Big doings for 2004
New England delegates Steve Vaitones and Justin
Kuo returned from the 2003 USA Track &
Field annual meeting in Greensboro, NC, last
month with the news that our New England
Association has been awarded the National
15-kilometer Racewalking Championship, to be
held on Sunday, June 13, in Lincoln, RI. Many
details will follow concerning the race time,
precise description of the course, and all the
volunteer duties that we will need to fill to
make this major event a success.
Our association has also been awarded the East
Region One Hour championship, to be held
October 17 at Bentley College in Waltham. MA.
And we have a full range of other racewalking
events on our calendar for the new year.
The schedule includes Year Six of the popular
5-kilometer races at Danehy Park in Cambridge,
MA., held the second Sunday of the month from
April through October. The races are judged but
no one is disqualified; the judges are there to
offer encouragement and useful advice.
Also in store is our annual Grand prix
competition. Participants are ranked by their
times in their four best designated events, as
measured against age-graded tables. The lineup
includes these events:
Jan. 11
|
1 mile USATF-NE Masters Brown University
|
Jan. 18
|
3K GBTC Harvard University
|
Feb. 22
|
3K USATF-NE Harvard University
|
March 28
|
3k USATF National Masters, Reggie Lewis
Track
|
April 25
|
8k Clamdigger, Westerly RI
|
June 13
|
National 15K, Lincoln RI
|
June ,
|
3K, USATF-NE Outdoor Championships
|
July
|
3k Bay State Games
|
Jul/Aug
|
5K Eastern Regional, Springfield College
|
Oct 17
|
One-hour, Bentley College, Waltham MA
|
Oct
|
Connecticut Racewalkers 10k
|
Coming this summer: The all-electronic
newsletter
In the interests of timeliness and efficiency,
the New England Walkers soon will discontinue
mass mailings of the printed newsletter and
instead rely on the Internet to keep club
members informed.
Many members already read the newsletter online
on our web page at
http://newalkers.tripod.com
or
http://newalkers.com
And members who have subscribed to the
newalkers electronic list receive an e-mail
notification when a new newsletter has been
posted. Most of the New England Walkers are
already subscribed.
To subscribe, users may use the prompt below:
Or, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newalkers/join
or they may look for the "Subscribe to
newalkers" and Yahoo Groups icon on
our home page.
Wide participation in these electronic outlets
will assure that everyone is receiving
up-to-the-minute information on racewalking
activity in our region.
We will mail two further issues, in March and
in May, and then switch to an all-electronic
format.
For those few who do not have Internet access
and still wish to receive paper copies of the
newsletter, please inform Charlie Mansbach,
25 Larkspur Road, Newton, MA 02468. He
will see to it that printouts will come to you
in the mail.
New year's resolutions
What are our racewalking goals and hopes for
the year? As always, the query brings a variety
of sentiments from club members and friends.
***
Fred Anderson
I would just like to fully recover from my
knee surgery and compete in a few races. 2003
has not been a very active year for me because
of my knee. Getting back into competitive mode
in 2004 would be an achievement.
***
Brian Savilonis
This sounds like a repeat: get healthy enough
to perform at a national level again. I am
hoping that getting healthy and competing at a
high level are not mutually exclusive for me
anymore.
I would REALLY like to get to a longer race,
such as the 40 or 50k. I have already entered a
running marathon (May, VT), so these injuries
had better leave me soon!!!
***
Richard Ruquist
Richard aka DizzyDick just wants to recover
from his vertigo and get back into good enough
shape to beat Charlie again.
***
Steve Vaitones
For the first time in many moons I'm making
some RW resolutions
As the well worn t-shirt slogan says, don't
wish for success - train for it.
***
Joe Light
I've made an amazing discovery: there's a
correlation between training and performance!
Being semi-retired, I have more time and energy
to train. I've thrown in some running and upped
my weekly mileage a bit. In my last 2 races
I've actually reversed a 4-year trend of
getting pw's (personal worsts). My goal for
2004 is to continue this trend in the winter
indoor season.
***
Bill McCann
As I think of stumbling into the new year at a
creaky 74 my probably unrealistic goal is to
participate for the first time in a competitive
15K, the national race set for Rhode Island in
June.
***
Tom Knatt
My new year's resolution/wish is to get in
good enough shape to do longer races reasonably
well. Longer races include 10K and up.
***
Bill Harriman
I resolve to remain fit and healthy enough in
2004 to race in the national masters 10k and
20k, and possibly take a shot at the 50k again.
I also resolve to compete in as many local
races as I can while still doing my part to
keep racewalking alive and well in New England.
