Past champs win again at Cornell race

Column by DIANE SHERRER
Star-Gazette

World and American age-group records tumbled as two loyalists dominated the men's and women's elite invitational races at the 34th annual Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile on Saturday at Cornell University.

Three-time Hartshorne Masters Mile champion -- and two-time runner-up -- Tim McMullen, 47, of Churchville decisively won his fourth elite mile title in 4 minutes, 34.20 seconds. McMullen also is the reigning national masters mile champion among men ages 45 to 49.

Ithaca's Casey Carlstrom, 41, placed second among elite milers in 4:38.43, and Dave Cole, 41, of Liverpool finished third in 4:42.20, nipping Syracuse's Robin Wheeless (4:43.00) at the finish.

Designated pace-setter Scott Weeks, Groton High School track and cross country coach, was recruited to steamroll the men's elite field along to a 2:13 half-mile split. At the gun, McMullen and Weeks immediately gapped the field. The duo passed through the quarter in 1:06.60; the half in 2:13.2, with the second-tier pack about four to six seconds back.

"I'm pretty fit, and I thought I could get under 4:30 if I really needed it," said McMullen. "All my workouts have been geared to that, so I talked with Scott and said let's shoot for that pace. My plan was to get behind him as soon as possible, and try to run that time. After 400 meters, the pressure was off and I could relax and just follow Scott.

"I'm very proud to have won the Hartshorne Mile again. It's an important race for me; I key on it, and it's a great win."

The battle for second and third was a tactical eight-lap drama with changing leads. Early on, that pack included Carlstrom, Wheeless, Binghamton's Bob Nugent, and Jim Cuono of Port Carbon, Pa. But Carlstrom escaped from a boxed-in spot and unleashed an untouchable 400-meter final kick sprint while Cole moved up the line for a last-second rally.

"During the first quarter, I figured I'd tuck in on the inside lane, but somebody immediately came right in front of me, and another guy came up on the outside of me," said Carlstrom. "I don't know if those guys were ganging up on me or what -- I'm sure they weren't, but I was totally boxed in. Something would have to change.

"I thought the pace was right because I was feeling so good, but I saw that I was already three seconds slower than the pace I wanted to run. So coming around the very next straight-away, I went around those guys and got back on pace. But it was a bad tactic because I shouldn't have waited as long as I did. Tim was already way ahead of me and seemed out of reach. With three laps to go, I had so much left I figured I'd better start using it."

Carlstrom accelerated past Wheeless, who had moved into second position by the third lap.

"I thought, 'I'm doing pretty good here. Maybe the mile will be my distance,'" said the 40-year-old Wheeless. "My splits were even, and at five laps I thought Tim might even come back to me. But when Casey came by me like I was standing still, there was nothing I could do about him.

"At first, I thought I might pick it up and try to stay with him. I tried to go as hard as I could for the last 400 meters to see what I had, but when Dave came by at the very end, there was nothing I could do about it."

"I came from behind, and pulled up everything I had to nip Robin at the line," said Cole. "We were battling it out with a bunch of guys, and I had to reach down and give it all I had."

Four-time defending Hartshorne Masters Mile women's champion and meet record holder (5:15.86) Patti Ford, 45, of Lafayette, N.Y., claimed her fifth straight title in 5:18.10 -- an American and world record (pending ratification) for women ages 45 to 49.

Ford holds the American record for women ages 40 to 44 in the 3,000 meters (10:04.93) and the 800 meters (2:22.67) -- and a pending American record for women ages 45 to 49 in the 3,000 meters (10:23.10).

Carolyn Smith-Hanna, 50, of Pittsford set a pending American and world record for women ages 50 to 54 by placing second to Ford in 5:27.33. Smith-Hanna also owns a pending American record in the 1,500 meters (5:05.2), and single-age 49 records in the mile (5:32) and the 5K (18:30).

Suzanne Myette, 43, of Endicott claimed the third masters position in 5:48.40.

In the women's elite mile, with $500 in prize money sponsored by the Wineglass Running Club, sub-veteran runner Becky Heuer, 36, of Forestville (near Buffalo) was enlisted to rabbit the women's field. Heuer hit the finish line first in 5:16.92 and helped pace Ford and Smith-Hanna to record-breaking runs. Ford had to break 5:19; Smith-Hanna had to dip below 5:40.

"Basically, it's a masters race, so although I was here to run a good time, it was more important for me to help the masters women run what they wanted to run," said Heuer.

At the gun, Heuer charged to the front and Smith-Hanna jumped in directly behind her. In the third position, Ford briefly shadowed the pair, then moved up, replacing Smith-Hanna as the masters front runner.

Despite some nagging injuries and a lingering flu-like illness, Ford never lost contact with Heuer. At times, Ford was running up on Heuer's heels.

"We had a plan, and Becky was always working with me," said Ford, who ran a 5:06 mile at masters indoor nationals in 2000. "A gap opened up between Carolyn and Becky, so I knew I'd better get on it and stay in contact. We were a bit behind (record pace) at the half (2:38), so the next couple of laps I was a bit worried. But at 1,200 meters, I felt strong and had a lot left cardiovascularly."

Although Smith-Hanna didn't have to run Ford's pace, she decided to race aggressively and dip below the F50-54 age-group record as much as possible.

"I tried to relax, hang on and do the best I could do," said Smith-Hanna. "I tried to pick it up at the end but ran out of a little steam. My coach was reading me my lap (splits), and I was doing that and staying ahead of my (required) pace. I knew I had it, but I kept going hard as I could at the end. The cross-country running makes me really strong, especially when I get on the track. But I haven't done much track running , so I'm still adjusting."

The top three male and female elite masters milers shared in an equal prize purse of $300, $150 and $50, respectively.

Among Twin Tiers milers, Kevin Coughlin, 43, of Elmira finished in 5:21.09; Coreen Steinbach, 49, of Painted Post, placed first among women 45 to 49 (non-elite) in 5:59.93; and Burdett's Shirley Woodford, 45, posted a time of 6:02.80.

Diane Sherrer's running column appears on Mondays. Mail questions, comments and information to her at the Star-Gazette, P.O. Box 285, Elmira, N.Y. 14902. You can e-mail her at sports@stargazette.com.