Best Weekend in Club History We haven't said this phrase in a while, but it certainly must be said today. Four incredible performances at USA Championships, several club records at the BU Last Chance, three national TV cameos, and a huge turnout for Road Relays. Oh, and a world record. Check it all out below!
Weekend Recap: Track and Field
USA Indoor Championships
Lebourne Breaks 1500m WR Boston- Several great athletes have had great performances in their club debut, but no one ever has, and probably no one ever will again, break a world record when first wearing the black and gold. That is exactly what Anselm Lebourne did this Sunday afternoon, as the 55 year old Maplewood resident ripped a 4:13.77 in the masters exhibition 1500m to break the old 55-59 world record of 4:19.80. When asked after the race how it felt via text, he responded, "Painful but great." Sounds about right! Blair 6th in HJ
Montez Blair came in barely making the 2.15m standard (7 feet, .5 inch), yet he came out beating more than half the field--finishing as the 6th best high jumper in America.
The Cornell grad leapt 2.20m, or 7 feet, 2.5 inches, to snag 6th place overall. He made a brief appearance on national TV, as his attempt was shown while the women's 600m was televised.
He also holds the outdoor club record with his 2013 jump of 2.22m, when he won the USATF Club National High Jump Title and broke the meet record.
Kirkland 7th in LJ  Herman Kirkland had the performance of his life Saturday afternoon, as the Philly native finished 7th in the USA Indoor Championships. He jumped 7.22m, beating out four of the eleven qualifiers in the event.
Had he jumped his season best, he would have finished third overall.
This closes out an outstanding season for Kirkland, as he won both the Terrier Classic and Gotham Cup long jump titles.
Sharpe Races 600m on National TV Logan Sharpe became the first club member in history to compete on national television, as the recent Southern Connecticut State grad finished 12th out of 16 participants in the 600 meter dash. Sharpe split 24 then 25, thus going through the 400m in 50.2. He closed his final 200m in 29, giving him the final time of 1:19.37. He ran 1:19.03 to qualify for the event in January.
Boston Last Chance Invitational
Prettyman Breaks Mile CR At the Boston University Last Chance Meet, Lindsay Prettyman broke her own indoor club record in the mile. The U Del grad ran 4:48.95 to finish second overall in the event. Lowry Breaks 800m CR Dylan Lowry, the club's sprint medley anchor that helped the relay win gold at Millrose Games, closed out his season with an indoor PR and club record in the 800m. The scrappy Albany grad rolled to a 1:51.31, breaking Sharpe's CR set at the Terrier Classic.
Richards Breaks 200m CR Brian Richards smashed the club 200m record at the BU Last Chance, as he ran 21.52 to finish 3rd overall. He also ran 8.00, an indoor 60m high hurdle PR, to win that event.
Ross, Ramirez Go 2-3 in 500 Tyrone Ross and Larry "Moose Juice" Ramirez went 2-3 in the 500, as they ran 63.20 and 64.87, respectively. They teamed up with Kevin Persson and Ish Robbins to run 3:20.78, just a tenth away from 2nd overall.
Jamal Roberts and Cyrus Wesley went 5-7 in the 200m with times of 21.75 and 21.97, respectively.
See all results of the BU Last Chance here.
Road Relays
Between the snow, Nintendo and Pokemon characters, and Feeature socks prizes, the fifth running of the Road Relays once again lived up to its hype.
Despite the two inches of snow that accumulated from the start to finish of the race, 114 brave relays--or 228 total runners--started and finished the race. 51 men teams, 25 women teams, and 38 co-ed teams was the final break down of the event.
In the men's race, the Princeton Running Club edged out the GSTC team of Matt Eder and Mike Fonder by eight seconds, 31:11-31:19. In fairness, Eder was saving his legs for his co-ed race with the Rutgers Running Club, so the 5:01 versus the 5:02 average may have had a different result otherwise. The winning time was the fourth fastest ever recorded; the second place team was fifth fastest ever. Josh Neyhart and Steve Schelander hold the all-time male record, scorching the course last year in a combined 29:54. The women's race saw another PRC team win in 39:26, outdistancing GSTC's Katie Castro and Karen Auteri , who ran 40:19 for second overall. Their times were the 5th and 6th fastest on the all-time list. Alyssa Douma and Cheyenne Ogletree, running under the team name "Kittens with Mittens," won last year in an event record 36:01.
In the co-ed race, the Rutgers Running Club duo of Ally Black and Matt Eder won the overall co-ed title in 34:05--tying them for the second fastest performance on the all-time list with "Pink Dynamite"--Kyle Price and Alyssa Douma from 2013. Peter Bolgert and Greta Sieve have the event record with a 33:42 from 2013. Several event records were broken, including the father-son and father-daughter categories. Long-time club member Ken Huryk and his son took down the former with a brilliant 35:50, while NJ road running stalwart Charlie Slaughter and his daughter, a runner at Ramapo, took down the father-daughter record with a fine 41:43.
