The snow is gone. The weather is warm. It’s time for us to start rallying together for some of the final few team events of the year!
If you’re a lady, you’ve got the Stomp the Monster 5k on June 1 and the Sunset Classic 5 Miler.
If you’re a dude, you’ve got the President’s Cup 5k on June 16.
If you’re an older dude, you’ve got the Lager Run on 6/22.
If you are a human being, you’ve got the COLLEGE AVE MILE on Saturday night. June 7th. Sign up HERE!
What is the College Ave Mile?
In 2012, the GSTC leadership team agreed that New Jersey was in dire need of a road mile. No, not one of those rinky-dink mile runs that grandma does with Junior and the family dog before the 10k starts. But rather, an event whereas the mile is the showcase distance, celebrating the magic and the lore this event has always had in the running community.
In fact, tomorrow, May 6th, marks a very important day. Besides the fact that it’s Chuck’s 25th birthday, for the 12th time, it is the 60th Anniversary of Roger Bannister breaking the 4:00 mile. The story of three great athletes- Great Britain’s Bannister, Australia’s John Landy, and America’s Wes Santee- pursing running’s elusive holy grail is well narrated in Neal Bascomb’s book, The Perfect Mile. This chase to the endeavor of impossibility was, believe it or not, of world-wide interest.
There is a mystique that has always surrounded the mile, as Bannister once said, “The mile has all the elements of drama.” However, despite the many popular road miles in America, including the USATF National Road Mile Championship, New Jersey just didn’t have one. So, the GSTC started one.
In its third year, it was voted into the USATF-NJ Grand Prix in January of 2014. This required changing the GP rules, as “Category 1” races only extended from 3k to 5k. So, after two years of lobbying and discussing the event, the Long Distance Running Committee (“LDR”) voted on it months ago….and it passed almost unanimously.
So, in one month, June 7th will be another milestone for the mile race: its debut as a championship race in the USATF-NJ Association. No pressure, but the adidas GSTC will be now hosting its first championship race in a few weeks! We expect all members to be there, racing as fast as they can, in one of the twelve offered heats.
Meet the Vietnamese!
Highland Park: The Vietnamese national 4x400 relay will begin its first day training with the adidas Garden State Track Club today, Monday, at 5:30pm. We will be taking a team picture for articles in local papers and for a piece being done by runblogrun. We happily encourage anyone interested in meeting these four ladies, and their two team managers, to come to the track today to welcome them. You may be in the picture, too!
They arrived Saturday afternoon, exhausted from a thirty-two hour trek. After enjoying some welcoming traffic and air pollution along the NJ Turnpike, the crew was taken to their new home in Highland Park for the next four months. Training for the Asian Games starting on September 19, the crew is sleeping on six beds loaned by GSTC members. They will debut in Black and Gold next Monday at the Swarthmore Last Chance Meet.
10k Team Championships: Gold Streak Continues
Women Win as Unlikely Heroes Save the Day
Jersey City- In honor of the Kentucky Derby this weekend, the odds of Karen Auteri and Eric Davis being the race heroes this weekend may have been something like 5000-1. After all, Auteri wasn’t signed up while recovering from her marathon last weekend, and Davis is a 45-year-old masters runner still rounding himself into decent shape.
Sometimes it does pay to bet on the long shot.
After a last-minute cancelation, women’s co-captain Angela Dunn frantically contacted Auteri at 9:00pm the night before, and without hesitation, she agreed to be the much-needed 5th woman needed to win their 15th straight Grand Prix team title.
And win they did, as Auteri crossing the line sealed the dubya by twelve total minutes.
Cheyenne Ogletree, shaving a whopping sixty-five seconds off her PR and club record, crossed the finish line at 35:52…averaging an incredible 5:46 a mile. Victoria Pontecorvo continued her excellent season debut, finishing second for the Gold in 39:29, ranking her #7 on the Big List. Dunn was 3rd in 40:46, Nora Norvell finished 4th in 41:38 (GSTC #13), and Auteri closed out the team scoring with a 42:13 effort. Prudence Jones was the #6 runner in 67:55.
The ladies averaged 39:59 for their top five finishers, as second place averaged 42:31.
Men Go 1-2-3 with Johnson Leading the Charge
Jersey City- Chris Johnson, Mike Fonder, and Will Griffin went 5-6-7 in the always-super-competitive Newport 10k field to lead the adidas GSTC men to a 1-2-3 team finish. These times rank them #3, #5, and #7, respectively, in the Big List; consequently, it was the best showing of the club’s top three men at the event.
