on the track and chase my dream."  -new sprinter Jessie Patterson via FB

"I had serious doubts about doing nationals but decided to go ahead with it anyways because of the support and encouragement I received, and I ended up running the best cross country race I've ever run and having an awesome weekend with an amazing team."  -Jon Lindenaur, via FB

"Never in my life have I had more fun than today, which involved running in the USATF National Cross Country Championships.  Loved being a part of the adidas Garden State Track Club.  We kicked butt!"  -Martha Grinnell via FB

"Where's Jaris?"  -asked by many during and after the club nationals afterparty.  Jaris Rousseau was no where to be found, as he was returned to the hotel early the next morning by a mother-daughter combo.  

"Fed up with system?  Hate the consumerism  surrounding Christmas?  Want to rant about capitalism?  Join us as we go left (down the towpath)."  -Zartosht Ahlers, via Princeton Running Club FB page.  Those Princeton guys sure are witty.

"You do realize you aren't supposed to collect driving points, right?"  -Mark Parisen to teammate and fellow half miler Kapil Sathykumar after hearing about his impressive driving history.
  



Did you miss nationals this year?
That's okay....next year it's in San Francisco.
Start practicing your human pyramid now!




COME TO A TEAM RUN!  IT MAKES RUNNING MORE FUN AND...EASY!
Enclave Team Runs

Dozens of club members come to practice Monday night (5:30) and Saturday morning (10am) at Highland Park HS.  You should come, too.

North Enclave

Monday 5:45p @ 40 Corning Ave, Pompton Lakes (please email pauteri@verizon.net if interested in doing any Pompton Lakes group runs)
Wednesday: 9:30am @ 40 Corning
Friday: 10am @ Freedom Park in Randolph
Saturday: 8:00am @ 40 Corning

Central Enclave
Monday 5:30pm @ HPHS
Saturday 10am @ HPHS
Morristown Enclave
Wednesday 6:15p @ Morristown Running Company
Saturday 9:00a @ Morristown Running Company
Jersey City Enclave
South Enclave


SOUTH ENCLAVE TRACK AND FIELD
Tuesday 4-6pm @ Gwynedd Mercy HS
Thursday 4-6pm @ Gwynedd Mercy HS
Please contact Coach Cardell Wooten for more information!
 
Beach Enclave

Princeton Enclave

Summit Enclave

Brooklyn Enclave
TBA

Delaware Enclave
TBA
Track and Field Practice Sessions
Mondays- 5:30p at Highland Park HS
Saturdays- 10:00am at Highland Park HS








What is this email?
The GSTC Weekly Email is a collaborative effort to bring club membership an accurate and entertaining update on all team events, runs, results, workouts, quotes, and even mishaps every Sunday night.  It is also often referred to as "The Email" or, by more prominent members of the running community, "error-fraught spam."  If you'd like to submit anything that would contribute to any of these sections, please email us! 


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adidas Garden State Track Club | 944 Herman Road | North Brunswick | NJ | 08902

Monday, December 22, 2014

(12/15-12/21): aGSTC Breaks 6 USATF Records; Finishes #10 in USA




THE WEEKLY EMAIL

Nationals!  Nationals!  Nationals!  We rocked Nationals!
Special Nationals Edition
Look for this weekend's Weekly Email to resume regular updates on team runs, events, race results, etc.


aGSTC Break Six USATF Records at XC Nationals
Bethlehem, PA: After a week's worth of rain and wind, the storied Lehigh University cross country course dried up just in time to host the 16th running of the USATF Club National Cross Country Championships.  Thanks to its central location and well-loved course, the event set participation records in all four of its races: open men, open women, masters men, and masters women.

Meanwhile, the adidas Garden State Track Club, competing in its fourth straight club cross country nationals, broke six USATF records: most scored teams (10), most scored women's open teams (3), most scored men's open teams (5), most open men finishers (32), most open women finishers (18), and most overall finishers (66).  

In addition, the club finished 10th overall in combined men's and women's scores.  


