USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running including cross country and mountain-ultra-trail running and race walking in the United States. The USATF Niagara Association territory is defined as the State of New York west of and including the counties of Oswego, Onondaga, Cortland and Broome. This includes the metropolitan areas of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Jamestown, Ithaca, and Binghamton. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
Local Masters compete against the best at the 45th Annual
Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile
The 45th Annual Hartshorne Masters Mile held on Saturday, January 21, 2012 on
the 200m Barton Hall indoor oval at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY featured
some of the top Masters runners in the country and our local Masters more than
held their own.
The highlight of the meet was the race of 62 year old Nolan Shaheed from
Pasadena, CA, who broke his own American Masters indoor Mile record (Men 60-64)
by over seven seconds with his amazing 4:50.95 (96.82% age graded*). Tops among
the many Niagara Association Master Men's finishers was Mark Rybinski, (M56,
Manlius, NY) whose 4:59.83 time age-graded 4th best overall at 89.19%.
Other notable Niagara Masters finishers were Javier Martinez, (M41, B-Ville,
NY, 4:48.25, 82.33%), Joe Mora, (M50, Fayetteville, NY, 4:57.00, 85.69%), Scott
Bickham, (M45, Corning, NY, 5:03.97, 80.72%), Gary Radford, (M55, Cicero, NY,
5:08.90, 85.84%), Niagara Association Secretary Rob Liebers, (M54, Lakewood, NY,
5:18.45, 82.58%) and Joe Daley, (M60, Ithaca, NY, 5:22.88, 86.48%).
On the distaff side, our own Coreen Steinbach, (F60, Pompey,
NY, 6:11.01, 92.32%) finished a close second in the overall age-graded results
to past Olympian, Alisa Harvey, (F46, Manassas, VA, 5:05.95, 92.99%). Coreen
barely nosed out new Hartshorne Master Women's record setter, Sonja Friend-Uhl,
(F40, Brentwood, TN, 4:49.82, 91.68%) who was 3
rd in the age-grading
prize money. Other top Niagara Master Women's finishers included: Audra
Naujokas-Knapp, (F42, Rochester, NY, 5:24.07, 83.73%), Suzanne Myette, (F54,
Endicott, NY, 5:50.69, 89.81%) and Carolyn Smith-Hanna, (F61, Pittsford, NY,
6:57.22, 83.24%).
Once again, Tom Hartshorne and the Finger Lakes Runners Club
have produced and directed one of the premier Masters Indoor Track events of
the year. Well done.
For further information regarding Nolan Shaheed's remarkable
race go to:
http://masterstrack.com/
Complete Hartshorne results can be
found below.
Hartshorne Masters Mile 84.98 Kb
Note: Nolan Shaheed "only" age-graded at 96.82% for his
American Masters M60-64 pending Indoor Mile record because the age-grading
track standards are based on best times set at either indoor or outdoor tracks
while separate American Masters records are kept for both the indoor and
outdoor mile. The performances set on outdoor tracks are generally faster than
the smaller and tighter-turned indoor facilities and thus the age-grading
standards are based on the usually faster outdoor track times.
US Men's 50K Olympic Race Walk Trial Recap:
Nunn wins 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials 50 km Race Walk
Erin Taylor-Taloctt sets 3 American Records
SANTEE, CALIF. – John Nunn won the 2012 U.S. Olympic
Team Trials – Men’s 50 km Race Walk in 4:04:38 to lead a fast race that
saw multiple American and course records set Sunday in Santee, Calif.
Olympians at the 20 km distance, Nunn and Tim Seaman,
both of San Diego, pushed each other throughout the race with several
changes of the lead as both walked well under the Olympic “B” standard
of 4:09. Seaman finished second in 4:05:50. The duo led the way for the
top five men to better the previous course record of 4:28:53 set in 2009
by current race director Philip Dunn.
The athletes were greeted to near perfect conditions in the 40’s and
50’s as they covered the 1.25 km loop on the streets of Santee. The 50
kilometer distance required the athletes to complete 40 laps on the
course. This 31 mile distance is the longest track and field event
offered in the Olympics.
