The grand finale
The traditional end of our outdoor season, the
New England Walkers 10K race, followed by a
potluck lunch and club meeting, will begin at
noon Sunday,November 17, at the home of club
president Tom Knatt at 83 Riverside Drive inWest
Concord, MA. Racers and non-racers alike are
urged to attend. Please bring a dish, hot or
cold, to share. And please bring yourselves; the
more club members we hear from at the meeting,
the better we can lay out our plans for 2003. A
splendid time is guaranteed, and ifwe're really
lucky, Tom may even regale us with tales of his
recent visit to his second home in France.
Getting there: Tom offers these travel
directions, plus a new request on parking: From
Boston, go west onRoute 2 for 8 miles beyond 128
(I-95). Turn left on Route 62 at the intersection
after Emerson Hospital, going toward Maynard.
Follow Route62, bearing left at the 99
Restaurant, to the next traffic light. Turn left
onPine St. (church and library on the corner),
and go two short blocks. My large green Victorian
house is on the far right-hand corner of Pine
andRiverside Ave. Do not be confused by the sign
on the corner for PleasantSt. It is a
five-corner, three-street intersection, although
it does not appear to be so. Parking is best on
Pleasant St. in the marked spots. My neighbors on
the dirt portion of Riverside Ave. would prefer
that you not park there, and there are No Parking
signs.
For further information, call Tom at
978-369-7912.
Volunteers thanked
Fifteen New England Walkers members and
friends donated their time to help the Tufts 10K
for Women run smoothly on Columbus Day. Their
efforts built good will for the club and added
appreciably to our treasury. The volunteers were:
Maureen Danahy and Rick Moore; Debbie Spencer and
Jim; Carol, Justin, Genya, Tolya, and Anna Kuo;
Bill Harriman; Richard Ruquist and Ruth; Harold
and Dorothy Thornley; and Bill Rowan.
On The Road to 50K, Part Two
By Bill Harriman
As mentioned in part one of this series a few
months ago, I had to give up running in 1990
because of back pain from a herniated disc. I had
been aware of race walking for a long time,
having run for the North Medford Club in the
'60s. Fred Brown was always after me to try race
walking ,but I was young and occasionally fast. I
just wanted to run. But 1990 seemed like a good
time to try it so I hooked up with Phil McGaw and
learned the basics. That summer I raced Fresh
Pond a few times, labored through a broiling
Taunton 11.7 miler, and managed to finish a few
road10ks in 56 minutes. I'd take that time now! I
logged almost 11,000 meters in the hour on the
MIT track, then more back pain a week later. In
frustration I gave up that sport, too, and just
worked out to stay in shape for the next 6 years.
In 1996, after having taken some yoga classes and
learning more about stretching, I decided to try
race walking again. I've been at it since then,
with a few setbacks here and there, usually
because of the bad disc.
As for that 50K-- to be held Nov. 10 in
Hauppage, NY -- since early July my training has
been much more uneven that I would have liked.
I've gotten some good long walks in, but also
missed a few weeks of training due to back pain.
I missed a week inmid-July, a week in late
August, and another week in late September. Along
the way I managed to get in a 16-miler on 8/3, a
20 on 8/17, 15 on 9/1, 15 on 9/7,25 on 9/14, 21
on 10/5, 23 on 10/13, and 26.2 in the Bay State
Marathon on10/20. I have had good strength
throughout those long ones, with the only problem
being that my legs start to hurt from fatigue
after about 4 hours and they keep on hurting all
the way after that, no matter what the pace.
Special thanks to my wife, Joanne, who came
looking for me twice with extra water on hot days
when I went longer than planned. I was parched
with dehydration in that 25-miler on a hot
mid-September afternoon.
As I write this, it's almost Halloween and the
days dwindle. I approach the 50 with a mixture of
anticipation and dread, especially dread. Due to
the demands of a busy and stressful job and a 2-3
hour round-trip commute, my weekly mileage has
not been as high as I would have liked. Actually,
I just stopped and calculated it, and it's only
27 miles per week averaged over the 17 weeks
since 7/1. That includes the missed training
weeks too. Will it be enough on 50k day?