***
Joanne Harriman
My goal is to keep training and racing hard in
2004. Having a great coach like Bill really
makes the difference. Thanks Hon!
***
Charlie Mansbach
I just hope to remain healthy, keep racing,
and try to continue increasing my age-graded
scores at a faster rate than my actual times
deteriorate. I look forward to our whole slate
of races, by the end of which I will be
competing in the 60-64 age category.
Membership renewal time
If the date atop your mailing label for this
issue does not say "2004" 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 deal around. Please send
your check to:
Justin Kuo
39 Oakland Road
Brookline, MA 02245
Members may also renew membership or sign up
online by visiting our web page at http://newalkers.tripod.com
***
It is time also to renew your membership in USA
Track & Field. Membership is required for
participation in the many USATF-sanctioned
events during the year. The form is available
at www.usatfne.org,
and you can also register on-line there. For
further information, call the New England
office at 617-566-7600.
'03 Grand Prix results
Seven men and four women completed the full
2003 Grand Prix, with top honors going again to
Marcia Gutsche and Bob Keating. Participants
were ranked by their times in their four best
designated events, as measured against
age-graded tables.
Following are the final standings, with thanks
to indefatigable scorekeeper Bill Harriman.
Men
|
Bob Keating
|
336.67
|
Brian Savilonis
|
317.94
|
Patrick Collier
|
311.26
|
Bill McCann
|
306.23
|
Bill Harriman
|
301.63
|
Lou Free
|
295.05
|
Charlie Mansbach
|
284.66
|
Women
|
Marcia Gutsche
|
348.05
|
Joanne Harriman
|
308.63
|
Pat Godfrey
|
283.81
|
Holly Wenninger
|
278.78
|
Congratulations to …
Joanne Dow of Manchester, NH,
our all-time New England Walkers success story,
who was a repeat winner last month of the Ron
Zinn Award as the nation's outstanding female
20K racewalker for 2003.
Kevin Eastler, originally from
Maine and a familiar presence at top-level
Boston-area races in the 1990s, who received
the Zinn award for the men's 20Km.
Steve Vaitones, managing
director of the USATF-NE office and longtime
competitor and official, who was elected
vice-chair of the national Race Walking
Committee.
Team in Training report
By Michael Hoffer
The Rhode Island Leukemia Lymphoma Society's
Team in Training Program has just completed our
8th year and to date we still maintain a 100%
completion record. Nationwide, Team in Training
raised approximately $90,000,000 in 2003 and
the research dollars continue to make a very
positive impact on the cure rates.
During the year I competed in the Disney, Mardi
Gras, San Diego, Newport, Cape Cod, New York
City and Bermuda Great Walking Marathon events.
To date I have raised in excess of $83,000 and
as we move into 2004 we have an aggressive
schedule starting in January with a return to
the Disney Marathon. I have recruited my wife
and to date she has done 5 events and will be
doing the Disney Half Marathon with our team.
There were a number of highlights to my season
this past year, and of course the biggest
achievement is the continuation of our 100%
completion record.
At the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon there
was a national alumni presentation and I won
two national awards, one for top number of
events completed [32 at the time], and the
second for third-highest fund raiser. Both of
these awards are very special as I have
dedicated a considerable amount of time to
coaching, competing, fund-raising and watching
the success of our research dollars. My
assistant coach and I entered the Cape Cod
Marathon as a relay team and we finished second
in the 60 - 69 age category. In the Bermuda
Great Walking Marathon I finished as the third
place male in the Half Marathon component.
My most memorable event this year was the New
York City Marathon. For a person who was born
in Brooklyn and lived there for 13 years, this
had very sentimental overtones. My strategy was
to cover the course in a modest pace and finish
in around 5 Hrs 45 mins. I was right on
schedule and my wife was cheering me at mile 18
and again at mile 23. Just as I reached the
23-mile mark and saw my wife my back gave out.
While I was not in any pain, I could not
straighten up and I was " listing " to one
side. I stopped to straighten my back when a
total stranger came out of the cheering crowds
and asked if I was OK and did I want him to
walk with me the rest of the course.
The stranger who befriended me was an "Angel"
and as life has its ironies, we had an unknown
bond. It turns out that this man was in New
York watching the race as his daughter was at
Sloan Kittering Hospital, where she had been
recovering from Hodgkins disease. The man and
his wife were bringing their daughter home
after a year's recovery, and this disease is
one of the leukemia-related illnesses. My
"Angel" walked with me for the next three
miles, and I had to stop another 10 times to
stretch out my back and get my bearings. The
man kept offering me encouragement, support and
stayed with me for what seemed like an
eternity. When we got to the final Central Park
entrance the police would not let my friend
walk with me for the final 2/10s of a mile and
I never saw him again.
