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 | THE WEEKLY EMAIL
Nationals! Nationals! Nationals! We rocked Nationals! |
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| 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)
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| 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
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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. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Masters Men  | Sallade
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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
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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. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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. |
Masters Women Finish here. Masters Women Start here.
Masters Men Loop One here.
Open Women Loop One here.
Lots more videos of the races can be found on the |
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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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