OPEN MEN AND WOMEN TEAM GRAND PRIX HAVE SURPRISING LEADERS In 2007 the Breakneck Track Club from south Jersey made their presence known in a very big way when they challenged the established clubs to a duel in the Open Men’s Team Division of USATF-New Jersey championships. At the final race of the season, the 15K championship in December, the Mizuno Runner’s High team made a statement of their own. They took first place away from Breakneck and promised to come back in 2008 to give the south Jersey team competition in the team grand prix, which Breakneck won. A grand duel was in the making. Did it happen? Nope. Neither team has shown up for any of the three championships raced so far. Instead, a fired up Raritan Valley open men’s team has won two out of the three and placed second in the other. The formerly dominate Fleet Feet racing team came and conquered at the Freehold ten mile race back in March, but did not show in Clinton last week for the 15K. They weren’t at the 20K in Newark in March either. |
Meanwhile, the Sneaker Factory men’s team seems to have taken the challenge and are chasing the Raritan Valley team. They have two seconds and one third so far. In 2007 Sneaker Factory finished the season in fourth in the grand prix. This year looks like a whole new ball game.
Open women have raced in four of the nine championships so far this season and there are surprises in this division as well. The Running Company had looked to be contenders. They won both of the races they entered, the Newark 20K and the Run for Rachel 5K, but they did not show for the Freehold race, nor for the Clinton 15K. That puts them at a tremendous disadvantage despite their talent pool. Each team counts only their best eight out of nine races in the grand prix series. It’s hard to make points when you have only a goose egg for one of your eight.
Raritan Valley’s women were at the races that count and so were the Morris County Strider’s women. Counting each teams best three races out of four run so far, Raritan Valley has 24 points to the Strider’s 22. The Running Company is in third with Road Runners Sports from Bergen County in fourth, also with only two races.
NEWPORT 10,000 NEXT SATURDAY IN JERSEY CITY
All of the men’s and women’s team need to be at the Newport 10,000 in Jersey City next Saturday, May 10th if they are to stay in contention. This is a difficult race to evaluate. Organizers want to be all things to all runners which is a difficult task to accomplish.
Nineteen thousand dollars in prize money is being offered. A good portion of it is for elite professional runners from outside the state. Nine thousand, beginning at $2,000.00 for first down to $250.00 for fifth is designated for the elite men and women. Then, American elite have a purse that is three places deep beginning at $1,000.00. For the USATF-New Jersey runners in the championship division there is another $5,300.00, generously going seven places deep beginning at $1,000.00.
If he or she can do it, a USATF-NJ member could win the Elite division, the American Elite and the New Jersey member money. It won’t happen that way of course. New Jersey currently does not have any runners who can run with the likes of the Phillip Koech who trains in West Chester PA, one of the cadre of Kenyan runners in the U.S who finished the 2007 race in 30:10, or Alene Reta who was second in 30:12. Oh, and by the way, due to a course marshal error, the entire field ran 6.56 miles not 6.2.
On the women’s side, what a thrill to line up with Catherine Ndereba, yes “Catherine the Great” from Kenya, who placed second in 34:34 to Silvia Skvortsova who won the women’s race in 34:13.
It may be a thrill to line up with these headliners, but our amateur racers know that they cannot compete with the pros and they often will stay away. Those who do enter can win some good money and the clubs can better their points in the team grand prix, and the top three teams will win money for the club also.
This is a well managed event directed by Mark Zenobia of On Your Mark Productions, with a high point value of 700 in the New Balance Grand Prix. Information is at www.OYMP.net or www.newport10k.com.
Originally published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey on Sunday, May 4, 2008
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2008
