NEW year's resolutions
Now for our big final year of the '90s.
The 1999 schedule will have something for everyone, from
the national-level competitor to the beginner to anyone in
between. The calendar includes two national championships in
Massachusetts, a Grand Prix, plus the familiar, friendly
local races. We also hope to add monthly 5-kilometer races,
with the emphasis on coaching.
Our site and scheduling committees are working on final
details now. If you'd like to recommend an event or a
location, please pass your suggestion along to Justin Kuo at
(617) 731-9889.
And as one member pointed out at our club meeting last
fall, NEW events are as rich in camaraderie as they are in
competition. From our post-race restaurant pilgrimage on
Presidents Day to the noncompetitive Rhode Island hash in
August to our Concord, MA race and potluck dinner in
November, there is plenty of good company (and good food) on
our agenda. We hope everyone will join in often.
Indoor workouts
Ken Mattsson is conducting training sessions on Wednesday
evenings at the MIT indoor track in Cambridge, MA. Cost is
$40 per person (to cover insurance and use of the facility)
for the winter season. Those interested should contact Ken at
617-576-9331.
Grand Prix, 1999
This series of events lets us see how our performances
stack up against the world age-graded standards _ and shows
how we compare against one another when age levels are taken
into consideration.
Each walker's final score will be based upon his or her
four best races out of seven designated events. The proposed
schedule:
- Indoor 3K: Best time from Alden Invitational,
Providence, in February or National Indoor Masters,
Boston, in March.
- Clamdigger 5-miler, Westerly, RI, April.
- New England 20K, May.
- New England 5K, June.
- Regional 10K in July or national 10K in Pennsylvania
in August.
- Possibly a regional 10K.
- National 1-hour and 2-hour, Worcester, MA, October.
Grand Prix, 1998
In a nice and much-appreciated touch, Meg and Brian
Savilonis produced and presented T-shirts to all walkers who
completed four of the seven designated races for 1998. Thanks
also to Brian for doing the compilations all season. Familar
names topped the lists, with Jeanne Shepardson winning for
the fourth straight year and Bob Keating coming out on top
for the second year in a row. The final results:
Women
Jeanne Shepardson 331.6
Marcia Gutsche 310.5
Lee Chase 309.2
Rachel Beaudet 284.8
Sheila Danahy 279
Heidi Duskey 272.4
Catherine Marsh 226.5
Men
Bob Keating 339.7
Brian Savilonis 323
Stan Sosnowski 320.5
Joe Light 317
Tom Knatt 316.4
Bob Beaudet 302.1
Bill McCann 300.6
Louis Free 299.8
Bill Harriman 293.3
John Jurewicz 280.6
Richard Huie 274
Ken Mattsson 252.7
Yuri Kuo 246.8
Race results
Connecticut 5-kilometer championships,
Nov. 15, Hammonassett State Park, Madison, CT Warm
day with a strong headwind on each 1K loop.
Men
1. Stan Sosnowski 26:01
2. Joe Light 26:08
3. Nick Manuzzi 28:42
4. Bob Beaudet 31:59
5. Bill McCann 33:10
6. Goeff Bye 34:46
7. Chuck Dulecki 35:39
8. Richard Huie 35:49
Women
1. Lee Chase 28:58
2. Amanda Bergeron 29:39
3. Ann Percival 32:05
4. Jean Tenan 32:22
5. Sheila Danahey 33:05
6. Sue Brown 36:59
7. Barbara Frasca 37:02
8. Rachel Beaudet 37:23
9. Gail Larkin 38:48
10. Florence Degata 39:07
11. Barbara Shenley 39:53
Judges: Tom Eastler, Dianna Gladden,
Maryanne Torellas and Bill Banks.
New England Walkers 10K, Nov. 8,
Concord, MA Nice weather, good turnout, strong
performances and a grand end to our outdoor season. The race
was followed by our traditionally lavish potluck meal and a
productive club meeting in club president Tom Knatt's house.
Hero of the day was Richard Yanopoulos-Ruquist, who
celebrated his 61st birthday the night before and brought in
the remaining 80 percent of his giant chocolate cake to top
off our lunch. Not incidentally, Richard also posted a 10K
time that was lower than his age. "Think about it,"
Tom said. "Not many people can do that."
