| January 2003 Newsletter |
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FLRC Women Win National 8K XC Championship
A team of teenage girls, and a team of grown-up women who are not quite the traditional soccer moms, have given our community cause for celebration.
The Candor High School girls volleyball team won the Class D state title in November at Cortland State. And, five local women -- all over the age of 40 -- and representing the Finger Lakes Runners Club (FLRC), on Nov. 3 defended their national masters cross country team title in Rochester.
Gillian Sharp, Suzanne Myette, Shirley Woodford, Audrey Balander and Lorrie Marnell competed in the 2002 USA Track & Field National Masters 8K Cross Country Championships at Black Creek Park, and ran away No. 1 in the nation -- and $450 richer in prize money.
The national championship, one of many such masters events of varying distances on the roads, track or turf in the U.S., was hosted for the second-straight year by Peter Glavin and the Genesee Valley Harriers (GVH). Individuals competed for overall titles and age-group medals; teams vied for a share of a $2,600 prize purse.
Tom Dalton of the Adirondack Athletic Club (25:40) and Kathryn Martin, 51, of Northport, N.Y. (30:57) won the individual USATF masters titles.
"I look forward to the cross country season as it's a change of pace from the roads and track," said Martin, who holds the world and American record in the indoor mile, and won both the 5K and 10K road race national titles this year for women ages 50 to 54. "I am always trying to improve as I believe we are just scratching the surface on senior women's running. I push the boundaries a little further, knowing that there are women who look at my times and know they can be beaten."
The FLRC women defeated five masters teams with a cumulative time score of 1:38:13. The GVH women of Rochester were second in 1:39:53, and Wisconsin's Ozaukee Track Club was third in 1:43:35.
To win a national championship, each team member must perform to full potential and that's exactly what happened. Among women, Sharp placed second overall to Martin, with a time of 31:38, which was the third-ranked age-graded performance of the day, and earned the F40-44 individual national title. Myette was third overall -- second-best age-graded performance of the day -- in 31:43, and claimed the F45-49 individual national title. Then in close succession were Woodford (34:52); Balander (35:15); and Marnell (35:41).
"I was fairly confident we could pull out another win," said Marnell, FLRC president and team captain. "We had looked at the GVH times and were familiar with what Wisconsin was going to run. We also knew we could beat the Pennsylvania and Syracuse teams as well. We knew our biggest challenge would be GVH, and that it could come down to the wire with them. We thought it would all rest on our third runner's shoulders.
"I knew we all had to run as fast as we could, because time counted, not place," added Marnell, 41, who recently won age-group awards at the Adirondack and Wineglass marathons. "I figured I was the low man on the team, but had to give it my all just in case something happened to Shirley or Audrey. My teammates are wonderful, all gifted athletes.I felt honored to be running with team, and considered it a privilege to be their team captain."
Sharp is no stranger to elite-level competition. A lieutenant in the Ithaca Fire Department, the 41-year-old mother of two won the 1993 national summer biathlon (shoot and run) championship, and in the 1990s, almost qualified in the ski/shoot biathlon for the winter Olympics.
"I was hoping we could repeat, but I thought it would be tougher this year," said Sharp, who qualified for the 2001 world summer biathlon team. "I haven't raced much this year, but I focused on this event, did speedwork and it paid off."
Evenly matched, Sharp and Myette paired off, and pushed each other the entire race.
"Suzanne was running behind me, and saying, 'Gill, I'm still here!' She even pulled ahead of me on a hill, then yelled, 'Come on!' Then we ran together the rest of the way," said Sharp. "When we passed others, we made sure we passed them forcefully. (It's demoralizing), especially when two go by you like that. It was one of the best races I ever had, because I thought I might throw up. I gave it everything I had! It was a great day all around, and I'm proud of everybody."
Myette, 45, of Endicott has been a world-class masters duathete (run/bike/run), and nationally-ranked in both triathlons and distances from the mile to the marathon. This season, Myette won the masters title at the Chris Thater 5K, and placed second among women ages 45-49 at the USATF 20K National Championships.
"I felt more pressure this year going back to defend our title. Lorrie and I had done our homework, and knew there was work to be done, " said Myette, also a mother of two. QTB "Pete Glavin had done a good job of promoting his women's masters team, and it got me all fired up for both an attack and defense. I knew Gill and I would have to reckon with Carolyn Smith Hanna and Beth DeCianitis, and I knew the two of us had to beat the two of them, and we'd have to work together to do so.
"Every time Gill moved, I went with her," she added. "We moved up to the front of the team runners by mile three, and I felt if we held our pace, we could clinch it. It was great running and working with a teammate; so different from competing alone in a road race. Gill kicked it into a final gear that I didn't have, and she sprinted down the straightaway to the finish line ahead of me. All I was thinking was, 'Yeah, you go, girl!' I felt strong the whole race, felt like I was in it from the get-go, and every step thereafter. It's probably one of my best cross country efforts ever, and one I will always remember as such a dynamic and successful team effort."
Not known as a cross country specialist, Woodford, 46, of Burdett was a new recruit to the team this season. But she's tough to beat in 10Ks and half marathons on the roads.
"Gill and Suzanne were way ahead, but I figured if I was passing people, that's good," said Woodford, who won the F45-49 age-group title at the Freihofers's Run for Women 5K National Championship in June. "My strategy was to run as fast as I could, and just keep it up. I liked being able to share the experience of being on the team, and hope to do it again. That's something we often don't do as masters runners."
Balander, 46, of Cortland is best known for her exceptional trail- and mountain running prowess, but her passion belongs to cross country skiing. The running part had to be a snap, right?
"Between Lorrie and Suzanne saying, 'Look who's here? It's going to come down to the third-place women,' it was driving me crazy," said Balander, who has one daughter. "I got a stitch the last mile, and Shirley caught me. I thought, 'Oh, good, Shirley will pull us through.' I knew I could start fast and run as hard as I could, because I had Shirley and Lorrie as backups. I wanted to grab every women I could, and make every second to count. I'm very proud of our team because everyone ran their hearts out."
It's always a cause for celebration when women and girls equate teamwork with friendship, opportunity and mutual admiration. And, as Martin said, pushing down boundaries always is an extra plus.
Maybe Hootie won't let the gals on the Augusta National Golf Course. But there is no way to keep women off the turf in masters running.
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