Open Men: President’sCup, Monday 6/16
Masters Men: Lager Run, Sunday 6/22
Masters/Open Women: Sunset Classic 5 Miler, Thursday 6/26
College Ave Mile Results
aGSTC Has Best Team Performance in Club History
New Brunswick- The College Ave Mile started two years ago as a dream shared by a small group of club stakeholders, hoping that, by chance, it might grow into something bigger than the 155 finishers it had in year one. To some degree, it was more wishful thinking than practical thinking, as there were no road miles in New Jersey. The association, fraught with masters runners, were quite resistant to the idea, mostly making the case that a mile “isn’t a distance event” so it “doesn’t belong in a distance running Grand Prix.” While there was a national road mile championship, along with other associations hosting regional mile championships, the mile wasn’t even an acknowledged distance in the NJ association, as the Category 1 was defined by any race between “3k and 5k.”
A year later, the GSTC brought legislation to the USATF-NJ to change this language and welcome the mile as an accepted distance in the Grand Prix. There was also a proposal presented to include it in the grand prix. Both were unanimously voted down during the 2012 Fall LDR Meeting, attended by GSTC members Jeff Perrella, Alyssa Douma, and Ken Goglas.
Fast forward to January of 2014: Executive Committee President Ed Neighbor reissues similar legislation, it passes, followed by a positive vote to include the College Ave Mile into the Grand Prix.
Five months later, 339 finishers flood the finish line on College Avenue, doubling the participants of year one, making it now the third largest one mile road race on the East Coast- only behind the 5th Ave Mile (NYC) and the Millenium Mile (New Hampshire)
And, what a day at the races the adidas GSTC had. Racking up 114 points, they broke their own association record for most points in one race as all groups, men and women, open and masters, chipped in for the historic day for G-State. Read all about it below, along with this article on the event.
In addition, here is an article about the College Ave Mile announcer, Super Hero Event’s Chris Russo.
All results can be found here.
Men Go 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 in Team Scoring
New Brunswick- The men’s co-captains knew it would be tricky, especially as several faster runners (Larry Ramirez, Youssef Rochdi, Jarret Kunze) had to pull out for various reasons. The teams were getting thin, and a bit risky, but it simply came down to this: if the guys run well, things should be fine.
And run well they did.
The first nineteen finishers were gold shirts, as were 40 of the 50 athletes who broke 5:00, enabling the GSTC to sweep the top eight team spots, also something no NJ team has ever done.
The elite race was a tight pack after one circuit, going through the half-mile mark in 2:08. With 400m to go, the powerful Chris Johnson muscled to the front, making a move that only a few were able to cover. Josh Neyhart and Will Griffin hung on for a bit, but eventually settled for the silver and bronze, respectively. Johnson’s time of 4:20 broke the former course record of 4:22 set by Jeff Perrella in 2012, while Neyhart (4:21) and Griffin (4:22) also broke or tied it.
A step behind the lead pack were Chris Croff (4:24), Kyle Price (4:26), and Dennie Waite (4:27). Half miler Ricky Garcia held off Ken Goglas by .05, as they both ran 4:28.2, while Atilla Sabahoglu (4:29) and Arquimedes Delacruz (4:30) filled out the top ten. Delacruz, a college teammate of Griffin, made his debut in the black and gold.
Here’s the team break down:
1- 4:34 AVERAGE: Waite, Sabahoglu, Ted Doyle (4:35), Adam Gruchacz (4:37), Will “Big Willy Style” Alston (4:44), David “Boba” Fett (4:47), Kyle Flyer (4:48)
2- 4:36 AVERAGE: Griffin, Delacruz, Matt “See you” Eder (4:32), Ashwin Anantharaman (4:47), Sergio Oconitrillo (4:49), Rob Marczydlo (4:53), Brian Weitz (5:31)
3- 4:38 AVERAGE: Croff, Goglas, Zak “OSU/Thug Life” Martins (4:35), Mike “Doctor” Anis (4:40), Dan Teichmann (5:04), Woody Kongsamut (5:15), Ezra Chefitz (5:30)
4- 4:45 AVERAGE: Johnson, Chris “Scammed ESU Out of a Degree This Year” Schneider (4:36), Will Appman (4:38), Chuck Schneekloth (4:44), Kenny Huryk (5:28)
5- 4:46 AVERAGE: Garcia, Chris Sallade (4:41), Jaris Rousseau (4:51), Nick Murphy (4:52), Norbert “Scammed Kean Out of a Degree This Year” Kuter (5:00), Chris Weiss (5:10)
6- 4:47 AVERAGE: Price, Tony Harris (4:32), Darnell Armstrong (4:54), Wismith Francois (4:56), Mark Minervini (5:05), Steve “Steve” Herring (5:19)
7- 4:51 AVERAGE: Peter Bolgert (4:39), Bart Bancewicz (4:41), Tim “TMA” Morgan (4:49), Tom Visicaro (4:54), Miggy “Smalls” Jones (5:12), Nick Waclawski (5:49)
8- 4:52 AVERAGE: Neyhart, Adin Mickle (4:50), Steve “Python” Jackson (4:57), Mark Parisen (4:58), Edsel Flores (5:15), Josh Rockland (5:22)
GSTC TOP TEN LIST: COLLEGE AVE MILE
4:20.9 Chris Johnson 2014
4:21.7 Josh Neyhart 2014
4:22.6 Will Griffin 2014
4:22.6 Kyle Price 2013
4:22.9 Jeff Perrella 2012
4:23.8 Ken Goglas 2013
4:24.2 Chris Croff 2014
4:24.8 Tony Harris 2013
4:25.1 Chris Heibell 2012
4:27.5 Dennie Waite 2014
A First: Open Women Go 1-2-3-4 in Team Scoring
Thanks to putting eight in the overall top ten, the aGSTC ladies had a monumental first: sweeping the top four spots in the team scoring.