Men
1. Brian Savilonis 48 Brookfield, MA 54:01
2. Joe Light 51 Westerly, RI 55:04
3. John Costello 43 Needham, MA 59:01
4. Bob Ullman 50 Manchester, NH 59:22
5. John Jurewicz 48 Boston 60:03
6. R. Yanopoulos-Ruquist 61 Lexington, MA 60:47
7. Tom Knatt 58 Concord, MA 60:55
8. Rich McElevery 41 Hollis, NH 63:51
9. Yuri Kuo 13 Brookline, MA 67:11
10. Justin Kuo 44 Brookline, MA 67:41
11. Dick Shepardson 66 Sherburn, MA 82:39
In a category of his own was Stan Sosnowski, who was near
the front of the pack when he mistakenly followed a sign
directing him off the course and into a neighborhood yard
sale. "I didn't have any money with me," Stan said,
so he scrambled back onto the road somewhere and resumed
racewalking. He elected not to cross the final line, so his
adventure goes into the records as a "Did Not
Finish."
Women
1. Jeanne Shepardson 65 Sherburn, MA 66:55
2. Annie Montgomery 51 Concord, MA 67:50
3. Carol McDonald 47 Boston 68:22
4. Heidi Duskey 46 Medford, MA 68:33
5. Sheila Danahey 47 Mystic, CT 70:37
6. Maria Saiz 45 Boston 73:30
National One- and Two-Hour
Championships, Oct. 4, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
Worcester, MA For the 10th consecutive year, our
New England association did itself proud as host of this
national event. The three races went off flawlessly and the
festivities were capped by a bountiful buffet and an awards
ceremony. Thanks go to many, notably Justin and Carol Kuo and
family, Steve Vaitones, and Meg and Brian Savilonis.
Men's two hour
1. Herman Nelson 37 La Mesa, CA 23694
2. John Soucheck 33 Little Silver, NJ 23501
3. Bob Keating 51 Nashua, NH 21901
4. Brian Savilonis 48 Brookfield, MA 20434
5. Bill Harriman 51 Tewksbury, MA 19527
6. Charlie Mansbach 54 Newton, MA 18301
7. Ken Mattsson 34 Cambridge, MA 17444
8. Benno Stein 60 Brooklyn, NY 17437
9. John Harms 37 Fitchburg, MA 13520
A great duel between Soucheck and two-time Olympian
Nelson. The New England Walkers were out in force to capture
the team title.
Women's one hour
1. Gretchen Eastler-Fishman
26 Chelmsford, MA 11656
2. Marcia Gutshe 37 Newton, MA 10771
3. Elton Richardson 59 New York 10103
4. Sherry Brosnahan 46 Bridgewater, NJ 10068
5. Lee Chase 44 Glastonbury, CT 10059
6. Caitlin Bonney 15 New Sharon, ME 10039
7. Amanda Bergeron 15 Poland, ME 9264
8. Jeanne Bocci 55 Grosse Point, MI 9190
9. Wendy Dudas 42 Woodstock, CT 8922
10. Ann Percival 40 Cromwell, CT 8865
11. Joan Bermann 61 Ann Arbor, MI 8856
12. Annie Montgomery 51 Concord, MA 8822
13. Jeanne Shepardson 64 Sherborn, MA 8810
14. Sheila Danahey 47 Mystic, CT 8746
15. Jenny Woodbury 16 Morrill, ME 8704
16. Barbara Currier 48 Cambridge, MA 8494
17. Rachel Beaudet 62 Longmeadow 8076
18. Frances O'Brien 63 Longmeadow 7878
19. Catherine Marsh 38 Pawtucket, CT 7842
20. Lorelei Ruben 66 Rockport, MA 7677
21. Kelly Afton 15 Westbrook, ME 7435
22. Sally McMillian 42 Natick, MA 7318
A second stright title for Eastler-Fishman, and another
strong performance by Gutshe in her first season of competi-
tion.