Despite the impressive efforts of these big ballers up front, an unusual hero emerged Saturday morning: 45-year-old masters runner Eric Davis. Plugging along at a modest 7:32 pace, the Highland Park cross country and track coach most certainly figured his 46:32 final time wouldn’t make an impact on the team score at all. But alas, it did.
The team’s scheduled #5 runner dropped out half way through the race, leaving the unsuspecting Davis as the #5 man. Luckily, his team’s top four included Johnson, Ted Doyle (33:36), Ashwin Anantharaman (34:18), and Rob Nihen (34:44) had all run superbly, and Davis’ 46:32 was just enough to enable a clean 1-2-3 sweep of the top three team spots, which pay out $200, $100, and $50.
The first place team was comprised of Griffin, Atilla Sabahoglu (33:21, GSTC #11), Adam Gruchacz (34:01, GSTC #13), Chuck Schneekloth (34:34), and Steve Bonica (37:47), with Charlie Hood (44:16) as the reserve. The second place team was Fonder, Ken Goglas (33:35), Luis Romero (34:58), Keith Gruchacz (35:44), Mark Minervini (38:29), and TJ Zablocki (38:46).
The three teams averaged, respectively, 34:17, 34:52, and 36:08, earning thirty points (12, 10, 8) toward the overall Grand Prix competition. The results can be found here.
The Big List: Top 10k Performances for the adidas GSTC Men
31:13 10k Jeff Perrella Newport 10,000 May 12, 2012
31:25 Chris Croff Giralda Farms November 10, 2013
31:28 Chris Johnson Newport 10,000 May 3, 2014
31:31 Rob Nihen Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
31:33 Mike Fonder Newport 10,000 May 3, 2014
31:39 Paul Matuszak Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
31:44 Will Griffin Newport 10,000 May 3, 2014
31:49 Steve Mennitt Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
31:58 Ken Goglas Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
32:03 Tim Morgan Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
33:14 Mike Anis Giralda Farms November 10, 2013
33:21 Atilla Sabahoglu Newport 10,000 May 4, 2014
33:36 Ted Doyle Newport 10,000 May 4, 2014
34:01 Adam Gruchacz Newport 10,000 May 4, 2014
The Big List: Top 10k Performances for the adidas GSTC Women
35:52 10k Cheyenne Ogletree Newport 10,000 May 3, 2014
36:56 Greta Sieve Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
37:23 Alyssa Douma Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
37:53 Allie Dublinski Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
38:22 Chelsea Callan Giralda Farms November 11, 2012
39:12 Michelle Brangan Cherry Blossom 10k April 6, 2014
39:29 Victoria Pontecorvo Newport 10,000 May 3, 2013
39:40 Angela Dunn Ben Franklin Bridge Run November 3, 2013
39:59 Karen Auteri Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
40:07 Erika Meling Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
40:54 Alexis Patrick Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
41:23 Sarah Schillaci Newport 10,000 May 11, 2013
41:38 Nora Norvell Newport 10,000 May 3, 2014
Other Weekend Results
Denholtz Runs DC Half
Washington DC: Amy Denholtz, the co-captain of the GSTC Steady Striders, ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC last weekend. She finished with a time of 2:26:52.
Wesley Breaks 100m Club Record
Cheyney, PA: Cyrus Wesley continues to assault the club’s record books in his debut season with the club. Not only is he a part of the record holding 41.14 4x100 relay, he just lowered his own 100m club record this weekend during a meet at Cheyney University, his alma mater. The short sprinter, also an assistant sprint coach at TCNJ, rolled to a 10.64—a huge leap from his earlier mark of 10.82.
Florek Wins at Princeton with a CR
Princeton, NJ: Brian Florek won the javelin at the Princeton Elite Meet on Saturday with a massive 67.11m toss, breaking the club record of 65.15m by Matt Tholis. Tholis’ mark won him the club national title in 2013, an event Florek finished 2nd in last year with a 64.58m mark. His toss on Saturday is converted to 220’-02”.
Tyrone Ross also competed in the 400m, finishing 5th with a 48.59 final time.
Big List: Top Javelin Marks of adidas GSTC
67.11m Javelin Brian Florek Princeton Elite Meet May 3, 2014
65.15m Javelin Matt Tholis USATF Club Nationals June 28, 2013
60.65m Javelin Tyler Yee USATF Club Nationals June 28, 2013
55.03m Javelin Patrick Mulrooney USATF Club Nationals June 28, 2013
52.83m Javelin Dillon Rodgers USATF Club Nationals June 28, 2013
Brangan Top Master at Broad Street
Philadelpha, PA: Masters superstar Michelle Brangan was the top masters women finisher at the wildy popular and heavily attended Broad Street Ten Miler yesterday. Her time, 61:33, was not just a club record, but it won her $500 for being the top master in the field. The proud South Enclave member was the 16th overall woman finisher.