From the early stages of the race a pack of five men emerged as the lead pack including: Nunn, Seamain, Ben Shorey (Kenosha, Wisc.), Patrick Stroupe (Armstrong, Mo.) and Erich Cordero (Pompano
Beach, Fla.). The men remained within feet of each other with no one
separating from the others. The group pushed the pace to come through
the half-way point well under the Olympic “B” standard pace of 4:09. At
25 km, the top four men split 1:38:50, with Cordero falling back
slightly to 1:39:23.
At 35 km, the race began in earnest as Nunn surged ahead of his
competitors to quickly build a 20-30 meter lead over Seaman. Nunn held
his lead for nearly 10 km before Seaman was able to reel him back in to
take the lead at the 45 km mark. From there it was a two man race as the
two walked shoulder-to-shoulder for the next two laps of the course.
The two veterans pushed one another and extended their lead as the
pulled out of sight of Shorey and Stroupe.
Going into the bell lap, Nunn pulled away by nearly 50 meters over
Seaman and never looked back as he extended his lead by one minute and
twelve seconds to win the Olympic Trials and set the course record of
4:04:38. Nunn’s time improves his PR by nearly ten minutes.
Seaman finished as the runner-up in 4:05:50, while Shorey rounded out
the podium taking third in 4:17:40. Stroupe set a PR by more than seven
minutes to finish fourth in 4:19:43, and Cordero finished fifth in
4:28:04.
The fast pace of the day also produced numerous American Records. Erin Taylor-Talcott (Owego,
N.Y.) not only became the first woman allowed to compete as a guest in
the Men's 50 km Olympic Trials, but also recorded three American Records en
route to her historic finish. Talcott first established the 25 km record
in 2:13:38 before bettering her own 35 km record in 3:08:33 and finally
setting the 50 km record by nearly six minutes with her sixth place
finish of 4:33:22. Allen James (Sanborn, N.Y.) also
added his name to the record books for the 45-49 division with his 35 km
split of 3:06:35. James went on to finish seventh in 4:39:24. Erin's husband, Dave Talcott, gave it a go before dropping with a hamstring injury.
The race served as the selector for Team USA for both the 2012
Olympic Games and the IAAF World Race Walking Cup. For details on the
selection to both teams, visit
www.usatf.org.
Athlete Quotes
John Nunn – “You know it has been a long road to get
back. I didn’t make the team in ‘08 and it was a hard push. My daughter
was 6-months-old when I went in ’04, and I really wanted to give her a
chance to come and see it again. It is a dream come true to make it
again, and to know she can experience that and have it in her mind for
the rest of her life to go and see me compete in the Olympics.
“Hopefully it made the race really exciting. I know that about 38 km
in, I pulled away from Tim [Seaman], then he pulled away at 43 km, and
made it look like I was standing still. When I caught him it was like’
what the heck, who is going to pull this off?’. It was a long walk to
be that close in the end.
Tim Seaman – “Very few people believed in me, the boys
from Cuyamaca were out here today and they really, really motivated me
and I couldn’t have done it without them. I’m 39 years old, I almost got
my PR. I did the best I could, and I couldn’t have done better.”
Ben Shorey –“It went well. I wanted to go and see what
I could do. We were all walking for a B and I tried to go as long as I
could with the other guys, but they both have way more training years on
me. It is just going to be a few more years for me. The people were
awesome today, the course was great.”
Erin Taylor-Talcott –“It is pretty cool to set the
records. I was hoping for two of them, but I didn’t even know about the
third – the 25k. But that’s mostly because it hadn’t been in the books.
“I’m most proud of getting here, it was a fight to get here and luckily
there were enough people that saw the bigger vision. It was a chance
for women to show that we can do this too. There is inequality in our
sport and it is time to see if we can get that fixed.”
For more information on the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s 50 km Race Walk, visit
www.usatf.org.
Message from US Olympic Race Walker and past USATF Niagara Race Walk Chairperson, Allen James:
Hey
everyone – thanks for the well wishes and the like. The below link
really captured much of the drama that occurred during the race.
http://www.racewalk.com/PhotoStory2012OlympicTrials50K/2012_OlympicTrails50K_01.asp
Prior
to the race my back & neck went into spasms, but I thought I could
walk through it and it would go away. Little did I know that I was also
coming down with the harshest sinus infection I’ve had in years. I was
on a perfect pace for me through 30K, but the pain only intensified.