The trio of Cheyenne Ogeltree, Robyn Evangelist, and Maria Danna swept the top three prize money spots, finishing in 5:02, 5:07, and 5:10, respectively. While just eight seconds separated them, there was never really a question as to how the top three places would fall, as the three ran both circuits in this order nearly the entire race. Teammates Michelle Brangan (6th, 5:26), Brittany McCann (7th, 5:27), Erika Meling (8th, 5:28), Nicole Salge (9th, 5:29), and Lisa Jones (10th, 5:30) rounded out the club top ten finishers.
Not only did Danna PR, but she debuted for the club at the CAM. Jones also made her road debut, as she has targeted mostly team track races up until now. The McKee twins, Melissa and Lindsey, also ran their first race in gold, as did the Highland Park duo of Becca Chant and Grace Chong.
Teams:
1- 5:22 AVERAGE: Ogletree, Danna, McCann, Meling, Lindsey McKee (5:44)
2- 5:32 AVERAGE: Evangelist, Brangan, Jones, Karen Auteri (5:33), Courtney Connolly (6:08), Erin Blum (6:11)
3- 5:52 AVERAGE: Salge, Angela Dunn (5:40), Lauren Haynes (5:59), Melissa McKee (6:02), Christina Chafos (6:12), Kristen Prazenica (6:22)
4- 6:02 AVERAGE: Becca Chant (5:46), Nora Norvell (5:51), Grace Chong (5:54), Stephanie Donatone (5:55), Allison Herdje (6:45), Diana Stavrou (7:13)
9- 7:37 AVERAGE: Deb Capko (6:39), Jennifer Dos Santos (7:04), Erin Varga (7:36), Susan Goglas (8:21), Prudence Jones (8:26)
GSTC TOP TEN LIST: COLLEGE AVE MILE
5:01.5 Cheyenne Ogletree 2014
5:06.8 Robyn Evangelist 2014
5:09.6 Maria Danna 2014
5:11.0 Alyssa Douma 2013
5:15.2 Jamie Liberti 2012
5:18.0 Ali Dublinski 2013
5:25.2 Karen Auteri 2013
5:25.6 Erika Meling 2013
5:25.8 Michelle Brangan 2014
5:27.9 Brittany McCann 2014
Masters Men: Two Teams Crack Top 6
Chris Sallade’s highly anticipated debut on the masters team didn’t disappoint, as he dueled with the highly-favorite Mark Williams throughout the entire race until finally getting outkicked in the final straightaway, losing 4:40.28-4:41.57. He was actually leading the race at times, as the former Princeton University half miler fought hard for the win, helping the 40s men finish 4th overall. Steve Harring, making his first appeance since the fall of 2011, was the #2 man with a 5:19. Captain Matt Baker was third at 5:24, with Ken Huryk (5:28), Brian Harris (5:42), and Franklin Reed (6:08) rounding out the top five scorers.
The 60s team, led by Baker, finished 6th overall. Along with Harris and Reed, Peter Auteri (6:10) and Fran Beideman (6:33) teamed up to produce a 5:59 team average.
Masters Women: Brangan Helps 40s Get 2nd
Michelle Brangan, the south jersey 44-year-old wonder woman, continued to rip up the 2014 spring season, as she clocked in at 5:25.87. Along with being the 9th fastest time in club history, it also was the 2nd best age-graded female performance of the day. Deb Capko ran very well for a 51 year old, coming in at 6:39, and Jennifer Dos Santos stopped the clock at 7:04. The trio averaged 6:23 to finish second out of nine teams.
The B Team of Erin Varga (7:36), Susan Goglas (8:21), and Prudence Jones (8:26) finished 9th overall.
