LIBERTY WATERFRONT TEAM AND CLUB GRAND PRIX HAS BEEN POSTED
The USATF New Jersey website has just posted the Liberty Waterfront Long Distance Running club and team grand prix scores. Each championship race has a team competition in the division that is being contested. For the purposes of the team grand prix, the top teams are scored from ten points for first in the open divisions down to one for eighth place, and the M40 and W40 divisions.
The M50 and W50, and M60 have a high point of eight, and the W60, M70 and W70 have a high point value of five. In all cases the second place team drops by two points, third another two points, and by one point thereafter. Thus for the open teams, for example, the scores are 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Once a championship is concluded and the team scores calculated, the points are added to the score in that division and to the overall score for each club. By season’s end, the clubs with the greatest diversity of ages will most likely score the greater number of points.
Thus clubs like the Morris County Striders will out-score a club like the Fleet Feet racing team that has at present only an open men’s team, albeit the strongest men’s team this season. In contrast the Morris County club has a team in all of the age divisions up through 60 to 69 and beyond.
The beyond is their newly formed Women’s 70 team that competed at the Our House five mile championship earlier this month.
The Striders are hoping to break the winning streak that the Raritan Valley Road Runners have had since the club grand prix was initiated several years ago. This year the Raritan Valley club is in the lead, but with only a 12 point margin over the Morris County club – 93 to 81.
In third place is the Sneaker Factory, which is another Morris area club. Sneaker Factory has, or usually has, strong open men and open women’s teams although after two races run they are well back in fourth place in the open men’s division and their women’s team is in third place.
The Sneaker Factory’s W40 team is in much better position. It is tied for first with newcomer Warren Street Athletic Club while the Striders team is in fourth place. In the W50 division Sneaker Factory has won both times out, with the Striders again in 4th place.
Raritan Valley has first place in the W60 division but the Striders are in second and their B team is in third. The new W70 team is in first.
On the men’s side of the ledger, the Raritan Valley team holds first in the M40 division with the Sneaker Factory and Morris County tied for second. The dominant club in 2004, Running Company, is trailing in fourth.
Morris County holds the lead in the M50 division while Sneaker Factory is in fourth place. Neighboring Clifton Road Runners has the lead in the M60 division.
About a dozen clubs are currently competing at New Jersey championships. Today’s Midland Run 15K, which is a championship for all divisions, traditionally attracts the largest number of teams of all races in the schedule. With so many divisions being contested, a lot can have changed when all the runners are in and points are tallied.
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT WEEK IN LIVINGSTON
Once the racing season begins, almost every weekend features a championship race. Next Sunday the Run for Rachel in Livingston is the open women’s 5K contest. Last year the competition was very high with two women finishing in a near tie in 16:59 for first and second. Tenth place was 18:20. This season many of the top women have been focusing on track races so it is uncertain if all will be back for a rematch on Sunday.
Originally published in the DAILY RECORD on Sunday, May 15, 2005
Copyright Madeline Bost 2005