Grand Prix results
Marcia Gutsche and Bob Keating are our 2002
Grand Prix champions, based on walkers' four best
performances for the season. Points are awarded
by comparing competitors' times to standardized
age-graded tables. TheGrand Prix was expanded
this year by including more races and by making
more walkers eligible. The result was one of the
strongest showings we've had in years. Hats off
to Bill Harriman for riding heard on the schedule
and tabulating everyone's performance.
Women
| 4 Races |
| Marcia Gutsche |
343.38 |
| Maryanne Torrellas |
341.92 |
| Lee Chase |
334.66 |
| Joanne Harriman |
307.06 |
| Jean Tenan |
295.25 |
| Ginger Armstrong |
275.12 |
| Holly Wenninger |
277 |
| 3 Races |
| Chris Anderson |
225.27 |
| Pat Godfrey |
220.44 |
| 2 Races |
| JoanneDow |
184.22 |
| JasmineBrooks |
159.69 |
| AnnPercival |
150.09 |
| 1 Race |
| Cathy Orr |
74.84 |
| Barbara Frasca |
72.35 |
| Lynda Beckett |
70.7 |
| Florence Dagata |
70.42 |
| Dotty Fine |
66.29 |
| Carol Kuo |
64.09 |
| Nectar Babeghian |
61.21 |
| Maddy O'Brien |
60.23 |
| Abigail Collings |
54.23 |
Men
| 4 Races |
| Bob Keating |
348.41 |
| Brian Savilonis |
330.39 |
| Joe Light |
320.92 |
| Tom Knatt |
314.37 |
| Bill Harriman |
302.19 |
| Lou Free |
301.02 |
| John Costello |
293.1 |
| Charlie Mansbach |
281.26 |
| Gus Davis |
278.69 |
| 3 Races |
| Dave Baldwin |
233.89 |
| BillMcCann |
221.11 |
| Spencer Parrish |
203.7 |
| Stephen McCullough |
185.87 |
| 2 Races |
| Adam Staier |
164.18 |
| Rich McElvery |
154.71 |
| Bob Beaudet |
149.41 |
| Mark Dennett |
146.51 |
| Bob Ullman |
146.33 |
| Jeremy Martin |
144.3 |
| Andy Cable |
124.03 |
| 1 Race |
| Kevin Eastler |
83.09 |
| Richard Ruquist |
77.8 |
| Steve Vaitones |
75.13 |
| Jon Chasse |
73.56 |
| Steve Peckiconis |
73.3 |
| Geoff Bye |
70.53 |
| George Curti |
66.16 |
| Keith Rowlett |
65.13 |
| Robert Watkins |
64.29 |
| Justin Kuo |
60.91 |
| Thomas Fitzgerald |
??.?? |
| Yuri Kuo |
59.06 |
On the big stage
National 20K champion Joanne Dow of
Manchester, NH,was the first American woman 20K
finisher in the World Cup of Race walking
inTurin, Italy, on Oct. 13 in a time of 1:41.
Marcia Gutsche of Newton, MA had a big Sept
ember, winning the national 5K women's
championship in Kingsport, Tennessee on Sept.21
with a time of 25:53 and capturing the national
women's masters one-hour crown a week later on
Long Island with 11,070 meters.
Other race results
CSU One Hour Racewalk -Oct. 6, Bentley
College track, Waltham MA.After plans fell
through for a national junior 5K race on this
date, some fast planning and hard work produced
this excellent substitute event. It was the first
competition of any type on the new Bentley track,
and we hope to return there in 2003. The race was
co-directed by Bill Harriman and Ken Mattsson,
with special thanks to chief lap counterWendee
Glick and to Pat Yingling, Itzi Garcia, Marcia
Gutsche, and the rest of the CSU crew for their
assistance.
| Women |
| 1. |
Holly Wenninger |
9576 meters |
| 2. |
Joanne Harriman |
8893 meters |
| 3. |
Pat Godfrey |
8832 meters |
| 4. |
Dottie Fine |
7746 meters |
| 5. |
Abigail Collings |
7695 meters |
| Men |
| 1. |
Joe Light |
10,566 meters |
| 2. |
John Costello |
10,357 meters |
| 3. |
Bob Ullman |
9968 meters |
| 4. |
Stephen McCullough |
9209 meters |
| 5. |
Thomas Fitzgerald |
7572 meters |
Judges: Ken Mattsson (chief), Bob Keating,
Charlie Mansbach, Justin Kuo, and Bill
Harriman.