Women's 40s Finish 4th!!
From left: Lisa Rumer, Pat Butcher, Martha Grinnell, Locky Trachsel, Michelle Brangan, Sandi Kaspszyk
Michelle Brangan did what she has done all year long.  The difference?   This time, two of her teammates were right there along with her.

In the best finish for any scoring team in club history, the master 40 women's squad finished fourth in America on Saturday morning.  Finishing with 48 points and a 23:31 team average, they were just six points behind second place Bull City Track Club (42) and a measly two behind the Atlanta Track Club (46).  Team Rogue won with a convincing 27 point score.

Trachsel ascends the final hill at Lehigh


Brangan was the team's highest finisher, running the 6k course in 23:14.  She was 17th overall, and 5th in her 45-49 age group; one place ahead of her was Nicole Teter, the current 800m indoor American record holder.  Locky Trachsel
, coming off a fall focus on the NYC Marathon, was impressively a few paces behind her, finishing 20th in 23:23 in her first ever cross country race.  Former world class triathlete Martha Grinnell, at the age of 48, was the group's third and final scoring finisher.  

Finishing fourth is impressive enough, but consider this: the average age of these three ladies is 46.  Bull City, who edged them out for the final podium spot, had an average age of 42.  
Other finishers of this record-breaking team included Lisa Rumer 
(25:30), Sandi Kaspszyk (26:51), and Pat Butcher (27:33).





Open Women Finish 13th
The women's A, B, and C teams pose after their race
Last year in Oregon, the aGSTC women struggled greatly, with the A Team finishing just 21st and the B Team finishing 34th--dead last place.

What a difference one year can make.

Led by Cheyenne Ogletree's spirited 86th place finish in 21:35, the aGSTC open women finished in 13th place.  This was their highest finish in club history, as they beat twenty-three teams in the largest field the event has ever seen.  In 2012, they defeated ten teams; in 2013, they beat thirteen.

In addition, they became the first club to have a women's C team compete at the national championships.
Evangelist, Vassallo, Sieve, Douma, Ogletree, Black, and Callan moments before their race

Alyssa Vassallo, making her club debut, ran a PR for 6k as she rolled to a 21:58 time, good for 104th.  Ally Black, the freshman phenom from Rutgers, capped off her incredible fall season as the team's #3 finisher with a 22:01 time for 108th place.  Greta Sieve was fourth in 22:23, and Alyssa Douma rolled in at 22:47 to round out the team's five scoring members.  Chelsea Callan (23:01) and Robyn Evangelist (23:20) rounded out the group.

Meling, Steinman, Jones, Salge, and Chegwidden at the starting line





The B Team competed very well, as only two other clubs competed a B squad.  Finishing 27th overall, they defeated nine teams... incredibly just one shy of the feat of the club's A Team in 2012 in Kentucky.

Aimee Chegwidden, debuting for the Black and Gold, was the group's #1 in 23:07.  Erika Meling was the #2 (23:14), with Nicole Salge as the third finisher (23:42).  Anna Steinman, in her first race for the club, was the #4 at 23:54, and Lisa Jones (24:47) closed out the B Team scoring. 









Rizzo, Auteri, Chafos, Bruce, and Merritt (not pictured: LaCosta)


The C Team finished 32nd out of 36 teams.  Not only was this better than last year's B Team, it also marks a historic occasion for the national event: it was the first woman's C Team in race history.

Meghan Bruce ran an incredible race, crossing the finish line at 23:11.  Not only did this beat all but one runner on the B Team, she even finished before an A Teamer!  

Karen Auteri (24:35), Carrie Merritt (25:46), Jackie Rizzo (26:10)
Christina Chafos, 
(26:22), Carrie Merritt (25:46), and Erin LaCosta
(27:12) comprised the rest of the squad's finishers.





Masters Men Finish 15th

Montgomery, Tschesnok, Van Langen, Pawlish, Cole, Baker, Rozemberg, Sallade, Feil, and Shea after the masters 10k national championship race.

The men's masters 40s team has been building momentum all season long, and it culminated in an outstanding 15th place finish in the biggest and deepest masters field in the history of the national club championships.   In the race of 595 athletes, 52 clubs competed: 39 had complete teams, while 13 had incomplete ones.  Finishing in the top third is quite an accomplishment for a group that, just a year ago, struggled to finish in the top third of regional USATF-NJ events.

