New England Walkers Newsletter
July 2000


Click to Get $20 Off Your 1st Pair Of Walking Shoes?
Click to Get $20 Off Your 1st Pair Of Walking Shoes?

Races for everyone

Our next Grand Prix event is nearly upon us -- a 5-kilometer racewalk to be held as part of the Eastern Regional Masters track and field championships at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, July 15 at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. The event is open to all competitors age 30 and over.

The facility is excellent and easy to get to from most any direction. We had one of our best turnouts of the season at this race last year, and we are hoping for another strong showing this time around. For further information, call the New England track and field office at 617-566-7600.

July also offers another installment in the popular five-kilometer developmental racewalks at Danehy Park in Cambridge, MA. This month's race will be held at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, July 9. For further information, contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676 (before 9:30 p.m.).

A friend to root for

Joanne Dow, who in a few years has gone from racewalking with us in Tom Knatt's neighborhood to setting national records and competing against the top women in the world, takes to the starting line in Sacramento, CA. on Sunday, July 16 in her bid to win a place on the 2000 United States Olympic team. She goes there knowing that the entire army of New England Walkers is in her corner, wishing her the best.

Race results

New England 3K Outdoor Championship -- Dedham MA , June 6. The weather was hot and humid leading up to this meet, and then the skies suddenly opened and a downpour began a half hour before the track events were supposed to start. The temperature dropped into the downright cool range as we huddled under the tents for 20 minutes. Finally, the sun broke through and we made our way to the starting line in the same humid heat we had been expecting all along. Nice performances by the guys up front, what little I saw of them.

Women
1. Jeanne Shepardson New England Walkers 20:19.44
Men
1. Richard McElvery New England Walkers 15:30.46
2. Thomas Knatt New England Walkers 16:33.65
3. Stephen McCullough unattached 16:41.45
4. Charles Mansbach New England Walkers 18:41.36
5. Fred Anderson New England Walkers 19:57.23

New England 20K championship -- June 4, Ninigret Park, Charlestown, RI. One couldn't ask for a better day. A flat course, good judging, plenty of support and the strikingly high total of 19 starters for the 20K. Organizers Joe Light, Ken Mattsson and Justin Kuo deserve credit and thanks for all of the above, and can even take another bow for the nice weather. We look forward to more events at this site, perhaps as early as this year.

Women
1. Donna Chamberlain Etters, PA 1:53:17
2. Gloria Rawls Mountaintop, PA 1:58:08
3. Lee Chase South Glastonbury, CT 2:01:35
4. Mary Flanagan Marshfield, MA 2:23:35
5. Sheila Danahy Mystic, CT 2:28:20
6. Joanne Harriman Tewksbury, MA 2:40:29

1 DNF, 1 DQ
(The nonfinisher was Joanne Dow, who whizzed past all of us repatedly in a carefully calibrated workout before leaving the course without crossing the finish line.)

Men
1. Bob Keating Nashua, NH 1:53:00
2. Brian Savilonis Greene, RI 1:53:41
3. Jim Carmines Etters, PA 1:54:41
4. Andy Cable Shelton, CT 2:00:01
5. Dick Ruquist Concord, MA 2:03:18
6. Stan Sosnowski West Kingston, RI 2:04:03
7. Bill Harriman Tewksbury, MA 2:08:33
8. Bob Ullman Merrimack, NH 2:08:44
9. Charlie Mansbach Newton, MA 2:13:48
10 . Louis Free Uncasville, CT 2:33:10
11. Michael Hoffer Narragansett, RI 2:33:22
Women's 5K
1. Maryanne Torrellas Clinton, CT 24:42
2. Jean Tenan Bristol, CT 29:37
3. Meg Savilonis Greene, R 34:31
Men's 5K
1. Nick Manuzzi Monroe, CT 25:00
2. Joe Light Westerly, RI 26:49
3. Tom Knatt Concord, MA 29:31
4. Bill Banks Westerly, RI 35:50

Judges: Justin Kuo (chief), Ken Mattsson, Maryanne Torrellas, Tom Knatt, Bill Banks.