Royal Rumble Relay: GSTC Sweeps All 3
In the event’s final race, the Royal Rumble Relay, the GSTC won both the male, female, and co-ed divisions. In perhaps the most exciting finish, Neyhart and Garcia, aka “Shake and Bake”, battled Johnson and Croff, “The Fine Athletic Gentlemen of Summit,” for both the overall title and a sub-4:00 clocking. Neyhart gained revenge on Johnson from the open mile, handing off a few steps ahead of him in the lead. Croff closed hard on Garcia, but the half miler pushed hard in the final stretch, holding off one of the club’s most competitive and talented runners by about 1.5 seconds. Sadly, Garcia crossed the line at 4:00.10, just missing the fabled sub-4:00 barrier, while Croff stopped the clock at 4:01.76.
The co-ed division had some hoopla around it, as the Ogletree-Goglas team, “Ebony and Ivory,” were squaring off with the Parisen-Evangelist squad, “Blue Eyed and Beautiful.” While the two teams certainly had similar fitness, the track-focused Parisen opened up a sizeable lead on Goglas, and Evangelist was able to open it up a bit, resulting in a 4:27-4:37 difference. The Anis-Auteri relay named “We’re Not Old Yet” sure did run like it, finishing a distant 3rd in 4:53.
The all-mighty south jersey combo of McCann and Dunn won the women’s relay division, a good bit ahead of the second place team, Run 4 Fun compised of Salge and Chafos.
Track Action: NJ International Invitational
Hanko, Sharpe Crush Club Records as Gold Dominate
Colts Neck- Jared Hanko and Logan Sharpe highlighted a fantastic finale on the oval Saturday night, bringing down two club records in the NJ International Invitational as elite East Coast athletes take one more shot at national qualifiers. Sharpe, hoping to break his PR, SCSU record, and GSTC club record all at once, did just that as he thundered through the finish line in 51.39 for the 400IH. The hurdler will be running on the “A Team” 4x400 at the adidas Grand Prix this coming weekend in NYC’s Icahn Stadium. Hanko had similar aspirations for a PR and club record, yet he fell just shy of the former as he coasted to a second place in the 800m, hitting the finish line at 1:50.68. Watch the race here!
It was a particularly strong outing for the GSTC throwers, as Coach James Luginsland watched Alina Duran win the hammer (52.18), Monique Riddick get silver in the shot (51-7) as did Sara Strangio in the javelin (31.29m), and two athletes grabbed bronze medals: Dillion Rodgers (javelin/213-9) and Alyssa Hudgins (discus/149-8).
The jumps were also dominated by the GSTC, as Lilly Anderson won the LJ and took 2nd in the TJ. Teammates Nafee Harris (24-7) and Herman Kirkland (24-0) went 2-3, respectively, in the long jump. In the women’s high jump, Kelsey Lewis and Erin LaCosta went 2-3.
In the very competitive sprint events, Yakabu Ibraham was fourth in the 110HH (14.76), Isaiah Gill was 4th in the 2300m (21.59), Cyrus Wesley was 5th in the 100m at 10.80, and Jamal Roberts ran a season best in the 400m at 48.82. LaCosta and AJ Laws (53.83) were 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the women’s and men’s 400IH. Tyrone Ross led all 400m finishers with a season best run of 47.51 for 7th place overall.
Other Weekend Results
Maria Danna won the St. Jude Children’s Hospital 15k in Ridgewood in 51:23, although it was actually 8.22, not 9.3, miles long…Peter Auteri finished 31rd overall, and first in his age group, at the Run for Marge 5k with a 21:56 finish…Lee Mooney finished 3rd in his age group in the javelin at the Mid-Atlantic USATF Championships at Widener University…Chris Schneider (5th/17:13), James Lothian (8th/18:17), and Mark Minervini (9th/18:19) all ran in the Roxbury 5k Monday evening.,
GSTC To Compete, Volunteer at the adidas Grand Prix
NYC- As part of their negotiated three-year contract, the adidas GSTC will be bringing 110 volunteers to help run the adidas Grand Prix track and field meet this Saturday at Icahn Stadium. All volunteers will be provided adidas shoes and polo shirts to wear at the meet.
In addition, the club qualified three 4x400 relays to compete at the meet- two men and one woman.
The meet will showcase some of the best athletes in the history of the sport, including 800m world record holder David Rudisha. There are still tickets available through their website here.