Miler Robyn Evangelist finished in 63:21, good for 32nd overall woman. Just behind her was Brittany McCann, who was 35th overall women in 63:38. Angela Dunn, running on tired legs after the 10k team race the day before, was 38th in 64:07.
On the men’s side, Paul Matuszak was the men’s top finisher at 14th place, hitting the tape in 51:13. Adin “The Milkman” Mickle, rebounding well from an early season knee injury, was 43rd in 55:09. Shawn D'Andrea, Mickle’s elementary school friend, was just behind him in 59th place with a 56:16 showing, and Joe Zeoli finished with a PR of 59:12, 117th place.
Croff Wins Our House
Summit- Coming off a month-long injury, Croff won his hometown five miler in Summit on Sunday, the Our House 5 Miler, in 26:41. While clearly far from his best, the early May rust-buster ranks him as GSTC #3. He averaged 5:20 pace to outkick Youssek Rochdi by just three tenths of a second.
Flyer, Chefitz Win Local 5ks
Kyle Flyer and Ezra Chefitz, both Rutgers students, won their respective 5ks this weekend. Chefitz won the FIT 5k in New Brunswick’s Buccleuch Park, a race organized by the Rutgers Hillel, in a personal best of 19:37.
Flyer, an original GSTC member from January of 2011, successfully defended his hometown 5k, the prestigious Madison 5k, in 17:37. Graduating Rutgers in just a few weeks, the city residents carried him on their shoulders, declaring him the new King of Madison. Unfortunately for the club, he got a job in Cleveland, Ohio with a beer distributor. We can only imagine how many club members would “literally die to have HIS job.”
Douma Wins WM 5k
West Milford: Sara Douma, coming off a PR in the half marathon, won the West Milford Animal Shelter 5k. She finished in a PR time of 22:38.
Swarthmore Meet Next Week
The tracksters race next at the Swarthmore Last Chance meet a week from today, Monday night! If you’re interested, email us or keep an eye on the adidas GSTC Track and Field Facebook group page!
Team Run + LT Meetings
Pennington, NJ: This Saturday, at 9:00am, we are having a big team run at Rosedale Park (422 Federal City Rd Pennington, NJ 08534) at 9:00am. At 11:30am, we will be having a Leadership Team meeting, with the below agenda. All dues-paying GSTC members are invited to attend the meeting and provide your input on the below agenda! Or, just come for the run, as it is a beautiful park with wonderful soft trails.
Saturday's Leadership Team Agenda
1.0 LT Reflections: (all) 10:00
2.0 Group Updates: 12:00 (2:00 each)
M Open (Ken, Mike, Dan), W Open (Erika, Angela, Cheyenne), M Masters (Matt), W Masters (Prudence), Track (Ricky, Mark, Erin), Field (James)
3.0 Adidas, Vietnam, Adidas GP, NJM, CPTC/SAC Updates (Chuck) 8:00
4.0 College Ave Mile Planning (all) 30:00
5.0 Membership Strategy & Planning (all) 30:00
GSTC Racing Schedule
USATF-NJ Grand Prix
6/1 Stomp the Monster (open women)
6/7 College Ave Mile (all divisions)
6/16 President’s Cup (open men)
6/22 Lager Run (masters men)
6/26 Sunset Classic (open, masters women)
Spring Track and Field
5/12 Tuppeny Twilight (Swarthmore)
6/14 adidas Grand Prix (Icahn Stadium, NYC)
6/24 NYRR Speed Series @ NYC
7/8 NYRR Speed Series @ NYC
7/22 NYRR Speed Series @ NYC
Team Runs
Monday: (track and field) Team workout 5:30 at Highland Park HS
Monday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 @ Rutgers Student Center
Tuesday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 @ RSC
Tuesday: (South Enclave) track session TBA
Wednesday: (Central Enclave): 5:30 @ RSC
Wednesday: (Morristown Enclave) 6:15 group run @ Morristown Running Company
Wednesday: (track and field) Team workout 5:30 at Highland Park HS
Wednesday: (South Enclave) 6:30 @ trail at Elk or Williamstown bike path
Wednesday: (Princeton Enclave) 5:30 @ Turning Basin Park on Alexander Road
Thursday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 @ RSC
Friday: (Central Enclave): 4:15 @ RSC
Saturday: (Morristown) 9:00 group run @ Morristown Running Company
Saturday: TEAM RUN 9:00AM ROSEDALE PARK, PENNINGTON
Sunday: Mother’s Day. OFF. Hang out with your family!