Chris Sallade, a former Princeton University standout, was the team's top man, as he finished 58th in 34:41.  Daniel Shea, in his first team showing, was the team's #2, as he cracked the top 100 with a 35:43 effort for 96th.  Hernan Rozemberg, bouncing back from the Chicago Marathon, was 3rd in 37:03, while Sallade's training partner Justin Feil was fourth in 37:24.  Joe Pawlish, reppin' Ocean Township who finished an Ironman earlier in the fall, was the crew's fifth and final scoring member in 37:38.  

Rounding out the full squad was John Montgomery (37:44), Nick Van Langen (38:39), Andrew Tschesnok (38:52), Matt Baker (41:00), and Wes Cole (41:03).

Like the masters women, this was the first masters team to compete at nationals for the aGSTC.  



Open Men Finish 19th
When your top man drops out with an injury, there's only so much a team can do.  But somehow, the A Team managed to scrap together the strongest open men's performance in club history.

The A Team finished 19th out of 68 teams which, at first glance, is a bit underwhelming.  However, a closer look suggests a different reality.  Indeed, the club knocked off 49 teams this past weekend, far superior to the team performances the past three years in Seattle (30), Kentucky (22), and Oregon (31).  In addition, this year's 9th/68 teams is in the top 27%--impressive considering the depth and talent of the field.  Seattle they were in the top 33%, Oregon top 38%, and Kentucky top 47%.  While Youssef Rochdi sustaining a knee injury kept the aGSTC from a breakthrough top-15 finish, the rest of the team managed a record breaking performance.
Ward and Fonder battle down the stretch

Chris Warren, the scrappy miler who broke the club's 5k track record last spring, ended up being the club's front runner at 108th in 31:16.  Chris Johnson was the #2 man, finishing at 132nd in 31:32 while Ken Goglas was also under 32:00, finishing in 31:43 for 147th.  Kyle Price ran a 10k PR as he rolled to the club's #4 spot at 32:21, and Mike Fonder was the A Team's final scoring finisher, as he came in at 32:43.  Stephen Ellwood struggled, finishing at 34:14 as the final A Team member.
The B and C Teams huddle before the race

The B Team may have had the strongest performance of all men's teams, as they finished 31st overall--ahead of A Teams of the Central Park Track Club and Atlanta Track Club, and ahead of B Teams from Playmakers Elite/New Balance and Bryn Mahr.  Will Griffin had a fantastic day on the Bethlehem grass, coming in as the club's #4 finisher overall and #1 man for the B Team at 32:13.  Miler Josh Neyhart set his first post-collegiate PR, rolling to a 32:31 finish.  Duke alum Tradelle Ward had a strong race as the third man, finishing just ahead of A Teamer Fonder in 32:43 while Rob Nihen, in just his second race this fall, was #4 in 32:57.  Chris Schneider was the fifth and final scoring member in 32:58.  Matt Eder (33:10) ran an all-time best as the crew's 6th man, while Mike Anis finished in 33:28.
The C Team starts the race

The C Team collectively had an off-day, yet still managed to finish 49th--beating 19 teams and the Pacers C Team from Washington DC.   Adin Mickle, one of two athletes to have competed in all four aGSTC club national championships, had a strong day, finishing as the group's top man in 33:14.  Fellow South Jersey man Joe Meehan was next in 33:42, and Ted Doyle just behind him in 33:33:53.  Joe Zeoli (34:05), Jarrett Kunze (34:30), and Peter Bolgert (34:57) closed out the scoring.
The event's first D Team prior to the 10k start.

The first D Team to ever lineup at club nationals performed well, as their 56th place finish meant they defeated 12 teams.  Jon Lindenauer ran an all-time best of 33:11, and Will Appman enjoyed his finest race of the season with a 33:36 time.  Corey Caplan (34:36), Steve Jackson (35:55), Nick
Murphy (36:47), and Mark Parisen (38:11) were the team's other finishers.
The event's first E Team at the starting line
Likewise, The E Team was, obviously, the first E Team to ever appear at the national event.  Half miler Joe Mummert ran very respectively to lead the group with a  35:05 finish.  His remaining teammates were Jaris Rousseau (35:47), Edsel Flores (36:20), Will Alston (36:45), Mark Minervini (36:52), Adam Gruchasz (37:00), Wismith Francois (37:39), and newcomer Matthew Storms (40:13).  


