LIBERTY WATERFRONT GRAND PRIX IS TIGHTEST IN HISTORY
The Liberty Waterfront Overall Club Grand Prix is the tightest in the history of the series that pits long distance running clubs against each other in a friendly rivalry that is never the less extremely intense.
The Raritan Valley Road Runners club has a bull's eye on it's collective back as it has ruled each year with always an insurmountable lead. That lead has been whittled down this year by the Morris County Striders. RVRR is going into the fall racing season with 153 points with the Striders twenty points back. That might seem like a hefty lead but the Striders have a pair of aces that may trump the club to the south. Those aces are a women's 70 team and a men's 70 team.
Until this year only the Central Jersey Road Runners could boast of a club in the septuagenarian division. The Striders W70 team competed in two races this spring and were rewarded with five points each time. The Striders M70 team had not been complete earlier in the season but will be primed to run this fall.
The Sneaker Factory, whose members hail mostly from the Morris area is not far behind the Striders with 146 points. Their greatest strength is on their distaff side with the Open Women leading the individual grand prix. They are also tied in the W40 division with new, but old, Warren Street. That club, based in Hoboken had switched allegiance many years ago to the Manhattan side of the river, but in 2005 moved back home.
Sneaker Factory's W50 team has not missed a race and never placed out of first, bumping the Raritan Valley Road Runners out of that spot, with the Striders in third. On the other hand, RVRR's W60 team remains unbeatable, although the Striders have tried, using their W70 team on their W60 B team.
The men's side has had even more changes with the Fleet Feet team establishing an early lead with wins in all races until they were upset at the President's Cup Night Race 5K. That's when the Runner's High team placed five men in the top 13.
Many of those men had been on the Gadsden club that formed in 2004, but which merged with Runner's High this spring. Even Running Company placed ahead of Fleet Feet in the race, which is probably the most hotly contested event of the entire season. Fleet Feet retained the top spot in the grand prix thanks to their earlier wins. Running Company is second and the Sneaker Factory is third.
In 2004 the Running Company had a stable full of M40 runners. So many that they were able to field a B team that often placed second to their A team at championship races. This season Running Company has lost it's dominance and dropped to second, giving first to the Raritan Valley Road Runners, with the Morris County Striders third.
In an unexpected switch, the Striders are leading the RVRR team in the M50 division, but by a mere two points. Even more surprising is that third is held by the Clifton Road Runners, a club that has come on strong this past season.
Clifton leads the M60 division with RVRR in second and Shore AC in third. Central Jersey Road Runners are currently the sole contenders in the M70 division.
The line up of fall championships begins with the title sponsor of the club and team grand prix, the Liberty Waterfront Half Marathon set for September 25th in Jersey City. In a fluke of the calendar, October has five weekends this year, and each weekend features a championship: the Joel P. Spector 10K, the Heroes to Hero 5K, the USATF-NJ cross country 5K, the USATF-NJ cross country 8K. In November there is the Giralda Farms 10K and the Ashenfelter 8K, and in December the USATF-NJ Ten Mile.
Originally published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, Sunday, August 7, 2005
Copyright, MADELINE BOST 2005