Steady Striders
Hey Steady Striders!
Looks like another beautiful week of training ahead. Let's continue working towards our first goal race of the College Ave Mile on June 7th.
This is a great race to start training towards; the unique one-mile distance is something we can all prepare for as a team and have a lot of fun doing.
Here is this week's plan:
Monday: 15-30min Run
Tuesday: Cross Train (Bike, Swim, etc.)
Wednesday: 20-35min Run
Thursday: Core Workout (Uploaded on the steady striders Facebook page)
Friday: 10 minute run and 3x50m Strides
Saturday: Long run, 30-60 minutes
Sunday: Off
Our team long run this week will be Saturday in Rosedale Park (422 Federal City Rd Pennington, NJ 08534) @ 9:00am! See you there!
Quotes of the Week
“Yeah it was pretty coo being all alone up front. Now I know what it feels like to be you guys.” -the always humble Ezra Chefitz, via text, after winning a local 5k with his first sub-20 time.
“When you’re on a team, you need to step up when needed.” -Karen Auteri, on FB, moments after her last-minute agreeing to race and complete a full scoring, winning team
“Let’s hope this is the last time I need to ‘play doctor’ for that van.” -Dr. Mike Anis, via text, after helping put in a battery into the old van. Indeed, it is being resurrected as we speak.
“April showers bring maybe floods?” -Adin Mickle, via FB, regarding this crazy weather
“Hope everyone who ran Broad Street 10 miler today had an awesome run and enjoyed it as much as I did. Considering I’ve never run over an 8k before this, it was an awesome experience and it’s all thanks to the awesome coaching from GSTC I got to help me finish, can’t wait for next year!” -Justin Richman, via FB. Carmine Denicola, one of GSTC’s newest coaches, worked with Justin this year.
Gold Star
By Ashwin Anantharaman
Quimes Dela Cruz
Quimes joined GSTC today because his good friend Will Griffin recommended the club to him since they were teammates in Marist for 4 years. His Prs are 30:30 for the 10k, 14:29 for the 5k, 9:05 for the 3k steeple, 8:17 for the 3k, and 4:12 for the mile. His goal is to improve his times and take them to the elite level. Before races he eats pasta and watches a movie. On race day he has no pre race routine he just goes on feel. Outside of running he loves the arts as he is a Graphic Designer. He also enjoys playing different types of sports with his friends.
Kevin Mulcahey
Kevin joined GSTC because he misses competing at meets as well as the camaraderie of belonging to a team. His goal is to make a relay team and pr in the near future. He would like to get back down to his old PRs of 22.60 in the 200 and 50.50 in the 400. However, he always wanted to break 50 in the open 4. Before races he jogs 2 laps, does dynamic walking stretches in addition to stagnant stretches and some strdies. Outside of running he enjoys weight lifting and traveling. He has also seen 14 out of 30 Major League Baseball parks and hopes to reach all 30.
TMA: Totally Misunderstood Award
Well, a certain someone named Michael James on Facebook allegedly pushed back a run he organized from 10am to 2pm…as he stayed out just a little too late. Then, he had to cancel on his two teammates at 1:45 because a parade, yes-a parade- was going on past his complex and he had no way to drive out of it to the run. Womp womp.
TEAM STUFF
Yearly dues----à https://runsignup.com/Club/NJ/NewBrunswick/GardenStateTrackClub
Team website---------------> www.gardenstatetc.org
Team Facebook Fan Page----> https://www.facebook.com/groups/159501487397707/
Team Blog---------------> http://gardenstatetc.blogspot.com/
Team YouTube Channel---> http://www.youtube.com/user/GardenStateTC
This Week in Training
By Chris Tafelski (cjtafelski@yahoo.com)
We have a month until CAM, with a slew of 5k championships immediately before and after. So we're going to step up the pace of the workouts as we focus on shorter races.
Monday - comfortable run + 8x 8-10s hill sprints
Tuesday - 5x1k@T with 1:00 jog; 2x1k@5k with equal rest
Wednesday - medium run of 75% long run duration
Thursday - super easy 40-60 mins + strides
Friday - 4x(4x400) at 5k pace. Run the 400s with 1:00 rest with 3:00 rest between sets.
Saturday - same as Monday
Sunday - long run!
Sunday - RACE!
What is this email?
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