Open Men, Women Finish 10th Overall
As mentioned last week, many of the open clubs are regional all-star teams who meet their teammates for the first tie during their warm-up.  Indeed, it isn't that terribly difficult to round up a few guys, throw uniforms on them, and call yourself a team.  The true test of a club is the combining of open men and open women scores.  This speaks volumes about a club, its leadership, and its identity as an organization.  

This year, the BAA won the combined team title, as their women won and their men were second.  The aGSTC finished 10th in the combined score, joining an elite group of four clubs that have cracked the top fourteen over the past three years.  Those competing at such a high, consistent level in both men and women divisions for three years straight include New Balance Boston, Club Northwest, and the Boulder Running Company. 


2014 Open Combined Team Scores
Place  Points    Club              (men+women finish)   State
1.  Boston Amateur Association (3/ Massachusetts) 
2.  Boulder Running Company (8/ Colorado)
3.  adidas/Rogue (10/Texas)
4.  New York Athletic Club (12/New York) 
5.  Bowerman Track Club (14/Oregon)
6.  New Balance Boston (22/Massachusetts) *
7.  Georgetown Running Company (23/Washington DC)
8.  Playmakers Elite (30/ Michigan)
8.  Bryn Mahr Running Club (30/ Pennsylvania) 
10. adidas Garden State Track Club (32/ Dirty Jersey)
11. Club Northwest (32/ Washington)  *
12. Team Ohio (38/ Ohio)
13. Genesee Valley Harriers (39/ New York)
14. Atlanta Track Club (48/ Georgia)

2013 Open Combined Team Scores

1.  Boulder Running Company (9/ Colorado)*

1.  Team Run Flagstaff (9/ Arizona)

3.  Adidas/Rogue (18/ Texas)

4.  Club Northwest (21/ Washington)

5.  Playmakers Elite/New Balance (22/ Michigan)

6.  Asics Aggies  (24/ California)

7.  Twin Cities TC (25/ Minnesota)

8.  Team Run Eugene (28/ Oregon)

9.  Run N Fun (29/ Minnesota)

10.  New Balance Boston (32/ Massachusetts)

11.  Garden State Track Club (40/ New Jersey)

12.  So-Cal Elite RC (42/ California)

13.  West Valley TC (49/ California)

14.  Greater Boston TC (55/ Massachusetts)

 

 

2012 Open Combined Team Scores
1- Boulder RC (5/ Colorado)
2- Boulder TC (11/ Colorado)
3- NB Boston (15/ Massachusetts)
4- NB Silicon Valley (21/ California)
5- Run n Fun (24/ Minnesota)
6- Club Northwest (26/ Washington)
7- Central Park TC (27/ New York)
8- Georgetown RC (28/ Washington DC)
9- Garden State TC (34/ New Jersey)
9- Columbus RC (34/ Ohio)
11- West Valley TC (36/ California)
12- Greater Boston TC (39/ Massachusetts)
13- Genesee Valley (40/ New York)
14- Team Nebraska (42/ Nebraska)

 

Kyle's Korner

 

This week on Kyle's Korner we decided to completely break protocol and instead of having a nice one on one sit down to catch up on a team member's "going ons",  we jumped right in on where the real action was. CLUB NATIONALS 2014!  We spoke to the top 5 female and male GSTC finishers in the open races and top 3 female and male GSTC finishers in the masters races to get some insight on what race day was all about. Some responded short and simple while others had quite a bit to say (and we had to resort to cliff-notes), but they were all asked the same question that I'm sure you have been curious to have answered...

 

Can you tell us how you felt about the race and your performance?

