When I arrived at 8:30 the sun hadn’t broken through yet; the air was crisp and most of the course was shaded. Athletes were warming up, ranging from super-serious competitors to people out for a morning jog. I came upon a small group of Central Park athletes warming up. The air was practically buzzing with their energy, and I thought to myself how ready to go Alma Lebrecht seemed. Once the women’s 15-29 age-group race started, Alma, Laura Wang, and Joy Romulus powered through the crowd. When I saw them at the three-quarter-mile mark, their faces were set in determination as they picked up their pace, covering the last quarter mile with fierce strength. Laura won the 20-24 age group, and Joy finished second.

Coach Devon’s instructions for the Fifth Avenue Mile are always “compete, compete, and compete!” This year CPTC was rife with top finishes and personal records. Les Page set a new road PR by seven seconds (4:25), looking his usual mix of competitive toughness and confidence, and finishing fourth in the 25-29 age group. Tim Freeman finished just ahead in second place in 4:24, and Carl Dambkowski was fifth in 4:26.

Mel Stafford ran 4:47, Michael Chary set a three-second PR in the 20-24 age group, running 4:51, and Doug Labar tied his PR of 5:18. In the 40-49 age-group race, Sue Pearsall’s performance was completely awe-inspiring. She dropped a six-second PR (5:50) and couldn’t have looked more comfortable doing it; her race is a testament to her stalwart commitment to coming back from injury.

Additional top finishes showed New York City yet again that CPTC is a team to watch out for. Bill Wells (4:35) finished second in the 20-24 age group, and in 30-34 Tom Dichiara (4:35) and Ulrich Fluhme (4:41) finished in third and fourth respectively. Maintaining his perpetual status on the top of the results, Anselm Lebourne won the 50-54 age group in 4:41. He is probably the envy of 2132 finishers, as he was also thirty-fourth overall in the men’s age-group races.
 
Christina Michael (5:25) finished third in the 25-29 age group. Yumi Ogata (5:37) was 2nd in the 45-50 age group, Hank Schiffman (5:39) was fourth in the 60-64 age group, and Sid Howard, 70, won his age group with a 5:57.

Racing is intense. The doubts you have about yourself as a runner, about your fitness, about your competitive spirit are never more present than the half hour before you step on the line. It’s such a cruel reality, and its also why it’s so special. You have those doubts and you do it anyway. You literally put yourself on the line and prove to you, your teammates, your coach, your competitors, that you are stronger than it is. The huge range of age-group placing, from  the 8-11 age group (go, Erika!) to the 60-64 age group (yay, Hank!) is a testament to the mental strength and tenacity that CPTC athletes demonstrate over and over again.   

In addition to the age-group races, the NYRR has an elite race, in which several Central Park Track Club athletes competed. In the men’s race, Dustin Emrani finished second by less than 2 seconds, running a PR of 4:03.4. Brian Gertzen (4:11.4) and Chris Spooner (4:13.4) finished in sixth and eighth respectively.

In the women’s NYRR Championship race, Kate Irvin finished fourth in 4:47, closely followed by Aileen Conlon in 4:50, who improved on her time from last year. Melissa Salerno ran a sweet, exciting PR of 4:54. Melissa’s tenacity was first in evidence when she ran two relays at our club championships about two weeks) after joining the team.

My young runners didn’t fare quite so well. While everyone finished (huge success and much excitement), two students of mine were beat by a teenager competing on crutches (true story). While we have a long way to go, the good news is that they recognize and appreciate the athletes they can become by watching CPTC compete. “Ms. Cushing, the orange team is good!” one young runner, Kimani, observed when I told them who we should cheer for. Indeed it is.

Getting the party started in the 5000 was Resie Caffrey. Resie threw some ‘bows to show she meant business in the crowded field, and found a spot in the middle of the pack. She settled in and was mistaken for a metronome as she hit each lap exactly on pace. She ran 18:32.15, a 40-second PR. You heard right–40 seconds!!!

Next up was Jodyann Raymond in the 55 meter dash. She dropped a 7.22 in the prelims and a 7.26 in the finals, good enough for 8th place overall. Jodyann also ran the 200 in a blistering 25.20. She exploded out of the blocks and stayed relaxed the whole way, earning her the #1 spot on the CPTC Best Times list.

In the mile, both Natalie Gingerich and Kate Cushing showed a lot of “heart” in their races. Natalie ran a PR of 4:47.97, dropping seconds from her DMR mile leg just last week and looking strong the whole way. She pulled away from the rest of the field with two other competitors at the 600 meter mark. It was a race of three for the next six laps, and Natalie made a decisive move for the lead with one to go. She turned it over the last lap, and finished second by just .34 seconds in a nail-biter of a race. In the second heat, Kate took the lead with two to go, and was just edged out at the finish. She ran an indoor PR of 4:56.84.

The 800s were up next and Caryn Gehrke and Joy Romulus represented the orange in the half mile. Despite battling a cold all week, Caryn toed the line in the first heat and went for it. She ran smoothly and strongly, as she’s known to do, and pulled out a 2:10.34 in the 800. In the third heat, Joy struggled for position in the beginning, and was forced to run in lane 2 for the first 400 meters. But she made a strong move at the halfway mark that placed her in third and the last lap was a free for all as the race clumped back up and everyone sprinted madly to the finish. Joy ran a very solid 2:16.77.

Kate Irvin and Aileen Conlon capped off the evening with stellar performances in the grueling and unforgiving 3000 meters. After coming through the mile mark of the 3000 in 4:56, tying her indoor mile PR, Aileen showed what competitive toughness means, and ran her second fastest time this season–9:36.71. Kate Irvin, in her first indoor race of the season, ran a superb 9:51.84.

On Saturday morning the women’s DMR team wrapped up an exciting meet and set the stage for the men’s meet with an 11:37.92, winning the race by eight seconds. Kate Cushing led off with a 3:35 in the 1200, handing off in second place. Then, as if Cupid himself had struck her, Joy Romulus took off in the 400 leg with a blistering 26 seconds for her first 200 meters. She rolled it home in a 31, for a solid 57 split. She handed off to Natalie Gingerich, who took control of the 800 and put a gap on the field. Nearing the finish it looked as if the handoff to Aileen Conlon might cause some trouble, but it turned out to be a seamless pass, and Natalie clocked a 2:10. Aileen took off in the mile, blazing through her first lap, and immediately stretched the lead over the second-place team. She continued to pull away over the course of the eight laps, and finished with a smoking-fast 4:53 split.

For more track and field fun, check out the Flo Track videos of the meet at
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/234643-2009-bu-valentine-invitational.