USATF National Masters XC Championships - Franklin Park

Todd Callaghan and I car pooled into Franklin Park and had the Central Mass Striders tent set up nearly 2 hours before the 10:45 start time for the 40/50 year old race. It was nice to have this race being hosted in Boston as the 2020 race was cancelled due to Covid-19. I had to show my vaccination card for the first time today. The other option was to show results of a negative test. I was competing for the CMS masters 40+ team today and was the 5th man behind Scott Leslie, Erik Johnson, Dave Dunham and Dan Verrington. Dave and Dan were declared down into the 40+ team so we could score a team. The senior team, 50+ had six runners: Greg Putnam, Tim Van Orden, Scott Grandfield, Todd Callaghan, Joe Shairs and Steve Brightman. Paul Bazanchuk was the teams lone 60+ runner on the day.

After the teams checked in 25 minutes before the start time to verify we all had the same singlet with front and back bibs, I headed out for a 13 minute warmup (1.5 miles). I jumped into a quick team photo and got onto team box # 2. The senior team was in team box #13. The starting gun went off and away the race went. I settled in and ran through mile 1 just under 6:40 and not feeling too sharp slowing down through Bear Cage Hill and losing ground to Brian Bealieau (21:33) who I was hoping to run with after he was with me half a mile in. I saw mile two around 14:15. I ended up passing one runner from there on out finishing 80th out of about 100 runners. My time was 22:30. My goal was to run a low 21 minutes. So overall, was pretty flat out there after the opening mile. The 40+ team finished 6th out of 7 teams. The senior team, placed first overall! I ran a 2 mile cool down with the team and hung out with them for the awards ceremony.  

Greg Putnam, Steve Brightman, Scott Grandfield, Todd Callaghan, Joe Shairs, Tim Van Orden

I arrived at Franklin Park with Todd Callaghan and met up with Tim Van Orden and Dave Dunham who helped set up the canopy tent for the team. I ran a warm up and got on the line behind my CMS team and to the right of BAA for the 8K masters race at the USATF New England Championships. The weather was great and the course was dry. I got into good position behind (maybe 10th) the lead pack of BAA and CMS runners who seemed to be setting a rather comfortable pace but it picked up after the mile. I did not hear a split but the GPS tagged a 5:12. My second mile slowed to a 5:33 with an up and over Bear Cage hill. 

At the top of Bear Cage Hill in front of Christopher Lawrence
Photo by Michael Quintal

I lost a few positions but continued a good battle with Robert Bottomley and Francis Burdett whom I noticed had a racing flat come untied. He would eventually lose it and finish the race without it. I went through the 5K just a few ticks slower than my 5K at Mayor’s Cup two weeks ago. I was pretty happy with that. Wayne Levy and Kevin O’Neal from BAA passed by with about a mile to go. I kept them close climbing Bear Cage Hill but they took off with good momentum on the backside. I would not catch either from there to the finish line. I wound up with an 18th place finish in the masters race. I was the 6th CMS runner on the day and felt I had a pretty good race, similar time to my 8K at Mayors Cup in 2014. I had three teammates with Alan Bernier, Joshua Perks, and Todd Callaghan in view the whole race and all within 24 seconds of my finish.

Francis and Christopher Lawrence chasing
Photo by Urvi Mujumdar

I was aiming for a top 15 finish but that was optimistic with the talented runners and Seniors (50+) around me. The team ran very well for a 2nd place finish to the BAA. I finished the Cross Country Grand Prix Series (5 races since August) and would appeared to have won the masters division. Justin Renz, last year's GP Series Master Champ, was just a few points behind me going into the race today. After the race, he admitted that he just ran the New York City Marathon last Sunday and was tired. I know how he felt as I did this race last November, one week after the Manchester City Marathon.

Running away from White Stadium and to Bear Cage Hill
Peter Bottomley and Francis Burdett in pursuit
Photo by Dave Dunham

GPS splits below

5:12

5:33

5:38

5:43

5:44

2015 USATF New England Masters Cross Country Championships

Coming out of the Bear Cage Hill with Michael Quintal in the background
Photo by Dave Dunham

Franklin Park 5K Mayor's Cup

Stephen Trainor picked me up and we arrived at Franklin Park an hour before his open 8K race. I had nearly two hours before my race but wanted to set up camp for the CMS guys coming. I fumbled around trying to set up the canopy tent. I even had a young lady from New Balance Boston come over twice to point out what we were doing wrong. It took four people to figure it out. The morning rain that stopped by 9:30 had zero effect on the course. It was dry as could be so I went with my Inov-8 flats instead of spikes. I watched Eric Narcisi and Stephen run their first XC races for CMS in the 8K. I got on the start line after that race with exactly five CMS men (Gregory Putnam, Ben Nephew, Tim Van Orden, and Dan Verrington) for the last race of the day, Franklin Park 5K. The race was number four of the XC Grand Prix and also the masters race. 

The race bolted out and I hunted for a visual on Justin Renz (HFC) as we were seeking coveted individual Grand Prix master division series points. I went by him on the downhill 600m in and was about five runners away from Ben Nephew. I went through the mile in what I heard as 5:20. Chris Lawrence and James Callaghan (no relation to teammate, Todd) from the BAA pulled away going down into the Bear Cage Hill. I was able to catch Ben up the hill. On the exit, I got by Chris and we went back and forth through mile 2. I heard a 10:56 split while Chris pulled away a bit as we got into the Wilderness Loop. As we ran a short climb in there I got past him and pushed on the downhill exiting the woods. 

As I climbed out into the field loop, a race official holding flags pointed to me and said that the team race was coming down to me. I was not sure because I was the 3rd CMS guy. I think she was keeping tabs on the front of the race where Gregory and Tim were battling the top three guys from the BAA. I got passed by a runner as we fell into the field with just two more right hand turns remaining into the finish line other other side of the field. I told him to get going as this race was going to be over in less than 700m. I was trying to keep Chris behind me which I did. I finished with a time of 17:36 and in 18th place, 3rd CMS runner. Ben and Dan finished right behind me to help us finish 2nd to the BAA. The results are here. I felt pretty good about the effort and execution that was not planned, instead flourished with the race around me. I think the last time I ran a 5K at Franklin Park was in a USATF New England development race 17 years ago. The guy that finished behind me then was Ben Nephew. We have been teammates ever since.