For the second year in a row, the Princeton Running Club won the Karnes Cup in the "Route 1 Rivalry" over the Rutgers Running Club. Scored like a cross country race for all three categories, the PRC swept the top three spots in the men's race, resulting in a 3-9 score (1st+2nd=3; 4th+5th=9), as they similarly put two teams ahead of the RRC's top two women's teams for a 3-7 score. The Rutgers crew did win the co-ed, and were just seven seconds from going 1-2. Instead, they settled for 1st-3rd, thus a 4-6 score. The PRC thus won 10-20 over the host.
National Press Check out this great article on the history of the adidas Garden State Track Club here.
Check out this great article on the club's performances at the Millrose Games here.
Runblogrun is one of the biggest on-line sources of running and track and field news in America.
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aGSTC SPRING PLAN WEEK NINE Those who have paid dues will have the spring training plan sent to them; it is built around the team schedule. It will be done via a google doc. There are other plans available as well.
Intermediate/advanced 1500m-5k: on the track for indoor and outdoor track, 6-7 days a week of running, 2 weekly workouts and a long run
Intermediate/Advance Marathon: 6-7 days of runningThe focus being on a weekly workout and long run
Beginner 5k-HM: 4 days a week of running focus on weekly workout and long run
Email ken_goglas@hotmail.com for access to other plans or a specific individualized plan that fits your needs and goals. Spring plan built around USATF-NJ team races here Marathon Plan (Intermediate/Advanced) here 5k-Half Marathon Beginner: here
Kyle's Kingdom by Kyle Price
Robert Klink 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 had a nice little chat with Robert Klink. President of the Rutgers Running Club during our interview, and now consultant to the new President as of Sunday, he is, was, and will continue to be a big part of our GSTC's sister group. An all around pleasant person, you have most likely seen him at a highland park workout or running at an RSC gathering.
Kyle: Hello Rob, thanks for joining us.
Mr. Klink: It is an honor to be here Kyle.
Kyle: No no, with a Klink in my Korner the honor is all mine. Can you give us a little background on your running career?
Mr. Klink: Sure my running career started my freshman year in high school. At that point in my life I never knew what cross country or track even meant. My first 5k I ran was around 27:45! But over the years of my high school running career I became a better runner and eventually by senior year I dropped my 5k to 17:45 and my mile time to 4:53. I achieved a lot in my high school career and I set a fine example to follow for all of the under class man who looked up to me. So remember everyone, if you train hard enough and put in enough effort you can become a better runner than you were before. Sorry for getting side tracked but after high school I went to Rutgers and heard about GSTC and joined it immediately and in the beginning there were not that many folks on the team, but now the progression of the team size and spirit has amazed me.
Kyle: Shedding 10 minutes over your 5K high school career is no small feat. Had you planned on running in college or did that come about once you heard about the club?
Mr. Klink: Well I wanted to continue my running career but I wasn't a division 1 runner so running for Rutgers was out of the question. I was actually pretty bummed that I might not have a team to run with. I actually tried running with the old road runners club at Rutgers but no one was at the practice I showed up at. Finally my friend Zak (aka Zmart) told me about GSTC and that's how I found out about the club.
Kyle: The Rutgers running club is quite a bit different these days isn't it?
Mr. Klink: It has indeed changed. From only having 4-5 runners joining us for practice to now more often 10 or more runners coming out to the practices. But just like GSTC we started out small and we are growing bigger and bigger each semester.
Kyle: Well it's a great service that you provide to people who I'm sure often find themselves in your predicament, going to a big school like that but not being able to necessarily compete at the level of the school. Now, you hold a position this club don't you?
Mr. Klink: Yes, I am the President of the running club. However starting March 1st the new club leaders will be taking in charge of the Club. So the next President is going to be David Fett which the club will be in good hands with him as the leader. I will still help David throughout the rest the of the semester though until I graduate so I can contribute more to the club as much as I can.
Kyle: So David's first official day of his presidency is the grand Road Relays competition with Princeton?
Mr. Klink: Yes it is and hopefully it will be the day we win the Competition against Princeton!
Kyle: What a day to start his new position. Well by the time everyone reads this will have known if he's off to a good start or not. What degree are you graduating with come the end of the spring?
Mr. Klink: I'm am graduating with a Criminal Justice degree this spring.
Kyle: Are you hoping to become a detective?
Mr. Klink: Possibly. I'm hoping to start my law enforcement career at Rutgers and then maybe move on from there.
Kyle: Campus Security??
Mr. Klink: No I mean Rutgers Police. See the Rutgers police are a state accredited police department. That means they go through all of the basic training as any other police department and because Rutgers is a state university, Rutgers police has state wide authority of NJ, but their main focus are the Rutgers campuses.
Kyle: I was just teasing. But that would be great! Still get to be around campus and friends and the clubs. What are your goals for this spring season?
Mr. Klink: Hahaha that's fine. My goals for this spring season are to try and PR in the 5k (maybe break 17 minutes) and if I can drop my mile time down.