(Judge Knatt delivered the best line of the day when he chased me down on the first lap and called out, "Number 15: Ridiculous form!")

Danehy Park 5K developmental racewalks -- Four successful races held, four to go in Year 2 of this popular event. The June 11 results:

Men
1. Bob Ullman, Manchester NH 27.55
2. John Costello, Needham MA 28:43
3. Dick Ruquist, Concord MA 28:59
4. Justin Kuo, Brookline MA 33:23
Women
1. Joanne Dow, Bedford NH 23:02 (course record)
2. Sue Cooney, Providence RI 35:19
3. Pat Godfrey, Winthrop MA 36:35
4. Nina Kruschwitz, Charlestown MA 41:38
Judges: Bill and Joanne Harriman, Mark Fenton, Ken Mattsson and Carol Kuo.

The May 14 results:

Men
1. Steve Vaitones, Waltham MA 27:29
2. Tom Knatt, Concord MA 28:59
3. Dick Ruquist, Concord MA 29:12
4. El Hassan Kouchaoui, Morocco 29:28
5. John Costello, Needham MA 29:29
6. Justin Kuo, Brookline MA 34:12
Women
1. Sue Cooney, Providence RI 35:22
2. Itzi Garcia, Cambridge MA 36:00
3. Carol Kuo, Brookline MA 41:30

Massachusetts Senior Games -- June 9-10, Springfield College, Springfield MA. Two racewalks in two days as part of a weekend-long athletics festival for competitors aged 50 and above. Most of the walkers were veterans of the event, while a few of us were making our debuts. Those who finished in the top three in their age bracket qualify for the 2001 National Senior Games, to be held in July in not-quite-chilly Baton Rouge.

Men's 1500 racewalk
Brian Savilonis 6:54 50-54
Phil McGaw 7:03 50-54
Tom Knatt 7:57 60-64
Bob Beaudet 8:31 65-69
Charles Mansbach 8:53 55-59
Spencer Parrish 9:40 60-64
Charles Dolecki 9:45 70-74
William McCann 9:45 70-74
Phil Hershberg 9:50 65-69
Richard Huie 9:57 65-69
Robert Grossman 10:19 61-64
William O'Leary 10:31 75-79
Horst Lantger 10:33 70-74
Jack Kortekamp 10:37 70-74
Robert Donegan 10:52 65-69
Paul Allgaier 11:02 60-64
Stu Corning 11:06 75-79
Jacob Robinson 11:09 75-79
David Ward 11:59 85-89
Frank Jas 12:01 75-79
Women's 1500 racewalk
Margaret Savilonis 9:27 50-54
Ann Montgomery 9:38 50-54
Jeanne Shepardson 9:57 65-69
Fran O'Brien 10:09 65-69
Rachael Beaudet 10:11 65-69
Vivian Hopkins 10:43 60-64
Sandra Shaw 10:45 60-64
Helen Lavelle 11:02 70-74
Judy Scott 11:19 55-59
Lorelei Ruben 11:43 65-69
Rosalind Clark 11:52 50-54
Florence Dagata 11:55 70-74
Monica Donegan 12:02 65-69
Eunice Kavanagh 12:03 75-79
Virginia Bell 12:50 65-69
Doroth Barron 12:56 70-74
Minna Charles 13:09 75-79
Catharina Jas 13:39 70-74
Jean Marra 14:29 75-79
Men's and women's 5 kilometer racewalk
Brian Savilonis 25:41 50-54
Phil McGaw 27:52 50-54
Tom Knatt 28:35 60-64
Bob Beaudet 31:03 65-69
Charles Mansbach 31:06 55-59
Dean Kavanagh 33:01 65-69
Margaret Savilonis 33:16 F50-54
William McCann 33:36 70-74
Spencer Parrish 33:55 60-64
Jeanne Shepardson 33:57 F65-69
Ann Montgomery 34:00 F50-54
Charles Dolecki 34:59 70-74
Rachael Beaudet 35:27 F65-69
William O'Leary 36:06 75-79
Fran O'Brien 36:26 F65-69
Richard Huie 36:38 65-69
Helen Lavelle 37:41 F60-64
Stu Corning 38:59 75-79
Robert Donegan 39:22 65-69
Raisa Levin 41:14 F50-54
Monica Donegan 41:36 F65-69
Rosiland Clark 41:36 F50-54
Florence Dagata 41:37 F70-74
Andre Talbot 41:38 60-64
Minna Charles 41:17 F75-79
Virginia Bell 41:43 65-69