My goal was 4:23. At 30K, I decided I needed to shut it down in order
to finish the race. We often refer to this as the death march in the
50K, but for me it was simply pain management. I actually surprised I
set a record – not at all my goal. I also had no intention of going to
the World Cup in Russia either, so my finish time was irrelevant outside
of not performing up to my goal.
Erin Talcott’s
race was incredible. She looked strong throughout the race. It was
great to see her do so well and hopefully it will lead to future
participation and expansion of the women’s events to include the 50K.
Growing up around Doris Brown-Heritage, my mother opening a running
store in ’75 and my brother directing the first women’s marathon Olympic
trials in ’84 has had a profound impact on me and the future of women’s
distance running. It’s great to see Erin setting the bar for the
future in women’s walking. It may take a long time, but you have to
start somewhere. Personally, I’m glad USATF and the USOC allowed her to
compete.
The
race for the Olympic Games was awesome. In 1992, I participated in basically a
winner takes all US Olympic Trials in the 20k in New Orleans. I made my final
move with about 5k to go and never looked back. For the 2012 50K spot,
unless the top two or three we on pace to go under the 3:59 "A" standard, only one person
was going to qualify for the Olympics. 5 guys were on 4:09 pace ( the "B" standard) through 25K, 3 by 30K, and
2 by 35K when the real racing started. It was great to watch, even as a
death marching spectator!
Thanks again,
Allen James
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
Syracuse resident and Stotan runner Fred Joslyn finished 75th overall with a time of 2:24:29 at the 2012 U.S. Mens Olympic Trials that were held at Houston, Texas. Joslyn qualified for the trials at the Rock n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon on Feburary 13, 2011 when Joslyn won the race in the time of 2:18:49. Joslyn also went on to run the qualifying time back in September at the Rock n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon with a time of 1:04:34. The mens winner of the race was Meb Keflezighi with a time of 2:09:08 followed by Ryan Hall with a time of 2:09:30 followed by Abdi Abdirahman with a time of 2:09:47. The three men will represent the United States in the 2012 summer Olympics in London. The womens winner was Shalane Flanagan with a time of 2:25:38. Desiree Davila and Kara Goucher finished 2nd and 3rd to make the womens team. Results can be found at www.usatf.org
Upstate Holiday Classic XIII / Niagara Indoor Championships Results Posted
Thanks to all who made the meet a great success, especially the athletes and the officials. There were three new meet records set and one tied. Eddie Novara set a new meet record of 15:05.93 in winning the Men's 5000m run. The old mark was Nick Guarino's 15:21.07 set just last year. Tomaris Bell tied Rayshon Higgins' 2004 mark of 2.00m in the Men's High Jump. Miranda Melville's 13:44.07 winning performance in the Women's 3000m Race Walk broke Michelle Rohl's 2002 meet record of 13:57.31 by over 13 seconds. There was a new record set in the 4 x 200m Relay with the winning time of 1:43.06 besting the 1:46.68 tiime set in 2008. We will have the names of the runners on that team later. The USATF Niagara Association says, "well done" to all who competed.
Results Here.
Track and Field Clinic needs Registrants!
A Track and Field training clinic for coaches is planned for Friday and Saturday March 23rd and 24th, 2012 at the Wilson Magnet school in Rochester. Completion of this clinic will grant the attendee a certification by the USTFCCCA. A minimum of 25 participants is needed to host the class, and the deadline is Dec. 28th. Please see this
Flyer for further information on the clinic.