Men's one hour
1. Reynaldo Carrazana 40 Glenmont, NY 11501
2. Dave Romansky 60 Pennsuicke, NJ 11494
3. Justin Easter 17 Jay, ME 11144
4. Joe Light 51 Westerly, RI 11069
5. Stanley Sosnowski 48 West Kingston, RI 10941
6. Larry Titus 49 Glastonbury, CT 10521
7. Bob Barrett 64 Smallwood, NY 10504
8. Thomas Knatt 58 Concord, MA 10349
9. Robert Ullman 49 Merrimack, NH 10322
10. Jack Starr 70 Newark, DE 10199
11. John Costello 43 Needham, MA 10051
12. Fred Anderson 46 Plymouth, NH 9150
13. Sal Yerardi 59 Lynnfield, MA 9025
14. Louis Free 68 Uncasville, CT 9021
15. Bill McCann 69 Longmeadow, MA 8949
16. Robert Beaudet 65 Longmeadow, MA 8604
17. Yuri Kuo 13 Brookline, MA 8442
18. Richard Huie 63 Bradford, CT 8338
19. Geoffrey Bye 68 Guilford, CT 8257
20. Richard Shepardson 66 Sherborn, MA 7924
21. Bill Hogan 69 Rensselaer, NY 6686
John Jurewicz 48 Boston DNF
Bob Young 53 Leominster, MA DNF
Truly the people's race, with a Cuban national, a
grandfather and a teenager battling it out in front. Also the
deepest field in years, with the first 11 walkers exceeding
10 kilometers.
Judges: Randy Easter, Tom Eastler, James
Fields, Tom Knatt, Justin Kuo, Ken Mattsson, Mike Woodbury.
Ohio 50K and 100K Championships, Oct. 31
Bob and Hilary Keating made a vacation excursion from Nashua,
NH, to Yellow Springs, Ohio for this event, and Bob captured
the 62-mile title in 12:15:16 in a 13-man field. "It was
a nice relaxing time," Bob says of his 250 laps around
the high school track.
National 40K Championships, Fort
Monmouth, NJ, Sept. 13 The 60th annual event drew
87 starters a hefty number of whom wanted to be in on the
festivities and planned to go only part of the distance
and 46 finishers. Afterward, race director Eliott Denman
presented inscribed books to about 10 people for their
contributions to racewalking. "I was rather taken aback
to be included," confessed Brian Savilonis, a true
veteran of this race. "Of course, no other nut would go
to New Jersey 21 times for death marches."
Brian, Bob Keating and Bill Harriman teamed up to give the
New England Walkers second place in the men's open category.
Bill offers this diary of his first-ever attempt to racewalk
24.8 miles:
"Nice and steady first 3 loops at slightly slower
than target pace . . . flat course with lots of turns . . .
quicker next 7 loops to 2:19 at 20K . . . feeling good . . .
great support from wife Joanne and Meg and Stan & Sheila
. . . sunshine hotter now by the minute . . . somewhat
fatigued after 11 loops and really tired after 12; gotta slow
down just to finish . . . water and Gatorade every loop and a
hatful of ice . . . cooked after 14 . . .3:32 at 30K . . .
Bataan Death March through 19 then a little better on 20 with
the end in sight . . . a disappointing 4:54 but at least I
made it . . . yeah, I'll probably do it again.
New England Finishers
Men
5. Bob Keating 51 NEW 4:04:34
7. Brian Savilonis 46 NEW 4:09:10
22. Bill Harriman 51 NEW 4:53:59
Women
4. Lee Chase 44 Connecticut RW 4:24
4A. Maryanne Torrellas 40 Connecticut RW 4:24
Volunteers thanked
The following New England Walkers and friends volunteered
their services at the Tufts 10K for Women on Oct. 12,
benefitting not only the thousands of runners but our club
treasury as well.
Tolya, Justin, Genya, Yuri, Masha and Anna Kuo, Jack
Harrington, Richard Yanopoulos-Ruquist, Stacy King, Sam
Pingree, Betsy Shearer, Bob Falciola, Nathaniel Falciola,
Bill Rowan, Ken Mattsson, Harold Thornley, John Robertson,
Michael Larocca, Chris Murphy, Rick Doubleday.
