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