 

Open Women

Ogletree

Cheyenne Ogletree:I think it went great. I enjoyed having so many of our women out there and representing. I hope we can get an awesome bunch of ladies out there for all of our races in the spring and kick some ass like the guys team. I'm happy about my race. I surprised myself and actually raced decently. I'm stoked and excited for Spring.

 

Alyssa Vassallo: I'm very lucky and grateful to have found GSTC and meet some wonderful runners this weekend! Everyone was so positive and we showed the most support and spirit by far! I can't wait to keep racing with the team!

 

Allyson Black: The race was awesome! I loved racing with so many people especially with so many GSTC people and I'm excited about getting a PR. It was good to end Cross season on that note.

 

 

 


 


 

Douma


 

Greta Sieve: I actually felt pretty terrible. I came down with the flu and a nasty cold on Friday, so I was kind of just surviving the race. Not really how I wanted to end the season, but I still managed toscrape together an okay race and have a good time. As far as cross country races go, it was definitely one of the most fun ones I've ever run, despite being sick. There were so many people around me the whole race that I didn't even realize how far into the race I was until I saw a sign for 4k.

 

Alyssa Douma: I was so happy to be at nationals this year. I didn't think I would be able to come back from my rough winter to be able to be fit enough to race at nationals, let alone to be able to contribute to the A team. This team has continued to support and inspire me to get back into shape. All of the women did a great job and I know we will continue to grow stronger.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Open Men

Warren

Chris Warren:Gotta admit, everything about the race felt great. Aside from some small foot inflammation back in October I haven't had to take any kind of break in training. Everything came together well on Saturday, the culmination of 6 months of training in just over 31 minutes. Running among 600 of the nations best was really an awesome experience. Something odd, yet satisfying about going out in 4:55-5:00 in a 10k and being somewhere around 200th place.

 

Chris Johnson: The race on Saturday was pretty much an industrial age version of the tortoise and the hare. Ken and I were pair of old coal powered steam engines while the rest of the field were newer high power diesel or electric engines. It takes a while for steam engines to get going and in the beginning of the race Ken and I were chugging along towards the back, waiting for our engines to warm up. We slowly built up speed and power while the high powered diesel engines flew along at break neck speeds. The thing about diesel engines though is that they run hot and many of the diesel trains burned out gunning up the big hill. But the old reliable steam engines kept chugging along, slowly reeling in some of the diesel trains. At around the 8k mark the pair of Iron Horses crested the last hill and then a runaway train situation ensued down the final hill. The old reliable steam engines barreled down the final hill with a reckless abandon for a pretty quick finish. Sure there were a lot of diesel engines and a few high speed magnet trains like Ryan Hill who completely blew us old coal engines away, but in the end old coal engines performed just fine.

 

Goglas

Ken Goglas:I thought I executed my race plan well. I planned on going out conservatively and moving through the pack after there was room to move. It was an extremely deep race and being that it is cross country I don't care too much about times. It was tough to gauge how good or bad the race actually was, but I think I had a pretty good day out there.

 

Will Griffin: It was awesome getting to see and race with everyone after being away for so long and it is amazing getting to watch the club continue to grow and compete so well on the national stage.

 

Kyle Price: The race was crazy! Over 70 teams and two tiered start line?! I've never been a part of something like that before but I loved every minute of it. OK well not so much around the 8K mark, but I ended up with a PR 10K finishing time and that's including road races. It went out very fast but I had Ellwood there to keep me calm and then when Fonder found me we teamed up and burned through the mid section of the race. I wish I could have held on to Griffin until the end when I caught him, but having him push me through 8K before he got away from me was a big help and I ended up with great race that far exceeded my expectations. Big props to all of my amazing team mates.

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Masters Men

Sallade

Chris Sallade: Upon seeing the scope of the meet - I'm very grateful for Chuck and Matt who were the masterminds behind the logistics and details. As for the race itself, one of the other masters said it well after, "Usually I start picking off other runners about halfway through a race, but in this one no one was coming back to me.  In fact, you had to work incredibly hard just to keep up!" The depth of competition was extraordinary.  I finished within seconds of runners from Boulder, Seattle, Texas and Mass.  I was passed at the 8k mark by a 55 year old from Seattle going up the hill but worked hard the last K to pass him back and beat him by a couple seconds only then to find out from him just after the finish line that he was a 2:14 marathoner.  Anyway, it was a treat and a joy to run through the mud, the hills, the cornfields, to do it all surrounded by such great competition, and to do it with and for the GSTC!