Honor roll
The New England Walkers' Joanne Dow received the Captain
Ron Zinn Memorial Award last month as the nation's
outstanding female racewalker of 1998. The honor came on the
heals of a record-setting victory in the national 20K, a
victory in the national 10K, a bronze medal in the Goodwill
Games and a gold medal in the Pan Am Cup.
Tom Eastler of Maine was honored at the same USA Track
& Field ceremony for his contributions to racewalking. A
familiar official at our championship races, Tom has been the
driving force in making racewalking an official part of high
school track and field in his home state.
New England Walker Brian Savilonis was recognized as the
nation's outstanding male racewalker in the 45-49 age
bracket. The judges apparently didn't realize that Brian
spent most of the season bemoaning what sorry shape he was
in.
Dow walking on the fast track
(The following profile appeared in the Dec. 2 Boston
Globe.)
By Barbara Huebner
Globe Staff
|
| It was the summer of 1994. Joanne Dow
and her husband, Tim, were on their way home from
Niagara Falls, where the novice had done well in her
first major racewalking competition. There she caught
the eye of one of the sport's top coaches, who told
her she had the potential to be among the best in the
coun- try. All she had to do was commit.
From the time she mentioned the topic at a rest
area outside Buffalo "Do you think we can do
this?" their conversation carried them past
the Finger Lakes and Oneida In- dian Reservation,
along the peaceful Mohawk River to the billboards of
Albany, be- fore taking them home to the Granite
State. How can I find more time to train? How will it
affect the children? Can we really make this work?
"I'll never forget driving down that
highway," said Dow last week, down from her
Bedford, N.H., home to do a photo shoot for Adidas.
"When we come to a decision like that, we take
it very seriously."
So seriously that Dow's outstanding 1998 campaign
earned her a nomination for this year's Jesse Owens
Award, given by USA Track & Field to the sport's
outstanding male and female athletes.
"I laughed so hard I had tears in my
eyes," said Dow, 34, of being nominated. "I
was shocked. I'm still shocked. This has been their
career, for most of them, their whole lives. It's
just me doing my thing."
In 1998, her thing has included:
- Setting a US record for 20 kilometers (12.4
miles) of 1 hour 34 minutes 46 seconds.
- A victory in the 10K at the US outdoor
nationals.
- A bronze medal at the Goodwill Games, the
first medal by a US racewalker at the event.
- Becoming the first American woman to win the
Pan Am Cup.
- Seeing her photo in Sports Illustrated last
month as one of the "Faces in the
Crowd."
"It didn't totally surprise me," said
Tim of his wife's rapid rise. "I don't think
it's peaked yet."
Since the Owens Award was first given in 1981,
winners have included Joan Benoit Samuelson, Florence
Griffith Joyner, and Lynn Jennings. This year Dow the
first racewalker ever nominated was up against
Regina Jacobs, the new American record- holder at
5,000 meters; Jearl Miles-Clark, 400- and 800-meter
runner; Connie Price-Smith, discus and shot putter;
Tisha Waller, high jumper; and Marion Jones, who was
un- defeated this year at 100 and 200 meters and
nearly so in the long jump.
Dow didn't think for a moment that she would win,
and she didn't: Jones was announced yesterday as the
female honoree for the second straight year. (Those
sentiments were expressed more directly by Dow's
daughter Hannah. When the 8-year-old heard her idol,
Jones, was among the nomi- nees, she declared,
"Well, I guess we know who's going to win
that!")
But the mere fact of Dow's nomination is a victory
of sorts, especially for the sport. "It's really
a big breakthrough for racewalk- ing," said Mark
Fenton, Dow's coach and editor-at-large of Walking
magazine. "It moves a racewalker into the
category of quote, unquote, real athletes."
Ironically, it's at least partly because Dow was a
real athlete before she took up racewalking that her
progress has been so phenomenal. A serious swimmer
since age 9, Dow twice went to the NCAA Championships
on her University of New Hampshire relay team and had
worked for years as a fitness instructor. She had the
genetic gifts, the endurance, and the willingness to
push herself to her limits after discovering what
they might be. Always a walker, Dow discovered
racewalking while she was teaching fit- ness walking
classes at a Manchester health club. It didn't take
long to feel the potential.