GSTC Teams Announced for President's Cup
Team Runs
Monday: (Central Enclave) track workout 5:30 @ HPHS
Monday: (North Enclave) 5:45 @ Pete Auteri’s house (email pauteri@verizon.net for address)
Tuesday: (Central Enclave) 5:30 @ HPHS
Wednesday: (Central Enclave) 4:15 @ HPHS
Wednesday: (Morristown Enclave) 6:15 group run @ Morristown Running Company
Wednesday: (track and field) Team workout 5:30 at Highland Park HS
Wednesday: (North Enclave) Pompton Lakes run @ 5:45 email for more info: pauteri@verizon.net
Wednesday: (Princeton Enclave) 5:30 @ Turning Basin Park on Alexander Road
Thursday: (Central Enclave) 4:20 @ HPHS
Thursday: Tracksters: USATF-NY Twilight Meet
Friday: (Central Enclave) 4:45 @ HPHS
Saturday: (Morristown Enclave) 9:00am @ Morristown Running Company
Sunday: none
Monday: PRESIDENT’S CUP @ Millburn
Steady Striders
by Mark Parisen
Steady Striders,
With the racing season over now is the time to rest and cover before we start building towards a strong cross country or fall racing season. Take at least one week off of no running and then take a week of running very short (1-3 miles) every other day to reintroduce it to your body.
Keep your eyes on the facebook page as we will be scheduling group runs over the summer!
Quotes of the Week
“After watching this, it’s gonna be hard to go home and not run myself. That was really fun.” -New Brunswick police officer, after breaking down event
“That all went better than I was expecting. It seems as if most everyone really enjoyed the event and the distance.” -Ed Neighbor, USATF-NJ Executive Committee president, during the after-party at the Olive Branch
“Your club is starting to build a reputation in this city as one who puts on good events.” -Doug Schnieder, owner of the Olive Branch
“This was the most exciting team race of the year.” -Dave Hoch, Shore AC masters captain
“Thanks for putting on a great event last night! Good luck to Garden State in the USATF-NJ Championship series this year!” -Mark Washburne, president of the Do Run Runners, via FB message
“It was the first time I had run a timed mile since 1969.” -Peter Auteri, via email to training friends
“Just wanted to say, nice job with yesterday's race and thanks for the pictures...I had a great time!” -Ben Teixeira, president of Clifton Roadrunners, via FB chat
“…it was a great event and fantastic turnout!” -Jen Hillier Found, via FB
“The mile is my favorite distance...too bad I wasn't in the shape I wanted to be for it this year. But next year.... See you then! A number of our club (Clifton RRC) members said they enjoyed watching the other heats, and having people cheering while they were running.” -Tom Allen, via email, Clifton RRC member
Gold Star
By Ashwin Anantharaman
Brian Weitz
Brian joined the Garden State Track Club in April. He is new to the competitive-running world and joined because he has only been entering races for 11 months, and knows the only way I'll reach my true potential is to train with the best. His PRs are 18:57 5k, 1:28.24 Half Marathon, and 5:31 mile. His goals are to run a 5k under 18:00, a Half Marathon under 6:30/mile, a 5:10 mile, and to run the NYC Marathon with a finishing time under 3:10. His pre race routine is a large bowl of pasta and a salmon filet the night before the race. Before races He has a large bowl of oatmeal and a banana while hydrating with plenty of Gatorade and water, uses his foam roller and stretches He’s a die hard Knicks, Yankees, Giants, and Rutgers fan. He is an elementary school teacher in Woodbridge who also enjoys going out to eat, bar hopping in Hoboken/NYC spending time with his girlfriend.
Maria Danna
Maria joined the GSTC program because she saw us at meets and liked how we not only had fun but were very structured as well. Her goal includes a sub 17min 5k and a sub 5 minute mile. Her current PRs are 5:09 for the mile and 17:30 for the 5k. Before races she claims to be pretty boring, as she just runs a couple miles to warm up then gets ready to race. Her hobbies outside of running include cooking, shopping, going to the beach, hiking, painting, watching TV, and going out to eat.
TMA: Totally Misunderstood Award
It would have been nice to have the roads shut down by 4:00, as we paid for, or 4:30 for that matter.
Also, the 2012 USATF-NJ Grand Prix Champions, RVRR, brought just four scoring teams to the all-division championship race that was held just in the next town over from their club headquarters, Highland Park. In comparison, Clifton RR had 11, Shore AC had 8, Do Run Runners had 7, Garmin had 5, and even Essex had 4. The GSTC led all clubs with 17 scoring teams.
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
Monday 6/9: Comfortable run +8x 8-10s hill sprint
Tuesday 6/10: 4x400 @ 5k pace, 2000@ threshold pace, 4x400 @ 5k pace all with equal rest to your 400s (if you are running 75s for your 400s, take 75s rest after each 400 and after the 2k as well)
Wednesday 6/11: super easy 45-60 minutes
Thursday 6/12: comfortable run 45-60 minutes
Friday 6/13: 4x600@ 5k pace with equal rest, 4x200 @ mile pace with 200 jog rest
Saturday 6/14: Easy 35-50 minute run
Sunday 6/15: Easy 20-40 minute run
Monday: PRESIDENT’S CUP!
What is this email?
... eadidas.blogspot.com
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