I do not remember his name, and I realized that
we were on opposite sides of leukemia and
unfortunately we have a common bond. I will
never forget this experience of how this man
came out of the crowd and was there for me when
I needed his help. My story has a happy ending,
but my odyssey was minor compared to what this
man and his wife have been living through with
the dreaded illness of their daughter. I will
never see this man again and in my prayers I
hope his daughter survives her illness.
So I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and
enjoyable holiday season and hope to continue
to see some of you at the local races.
Happy Walking.............Michael Hoffer
Racewalking down memory lane
January 1985 - The first
annual Brown Masters indoor meet draws 16
entrants in the 1500-meter racewalk. Brian
Savilonis, competing in the 30-34 age bracket,
takes top honors in 7:15.
January 1986 - The Brown
Masters race lengthens to a mile, Brian moves
into an older age group and wins again, this
time in 7:07.
January 1987 - Brian continues
to get faster, winning the Brown mile in 6:56.
Deeper in the pack, the keeping of results
grows chaotic, with several of us being
assigned other people's times. Myrna Finn, the
first woman finisher, appears in the records in
the official program for years to come as "M.
Firk."
2004 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.
January
11- 1 mile, USATF-NE Masters T&F
meet, Brown University, Providence RI
401-863-1041
11- Dartmouth Relays, Hanover
NH .646.3821
18- 3K, Greater Boston TC
Invitational at Harvard University. 9:30 a.m.
617 282-5537
February
16- 28th annual Presidents' Day
3.7-miler, 2 p.m., D.W. Field Park, Brockton,
MA. One of our favorite traditions. Group meal
to follow at nearby restaurant.
22- 3K, USATF New England Indoor
Championships, Harvard U. Contact USA Track
& Field New England office, 617-566-7600.
28-29- USA National Indoor T&F
Championships, Reggie Lewis Track &
Athletic Center, Boston. 3000m women, 5000m
men. Qualifying times. Contact USA Track &
Field New England office, 617-566-7600.
March
28- USA Masters Indoor Nationals, Reggie
Lewis Track & Athletic Center, Boston.
Women's 3K, 12:45 p.m. Men's 3K, 1:30 p.m.
Contact USA Track & Field New England
office, 617-566-7600.
April
11- 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
25- Clamdigger 8K, Westerly, RI. Joe
Light, 401-596-3173.
May
9 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
June
6-5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
13 -National 15K, Lincoln, RI. Contact
USA Track & Field New England office,
617-566-7600.
20- 3K, USATF-NE Outdoor Championships,
MIT, Cambridge MA. Contact USA Track &
Field New England office, 617-566-7600.
July
4 - Dedham 5-miler, Dedham, MA. An
unjudged walking division as part of the town's
holiday road race.
11 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
??? -3K, Bay State Games. Contact USA
Track & Field New England office,
617-566-7600.
23-24 (tentative) - Easter Masters 5K
championship, Springfield College, MA. Contact
USA Track & Field New England office,
617-566-7600.
August
8-5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
September
12 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
October
17 - East Region one-hour, Bentley
College, Waltham MAContact USA Track &
Field New England office, 617-566-7600.
??? - Connecticut Racewalkers 10K.
Contact USA Track & Field New England
office, 617-566-7600.
NEW contacts
In an effort to promote racewalking, several
club members have volunteered to serve as New
England Walkers contacts. Our contact people
can try to help new racewalkers and newly
relocated veteran racewalkers connect with our
community in any way feasible. This could range
from offering to give pointers or join in a
training session, if time and logistics permit,
to simply spreading the word about where the
next race or clinic will be.
Our NEW contacts so far are:
Bill Harriman
|
Tewksbury, MA
|
978-640-9676 blariman447@comcast.net
|
Tom Knatt
|
Concord, MA
|
978-369-7912
tknatt@ziplink.net
|
Bob Ullman
|
Nashua, NH
|
603-897-0241
bobullman@comcast.net
|
Bob Keating
|
Nashua, NH
|
603-883-6903
hilkeating@aol.com
|
Brian Savilonis
|
Worcester/Princeton, MA
|
508-831-5686 (W)
bjs@wpi.edu
|
Heidi Duskey
|
Medford, MA
|
781-395-6409
bdusk@mindspring.com
|
Charlie Mansbach
|
Newton, MA
|
617-964-8438
c_mansbach@globe.com
|
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
Leftover race results
USATF-NE 1 Hour Racewalking
Championship - Sept. 21, Bentley
College Track, Waltham MA. A good,
well-organized event, spearheaded by Pat
Yingling and Heidi Duskey. We look forward to a
repeat and to even broader participation next
Oct. 17.