After she and her husband committed themselves,
Dow buckled down. "She became a student of the
sport," said Fenton. "She was willing to
read and learn, go to clinics. She took off like a
rocket in the first year of her career."
But the rocket soon crashed. Barely a year after
getting into the sport, Dow was out of it, felled by
a torn hamstring.
"She may have overtaxed herself," said
Fenton, explaining that Dow's superb aerobic
conditioning allowed her to push herself faster than
her muscles were ready to carry her.
Dow was crushed. "I was getting faster and
faster and faster," she said, her eyes dancing
at the joy of it. "I was just pounding myself. A
day off for me was teaching a class."
It was a year before Dow was back on track, during
which she gave the 1996 Olympic trials a go despite
the injury and hooked up with Fenton to help ensure
that the 2000 trials would be more meaningful. The
only thing he has to drive her to do, he said, is
stop.
"When I tell you to knock it off, she has to
knock it off," he said. Rest means rest. Take a
day off means take a day off, not it's OK to do an
easy 6 miles to stay loose.
"I reaped the rewards this year of having
someone like him who knows what he's doing,"
said Dow.
All along, it seems, the timing has been right.
Her children Hannah and 6-year-old Tim
always seemed to be at the right age for her next
step in racewalking, and this year both are in school
full-time, which al- lows for training after dawn.
The main event in women's racewalking has just grown
from 10K to 20K, which suits her endurance and levels
the playing field in that everyone, even the most
experienced racewalkers in the world, have to cope
with the new distance. She's been healthy long enough
to really test herself in 1999, leading up to an
Olympic year.
"It absolutely came at the right time:
agewise, lifewise, what I could give to it," Dow
said. "I don't feel like I've reached my
potential yet."
If that's true, the journey that began at a rest
stop outside of Buffalo could end up on the medal
stand in Sydney.
|
1999 race calendar
As always, our listing of racewalking events is not
engraved in stone. Some races are added during the season,
others are changed or cancelled. It's always best to verify
the time, date and location with the race director before
setting out.
| January |
| 3 |
1 mile, Wheaton College,
Norton MA, 4:30 p.m. Tentative we will have a
race if we can get 6 or more competitors. $5 entry
fee. Contact USA Track & Field office, (617)
566-7600. |
| 8 |
1500 meters, late afternoon, Dartmouth
Relays masters meet, Hanover, NH. |
| 10 |
Women's 1 mile, men's 2 mile, 9:30
a.m., Dartmouth Relays, Hanover, N.H. |
| 24 |
3000 meters, 9 a.m., Greater
Boston TC Invitational, Harvard University.
20-minute time limit. Jim O'Brien, (617) 282-5537. |
| February |
| 7 |
3000 meters, 10 a.m. Alden
Invitational/USATF-NE Championships, Brown
University, Providence, RI. Grand Prix event.
20-minute time limit requested. USA Track & Field
office, (617) 566-7600. |
| 27 (?) |
1500 meters or one mile, Maine
USATF meet, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME. |
| 14 (?) |
Connecticut Post Mall 3K,
Boston Post Road, Milford, CT. A local favorite and a
race unique in the world. Gus Davis, (203) 795-6441 |
| 15 |
Presidents Day 3.7-miler, 2
p.m., D.W. Field Park, Brockton, MA. Our traditional
start to the outdoor season, usually followed by a
group meal at a nearby restaurant. Justin Kuo, (617)
731-9889. |
| March |
| 21 |
Connecticut USATF meet, New
Haven, CT. |
| 27 |
3000 meters, National Masters
Championships, Reggie Lewis Track, Boston. Ages
30 and up; scoring in 5-year age groups. Grand Prix
event. The third straight year that this major USATF
event has been held in Boston. TRACS, (617) 332-3919;
USA Track & Field office, (617) 566-7600. |
| April |
| 25, probably |
Clamdigger 5-miler, Town
Beach, Westerly, RI. Grand Prix event. Another
traditional favorite for New England Walkers.