Tom Knatt offers this further information to over-50 NEW athletes:
For those of you who missed the MA, CT, NJ, RI, or NY Senior Games this spring, there is hope. Residents of these states and locals of the other New England states have a chance to qualify for Baton Rouge this late summer and fall. Here are the contacts:

  • Granite State Senior Games, Aug. 18-20, Laconia NH, Robert Cloutier (603) 622-7921.
  • Maine Senior Games, Sept. 6-11, Portland ME, Anita Chandler (207) 775-6503.
  • Green Mountain Senior Games, Sept. 19-20, Green Mountain College, Poultney VT, Jack Carlock (802) 875-4508. All include 1500M and 5K races.

Grand Prix standings

These results are based on our performances in designated races, compared with age-graded tables. The totals so far are based on the New England Indoor 3K or the National Masters Indoor 3K, the Clamdigger 5-miler and the New England 20K. The next Grand Prix event will be the Eastern Masters 5K in Springfield, MA on July 15. Thanks, as always, to Brian Savilonis for the calculations.

Men Women
Bob Keating 255.3 (3) Joanne Harriman 210.4 (3)
Bob Ullman 218.7 (3) Rachel Beaudet 149 (2)
Charlie Mansbach 207.5 (3) Florence Dagata 141.5 (2)
Brian Savilonis 161.3 (2) Sheila Danahy 134.1 (2)
Stan Sosnowski 150.4 (2) Mary Flanagan 131.6 (2)
Bill Harriman 143.6 (2) Marcia Gutsche 84.9 (1)
Bob Beaudet 143.5 (2) Jeanne Shepardson 77.1 (1)
Charles Dolecki 139.2 (2)
Richard Ruquist 78.6 (1)
Tom Knatt 78.2 (1)
Bill McCann 76.5 (1)
Rich McElvery 75.0 (1)
Stuart Corning 75.3 (1)
Louis Candido 72.9 (1)
Ken Mattsson 65.2 (1)
Mike Hoffer 60 (1)

A step-by-step process

The following article was published in the New Hampshire Weekly section of the June 25 Boston Globe.

By Bob Reinert
Globe Correspondent

NASHUA --When Bob Keating speaks these days about his sport, he mentions how much more it means to him as he ages. He appreciates each step he takes.

As a competitive racewalker, Keating has taken millions of strides covering tens of thousands of miles. They are all precious to him at age 53.

"I'm thankful about, more and more each day, being able to move and to be alive," Keating said. "The wish to participate in sport doesn't end when you're 20 or 30. It's a lifelong thing."

Keating is living proof of that. Even after winning a pair of national open championships, 19 national masters titles and more than 20 New England open crowns at distances from 3,000 meters to 100 miles, he keeps moving forward.

"I don't say that I'm going to compete for the rest of my life, because I don't want to box myself in," Keating said. "I just like participating in these events and being with others and ... challenging my body."

Keating no longer trains 140 miles a week as he did before taking part in the 1984 US Olympic Trials. But he still enjoys rising for workouts at 5:15 a.m., walking along the tree-lined streets and pathways of his Gate City neighborhood, and meeting up with the occasional raccoon.

"OK, I can't do the speed that I could," said Keating, who hasn't missed a workout in 20 years. "I don't train as much. But it just has a nice place in my life.

"For me, it's a routine now. I don't think about it. It is part of my day."

Keating's modesty is a match for his racewalking talent. In 1999 he was named USA Track and Field master racewalker of the year for the 50-54 age group. More recently, he won a national masters indoor title at 3,000 meters and a New England outdoor open championship at 12.4 miles.