 

Daniel Shea: I had a great time. It felt great to be part of a team again and I hope to contribute next year. In terms of the race I was a bit rusty not having raced competitively in over a year and fell into a slower pace than I wanted. This is a function of not racing much, but physically I felt pretty good. Really looking forward to another race in the near future. A race like this helps you realize how high the bar can be set and also gives you a dose of humility. That said I'm looking forward to putting in some hard workouts over the winter and coming into the spring in better shape. Lastly, thanks to Chuck and Matt for all the coordination they provided. Much appreciated.

 

Shea

Hernan Rozemberg:I thought the race was an incredible experience for me. Not having run in high school or college, I think I missed out on lots of opportunities, such as running cross country, so it was awesome to be out there. It was great to duke it out with so many awesome masters runners! In past races I've come across a couple of fast 50-year-olds, but at Lehigh I got my ass handed to me by a sea of them! It's provided inspiration for me in the sense that I can only hope to be in that kind of shape in 10 years. As for my performance I'm kinda torn about it. I've been nursing a real bad hammy for nearly three months and I had no idea how I'd do at the race. I skipped a half marathon the previous weekend to give me the best chance to at least finish at Lehigh. However, my overall time ticks me off when I know that I could have easily done it 60-90 seconds faster. That time does not reflect my abilities or the shape I'm in. I'll take it for now, but I hope the hammy heals so I can redeem myself soon.

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Masters Women

Michelle Brangan: I was originally upset. I have never run a 6K and I really didn't know what finish time would be good. I would have liked a top 10 finish, but I'm always too hard on myself. But I had a rough Fall of injuries so I'm now feeling OK with how I did. I have to try and remember I am 45 so I should be happy. It's a lot different running the XC race than a road race. Just wish we had gotten 3rd. Beating myself up over that one!

 

Henrietta Trachsel: The race was great. I had never run an XC race before, so I did not know what to expect, in terms of the terrain and my performance. Running with the team added to the excitement for me, especially after meeting the ladies I would be running with. I loved the experience of running through the fields and, yes, the mud. I am happy with my performance but want to do it again because I think I can do better.

 

Martha Grinnell: I thought the race was a lot of fun! It's not often that you get to toe the line with 100+ of the best master's women in the country. The course offered its challenges with constant grade change and a bit of mud. The fact that it was such a spectator friendly course allowed runners to keep pressing from the motivation of the crowds. I was pleasantly surprised with my finish. I'm a terrible sleeper and because of that, my restorative days aren't always restorative! My calf tugged a couple of months before the event and it just wasn't healing despite not running. So I emailed Chuck a couple of days before Thanksgiving and told him I had to pull out. Of course, whenever you let go of the pressure to run, the next run goes well! I tried two easy runs after I bailed and sent Chuck another email asking if I could still race! I was expecting to run about 24:30 at best. I ended up running just under 24 min. I'll take it! Loved meeting the other GSTC Team members. Loved being part of the Team. 

 


 





                  
Nationals Results

aGSTC RACE VIDEOS
Masters Women Finish here.
Masters Women Loop One here and here.
Masters Women Start here.


Masters Men Finish here and here.
Masters Men Loop One here.
Masters Men Start here.


Open Men Start here.
Open Men Finish here.
Open Men Loop One here.


Open Women Finish here.
Open Women Loop One here.
Open Women Start here.


Lots more videos of the races can be found on the 


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The GSTC Weekly Email is a collaborative effort to bring club membership an accurate and entertaining update on all team events, runs, results, workouts, quotes, and even mishaps every Sunday night.  It is also often referred to as "The Email" or, by more prominent members of the running community, "error-fraught spam."  If you'd like to submit anything that would contribute to any of these sections, please email us!  

 


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adidas Garden State Track Club | 944 Herman Road | North Brunswick | NJ | 08902