Women
|
Carly Lochala (16)
|
Mt.Blue (ME) HS
|
9826 m
|
Holly Wenninger (39)
|
Athletics East
|
9185
|
Lauren Forgues (15)
|
Boothbay (ME) HS
|
8820
|
Joanne Harriman (60)
|
NE Walkers
|
8750
|
Pat Godfrey, (57)
|
Cambridge SU
|
8436
|
Dottie Fine, (59)
|
Cambridge SU
|
7993
|
Marisa Haggert, (15)
|
Caribou (ME) HS
|
7826
|
Florence Dagata, (71)
|
NEW
|
DQ
|
Alexandra Schweitzer, (50)
|
CSURW
|
DQ
|
Men
|
Patrick Collier, (34)
|
Athletics East
|
10310
|
Aaron Whitten, (17)
|
Mt.Blue (ME) HS
|
9734
|
Bob Ullman, (54)
|
NE Walkers
|
9718
|
Charlie Mansbach, (58)
|
NE Walkers
|
9072
|
Matt Forgues, (11)
|
Wiscasset Rec
|
8731
|
Tom White, (71)
|
NE Walkers
|
8638
|
Bill McCann, (74)
|
NE Walkers
|
8553
|
Ken Mattsson, (39)
|
Cambridge SU
|
8410
|
Mark Dennett, (18)
|
Sacred Heart U
|
DQ
|
Connecticut 10k/Jr 5k
Championships - Oct 26, New London,
CT. Nicely conducted race by Maryanne Torrellas
and company for our final Grand Prix event of
the year.
10K
|
1
|
53:19
|
Patrick Collier(34)
|
Wakefield, MA.
|
2
|
57:06
|
Joe Light(56)
|
Westerly, RI.
|
3
|
59:07
|
Andy Cable(38)
|
Shelton, CT.
|
4
|
59:35
|
Bob Barrett(69)
|
Smallwood, NY.
|
5
|
1:04:20
|
Richard Ruquist(65)
|
Grafton, MA.
|
6
|
1:05:22
|
Charles Mansbach(59)
|
Newton, MA
|
7
|
1:07:24
|
Ginger Armstrong(41)
|
Canterbury, CT.
|
8
|
1:10:01
|
Bill McCann(74)
|
Longmeadow, MA.
|
9
|
1:12:11
|
Lou Free(73)
|
Uncasville, CT.
|
10
|
1:14:46
|
Gus Davis(65)
|
Orange, CT.
|
Jr men's 5k
|
|
27:11
|
Mark Dennett(18)
|
Sacred Heart Univ.
|
Jr women's 5k
|
34:14
|
Kara Steele(13)
|
New Haven CT.
|
Girls 3000m
|
33:43
|
Brianna Steele(10)
|
New Haven, CT.
|
Judges: Geoff Bye, Dianna Gladden, Maryanne
Torrellas (Joe Light and Andy Cable for the
5K)
All-around assistance: Richard Huie, Anne
Percival, John Palmer
New England Walkers 10K - West
Concord, MA, Nov. 16. Our traditional
season-ending ritual. Racers follow the blue
arrows on pie plates posted around Tom Knatt's
neighborhood. Course monitors (no judges) make
the rounds by automobile. People who come just
for the post-race meal drift in bearing covered
dishes. A good time is had by all.
1
|
Joe Light (56)
|
Westerly RI
|
57:57
|
2
|
Bob Ullman (55)
|
Nashua NH
|
58:37
|
3
|
Bill Harriman (56)
|
Tewksbury MA
|
1:00:00
|
4
|
Charlie Mansbach (59)
|
Newton MA
|
1:05:42
|
5
|
Thomas Knatt (63)
|
Concord MA
|
1:07:02
|
6
|
Richard Ruquist (66)
|
Grafton MA
|
1:08:59
|
7
|
Joanne Harriman (60)
|
Tewksbury MA
|
1:09:28
|
8
|
Michelle Bouchard (50)
|
Concord MA
|
1:09:38
|
9
|
Jack Finian (70)
|
Bow, NH 1
|
:18:07
|
Lost somewhere in the wilds and rescued by
search party: Pamela Hoss, Brookline MA, and
Tom White, Milton MA
The New England Walkers
Send material to:
Charlie Mansbach
25 Larkspur Road
Newton, MA 02468
E-mail address: mansba@globe.com
For membership information, contact
Justin Kuo at 617-731-9889