Kyle: I think under 17 is definitely doable for you sir.
Mr. Klink: I think it is overdue to happen lol.
Kyle: Are you looking towards track meets or road races?
Mr. Klink: I'm trying to get a mix of both.
Kyle: Best way to do it, attack from all angles.
RANDOM QUESTION! What is your perfect Sunday?
Mr. Klink: A perfect Sunday would be on the beach chilling with no humidity, a light breeze, 70-75 degree weather, a couple of beers, a beach chair to lay on, and a delicious sub from Wawa.
Kyle: Poet Laureate in the making here. Well thank you for speaking with us Rob.
Mr. Klink: Haha thanks Kyle, it was my pleasure. See you at Road Relays!
Kyle: You as well sir!
Tune in next week to see who we interview. |
Gold Star by Bri Teichmann
Erin Grosskurth By Bri Teichmann Erin is one of the newest ladies to join the GSTC. She started running when she was just 6 years old! She just ran with her dad and did not think much of it. Erin continued running and started to run competitively as the years went on, in 5ks and then throughout middle school and high school. Erin just graduated college in December with a double major in International Studies and Chinese. She is currently a substitute teacher while waiting to hear back from graduate schools for the fall. Her hobbies include running, cooking, traveling, and arts and crafts, and learning Chinese! Fun fact about Erin: She spent a semester in China and while there she realized how much she appreciated clean air. She had to wear a special mask when she ran so that she wouldn't breathe in the pollution!
Welcome, Erin!
Quotes of the Week "I've been timing races for decades, and I've never seen this type of weather change from the beginning of a race to the end of one." -Dave Siconolfi, Compuscore timer "Believe it or not, I will be in attendance for the first spring track practice." -Carson Keers-Flood, via text
"Just stay in school. For real. Stay in school." -Herman Kirkland, briefly addressing a Maplewood Middle School class, before finishing up the drive to USAs for the long jump, where he placed 7th overall.
"Great start for the masters track runners of GSTC." -Anselm Lebourne, via text, after running his world record in the 1500m
"Well of course it's nice today." -Cheyenne Ogletree, via FB, during a sunny Monday after Sunday's snowstorm for Road Relays
"Yes, my throat is sore from swallowing all of those snow flakes at high speed!! " -Steve Olin, via FB
"She wasn't there. When I went to hand off the baton, she just wasn't there. I ran another lap, looked for her, and just stopped." -Robert Matthews, whose partner had a family emergency and had to leave after her first leg. Womp womp...there's a first for everything at Road Relays!
"F inally, (I ran with) Lauren Bach for a 2-person 10k relay Sunday afternoon in the storm where we ran as Mario and Princess Peach (team name The Princess and The Plumber). I wasn't Mario...gotta make it fun right! Now I'm ready for a rest week." -Matt Bach, via FB
A Message from the President Once again, the club hosted a fantastic event this weekend- the fifth running of the Road Relays. Despite the Sunday snow and an overall rugged February of weather, we are very appreciative to the many members who extended themselves to make this a fun experience for all. After some preliminary discussion with club leaders, we are planning on hosting it a few weeks later next year, with hopes to begin a conversation about it being a part of team scoring in the Grand Prix team competition. It's just too fun and awesome to NOT be a team event for all clubs!
As always, we have some big things just around the corner. These include the USATF-NJ team racing, the NJ Marathon baggage volunteering, the adidas Grand Prix volunteering, College Ave Mile hosting, and...we've added a new event to the spring: the adidas Grand Prix Youth Qualifier. We are thrilled to be the host organization for adidas and Global Athletics to put on this meet that qualifies youth for the East Coast's biggest track meet of the year.
If you haven't already, please email back your team captain about your availability for team races and functions. Planning and organizing these events are challenging, and we appreciate your cooperation with a timely response.
We are just a week or two from some warm weather. Hang in there everyone!
2015 adidas GSTC Spring Racing Schedule March 22 Miles for Music 20k All Divisions April 25 Clinton 15k All Divisions May 2 Newport 10k Open Men, Women May 25 Ridgewood 10k Masters Men June 6 *College Ave Mile All Divisions June 15 President's Cup Open Men June 28 Lager Run Masters Women
2015 adidas aGSTC Winter/Spring Track Schedule April 3-4 Sam Howell (Princeton) April 11 Rider Invite April 17-18 Larry Ellis (Princeton) April 23-25 Penn Relays April 25 TCNJ Lions Invite May 11 Swarthmore Last Chance May 30 GSTC Invitational (Highland Park) June ? USATF Club Nationals |
| It's time to pay your 2015 Team Dues. The club has many operating expenses that depend on membership dues.
 | | Check your enclave Facebook pages for enclave group runs.
The team has two under-the-lights track practices at Highland Park HS: Monday and Wednesday (5:30pm). We also train Saturday mornings at 10:00am at the same location. All are welcome....come do your workout! |
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