Congratulations Niagara President Bill Quinlisk
12/10/2011, Seattle– USATF National Club XC Championships
USATF Niagara Association President Bill Quinlisk was presented with the 2011 Doris Brown Heritage Awardfrom Mike Scott, Chairperson of the USATF Cross Country Council at the Saturday, Dec. 10th evening awards ceremony following the 2011 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Seattle, WA. The award was made in recognition of Bill's outstanding contributions to the sport of cross country. The award is given annually by the Cross Country Council in the name of Doris Brown Heritage, a pioneer in women's distance running and five-time world cross country champion. In accepting the award Bill said, "It is a great honor for me to receive this award named after such a great talent and truly nice person as Doris Heritage. It is so nice to have her present at the ceremony. Both her and Carole Langenbach of Seattle," who were also honored at the ceremony, "were mentors to me as I began serving as the USATF Masters Cross Country representative and I thank them." In addition to his duties as USATF Niagara Association President, Bill Quinlisk currently serves as the Vice-Chairperson for the USATF Masters Long Distance Running Committee, and as their representative to the Cross Country Council as well as Masters LDR Championships Coordinator. Bill Quinlisk was one of the founders of and served as first President for both the Greater Rochester Track Club and the Genesee Valley Harriers. He was a long-time coach in the Rochester area at various schools including RIT, St. John Fisher College, McQuaid HS, Greece Olympia HS, Penfield HS and Bishop Kearney HS. He has been honored as NAIA District 31 XC Coach of the Year as well as Rochester City-Catholic League and Monroe County League Coach of the Year and is a member of the Greater Rochester Track Club Hall of Fame. He was the founder and first race director for the Lilac 10k and the RT Turkey Run and was a past co-race director of the Rochester Marathon. Past President of the Genesee Valley HS Track Officials, Bill is a long-time HS Track and XC Official and currently serves as the Genesee Valley HS Officials Rules' Interpreter. He is also a Master-level USATF Official. Bill Quinlisk is probably best known as the long-time director of the Rochester Summer Track and Field program. Bill is currently retired from teaching and coaching and lives with his wife Patricia in Syracuse, NY. When not working part-time with Leone Timing Services, you can find Bill still competing in area cross country, road and track events.
Niagara Officials Selected for National Meets
Congratulations to the following Niagara officials selected for USATF national meets:
USATF Indoor Nationals:
Lawrence Guilford, Paul Kosek, Kim Cross-Boyce
USATF Junior Outdoor Nationals:
Paul Kosek, Jim McCaul, Kathy McLymond
Olympic Trials:
Larry Callahan, Perry Jenkins, Paul Kosek, Jim McCaul, Kathy McLymond, Tom Priester
Congratulations Mickey Piscitelli
12/3/2011, St. Louis, MO – USATF Annual Meeting NewsWinners of awards from Saturday's Award Lunch included our own Niagara Association member Mickey Piscitelli of Baldwinsville, NY who serves as the Secretary of the USATF Women's LDR Committee. Mickey was awarded the Womens Long Distance Running Committee's
Marja Bakker Contributor of the Year Award. Congratulations Mickey Piscitelli.
Dozens of contributors surrounding the sport of track and field were honored during the USATF Awards Lunch Saturday while decisions were made regarding uniform guidelines for the Club Cross Country Championships. Both were part of the USA Track & Field Annual Meeting in St. Louis.
The following is from the Volume XLIII, January 2012 edition of the Syracuse Charger Newsletter: "The award is named in memory of Marja Bakker, a prolific supporter of women's long distance running as president of the New England Association of USATF, as president and member of the Board of Governors of the Boston Athletic Association, and as a longtime member of USATF Women's LDR Committee. Mickey's contributions to women's long distance running have ranged across the local, regional, and national levels. In addition to her eighteen years directing the Willow Bay Women's 5k Run & Walk in Liverpool and her longtime service as a member of the Chargers' Board of Directors, she has previously served the Niagara Association as its Women's LDR Chair. At the national level, she has served many years as a member of the WLDR Committee and as that Committee's secretary and Executive Committee member." Mickey and her husband, Pat live in Baldwinsville, NY.
USATF Annual Meeting HOT Topic
12/3/2011, St. Louis, MO - USATF Annual Meeting News
Following meetings on Friday with the Athletes Advisory Committee and USATF Club Council, USA Track & Field has revised its uniform guidelines for 2011 USATF Fall Cross Country Championships, commonly referred to as the Club Cross Country Championships.
Recognizing the unique needs of clubs and the nature of the Championships, IAAF logo restrictions will not be in place. Uniform regulations in USATF Rule 253 will remain in force, requiring team uniforms to be similar in color and style.
This topic has been discussed hotly on Flotrack.org, and has been a point of contention with Athletes seeking more sponsors outside the big names that have long been the primary sponsors of the sport and therefore have requested certain exclusivity rights for logo placement.