"I've come to a sort of a different way of being with competition," said Keating, a member of the New England Walkers. "I care about it, and I care [enough] at times to put myself on the line. And that's good."

A psychotherapist, Keating cares even more about the physical, mental and spiritual benefits he derives from racewalking.

"It clearly is a major way of grounding me," Keating said. "I know that I'm taking care of myself physically. Generally, my mind gets clear from that.

"It's a moving meditation. It becomes more and more of an art form."

Every five years, Keating enters a new age group in which he can win national titles and break records. He may keep doing this for some time.

"I think the older the group is, the more it just sort of appeals to me," said Keating, who recalled a 200-meter runner in the 90-95 age group who fell at this year's national indoor meet.

"I was really scared," Keating said. "He gets up and he falls again. He does get up and staggers across and finishes. He's got a bloody nose. His legs just got spent. He still won the race.

"He's out there doing it. Maybe if you can get to that age, and if you can still move, there's still opportunity. That's the beauty."

And every step of the way, Keating said, one continues to discover new things.

"This is damn simple," said Keating of walking. "Human beings have been doing it since we came down from the trees, as they say.

"I'm still learning about how to walk. I'm learning about myself, about how I move, how I think, how I feel. I think that just being able to be moving is sweeter and sweeter."

2000 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 canceled. It's always best to verify the time, date and location with the race director before setting out.

July

4 - Dedham 5-miler, Dedham, MA. An unjudged walking division as part of the town's holiday road race.

9 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 9:30 a.m. 978-640-9676 (before 9:30 p.m.).

9 - USATF East Regional 5K Championships, Connecticut College. Entrants must make qualifying time at the June 17 New England meet. USATF-NE office, 617-566-7600.

15 - Eastern Regional Masters 5K, Springfield College, Springfield, MA., 10:40 a.m. Grand Prix event USATF-NE office, 617-566-7600

22 -Bay State Games 3K, Worcester State College. Part of the track and field portion of the statewide athletics festival. 781-932-6555.

August

12 - Sallie Mae 10K, Wilkes-Barre, PA. Jim Wolfe, 220 Lasley Ave., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706. 570-821-6504.

13 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, 9:30 a.m. (See July listing)

September

10 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, 9:30 a.m. (See July listing)

17 - National Championship 40K, Fort Monmouth, NJ. Elliott Denman, 28 North Locust Ave., West Long Branch, NJ 07764. 732-222-9080, 732-494-7644.

October

1 -- National One- and Two-Hour Championships, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. Grand Prix event. Justin Kuo, 617-731-9889.

8 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, 9:30 a.m. (See July listing.)

14 - National championship 5K, Kingsport, Tenn. Bobby Baker, 423-349-6406.

? -- Connecticut Race Walkers 10K. Grand Prix event.

Weekly workouts

Ken Mattsson is conducting racewalking sessions at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Harvard University track in Cambridge, MA in conjunction with the Cambridge Sports Union.

For information, call Ken at 617-576-9331.

Racewalking down memory lane

July 1989 -- Bob Keating, Tom Knatt and Bob Falciola team up to give the New England Walkers the men's masters title in the National 10K championships in Niagara Falls, NY. The team plaque is now in its second decade of sitting proudly on Tom's mantel.

July 1994 -- Same place, new cast, new crown: Joe Light, Ken Mattsson and Bob Ullman combine to give the New England Walkers the senior men's title in the 10K nationals. Anyone know where this plaque is? Phone any time.


For up-to-the-minute information on race schedules, clinics and other events, call the New England Walkers hotline at: 781-433-7142


The New England Walkers

Send material to:

Charlie Mansbach
25 Larkspur Road
Newton, MA 02468
E-mail address: Mansba@nws.globe.com or cmnsbch@cs.com

For membership information, contact Justin Kuo at 617-731-9889


New England Walkers
NEWalkers@jkuo.com
39 Oakland Road
Brookline, MA 02245-6700
United States


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This page was last updated May 5, 2000.
Corrections? Contact
Justin Kuo (617-731-9889)