Well-organized, good food afterward. Joe Light, (401)
596-3173. |
| May |
| ? |
New England 20K. Grand Prix
event. Date and site to be determined. We are hoping
to make this a major regional event, widely announced
and well-attended. |
| late in month |
Great Bear 5K, Pollard
School, Needham, MA. A separate unjudged walk as part
of a day-long series of races. |
| June |
| ? |
New England 5K, date and site
to be determined. Grand Prix event. |
| July |
| ? |
Bay State Games 3K. Part of
the track and field portion of the statewide
athletics festival. |
| August |
| 1 |
10K National Championships,
Wilkes Barre, PA. |
| 1 |
XIII World Association of Veteran
Athletes Championships, Gateshead, England.
(Well, some of us are thinking of it.) Men's 20K,
women's 10K. 5K on the track, Aug. 6-7. Sandy
Pashkin, 301 Cathedral Parkway, No. 6U, NY NY 10026 |
| September |
| 19 |
40K National Championships,
Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Year 61 of the tradition, and a
longtime favorite for the hardiest among us. |
| October |
| 3 |
National One and Two Hour
Championships, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
Worcester, MA. Grand Prix. Our 11th consecutive year
as host of this major event. |
Membership renewal time
Our one-year USA Track & Field membership cards
expire as of Dec. 31. A form for 1999 is on the back page.
USA Track & Field membership gives walkers eligibility
for local, regional and national USATF events and helps
support a wide range of programs. The New England office also
has a full-time staff, one of the few in the country,
available to assist all of us.
When filling out your form, use Club Number 137 to
designate the New England Walkers.
If the date atop your mailing label on this issue does
not say "1999" or later, your New England Walkers
dues are due. The payments support races, clinics, mailings
and other NEW activities throughout the region. At $6 a year,
it's still the best bargain in the athletic world. Please
send your check to
Justin Kuo, 39 Oakland Road, Brookline, MA 02445
Racewalking down memory lane
November 1973: Paul Schell beats Tom Knatt, 2:05:49
to 2:08:59, in the New England AAU 25-kilometer championship
in Attleboro, MA. One week later, Paul prevails over Tom more
narrowly, 3:07:57 to 3:08:08, for the New England 30K title
in Eastham, MA.
November 1983: Urged by the race director to
"Stay in! Stay in!", Brian Savilonis abandons his
plan to drop out after 31 miles and goes on to win the
National 100-Kilometer Championship in Arlington, VA. Brian
finishes in 10:33:12, comfortably ahead of defending champ
Bob Keating.
November 1988: Steve Vaitones, with 7.8 miles, tops
Phil McGaw, with 7.35 miles, in a season-ending one-hour race
in Milton, MA. The North Medford Club's Fred Brown cleans out
his backlog of medals by distributing 54 prizes in assorted
open, masters and team categories to the 24 finishers. Fred
even paints some of the bronze medals gold the night before
to make certain that no one is shortchanged.
We're on-line
Justin Kuo has established a web page for the benefit of
New England Walkers and all others who may be interested.
In their browser, users should type the following command:
https://members.tripod.com/NEWALKERS
The NEWALKERS part must be capitalized or the
command won't work. The rest of the command is
case-insensitive.
"The NEW site is still developing," says Justin.
"Right now, visitors can learn about the NEW club, see
results of past races, read the newsletters, and learn about
the 1999 racewalk Grand Prix series. There is a place for
guests to leave comments,which may be viewed by future
visitors.
"Near the bottom of our page, visitors are encouraged
to sign up for the New England Walkers discussion list. That
list is similar to the racewalk@reed.edu network _
subscribers may discuss, via e-mail, issues that affect the
New England Walkers. Messages from the unmoderated list are
archived at www.listbot.com and may be viewed."
The list is new and has just seven subscribers so far. We
hope that all New England Walkers will sign up.
Call us anytime
Your faithful newsletter staff also regularly takes to the
phone lines to bring you up-to-the-minute information on race
schedules, clinics and other events. Call the New England
Walkers hot line at:
781-433-7142