Daney Park developmental 5K racewalks
-- Cambridge,MA. Year Four of the popular series
was a big success. The most recent results:
| Sept. 8 |
| 1. |
John Costello |
27:50 |
| 2. |
Tom Knatt |
29:29 |
| 3. |
Holly Wenninger |
29:45 (PR) |
| 4. |
Pat Godfrey |
34:28 |
| 5. |
Pat Yingling |
38:24 (PR) |
| 6. |
Michelle Bouchard |
38:46 |
| 7. |
Dottie Fine |
38:55 |
| Aug. 4 |
| 1. |
BrianSavilonis |
26:04 |
| 2. |
Marcia Gutsche |
27:17 |
| 3. |
Bob Ullman |
29:28 |
| 4. |
Itzi Garcia |
36:39 |
| 5. |
Michelle Bouchard |
38:41 |
| 6. |
Pat Yingling |
39:02 |
| 7. |
Florence Dagata |
44:59 |
| July14 |
| 1. |
Holly Wenninger |
31:14 |
| 2. |
Mark Bell |
32:44 |
| 3. |
Laurel Ginder |
35:24 |
| 4. |
Barbara Bell |
37:23 |
| 5. |
Bill O'Leary |
39:29 |
| 6. |
Michelle Bouchard |
43:05 |
| 7. |
Florence Dagata |
44:49 |
Upcoming indoor races
Steve Vaitones, managing director for the USA
Track & Field New England office, offers this
schedule of racewalking track events:
Dec 14 (tentative) 3000m Stormin'
Norman Invitational, BrandeisUniversity, Waltham
MA. 10 a.m.
Jan 12 1 mile or 3000m, USATF-NE
Masters T&F meet, BrownUniversity, Providence
RI
Jan 19 3000 m, Greater Boston TC
Invitational at Harvard. 9:30 a.m.
Feb 23 3000 m, USATF New England Indoor
Championships, Harvard,11:30 a.m.
March 1-2 USA National Indoor T&F
Championships, Reggie LewisTrack & Athletic
Center, Boston. 3000m women, 5000mmen. Qualifying
times. Last year Joanne Dow and Marcia Gutsche
qualified and competed.
March 28-30 USA Masters Indoor
Nationals, Reggae Lewis Track &Athletic
Center, Boston. Walks on Sunday 3/30 Information
for all track events can be found at www.usatfne.org/track/.
****
Steve also issues a reminder that USATF
membership for 2002expires Dec. 31 and can be
renewed anytime after Nov. 1. For further
information, contact Steve at 617-566-7600.
Weekly workouts
Ken Mattsson is conducting outdoor racewalking
sessions at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through
December in conjunction with theCambridge Sports
Union. Walkers gather at the Harvard University
track inAllston, MA. and proceed along the
Charles River. Negotiations are under way to use
the MIT indoor track for 10 weeks in January
through March. Because MIT has changed its fee
structure, Ken is hoping to round up a good-sized
group of regulars to share the costs. For
information, call Ken at 617-576-9331.
Springfield race walkers train at Forest Park
at7:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and on Blake Track at
Springfield College at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
For information, contact Bob Beaudet at
413-525-3542.
Racewalking down memory lane
November 1991 -- SteveVaitones wins the
season-ending Concord 10K in 50:18, with Carol
Kuo the first woman in 69:41. Rather than
disqualify walkers for repeated lifting or bent
knee, chief judge Tom Knatt assesses penalty
minutes to a few transgressors in the middle of
the pack.
November 1992 -- The Concord 10K
coincides with club member George Conway's 90th
birthday-- so, with George watching from Tom's
front porch, the first walkers break into full
rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You' as they pass
by and round the first turn. Lead singer Bob
Keating wins the race in 46:56.
November 1998 -- Despite the presence
of the traditional white pie plates with blue
arrows to guide walkers on the 10K course, Stan
Sosnowski elects to follow a different-colored
sign that turns out to be directing motorists to
a neighborhood yard sale.Noting that 'I didn't
have any money with me,' Stan scrambles back onto
the course and resumes racing. Brian Savilonis
wins the event in 54:01, with Stan choosing to
stop short of the finish line and go into the
books as a DNF.
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@globe.com
or cmnsbch@cs.com
For membership information, contact
Justin
Kuo at 617-731-9889