After turning 40 in October and forgoing my 40th birthday party I traveled to New Jersey with the ATC team for the USA 5k XC Masters Championships on the day of my birthday . Running my first competitive masters race . I battled a hard fought 2nd place with my teammate Kristian Blaich with another teammate Chad Newton winning the title . Other teammates finishing strong in 5th was Eric Stabb and Steve Wilcox in 16th . We easily won the team title and a great picture on USATF website . With our minds set on Bend where the big boys show up , we knew it was going to be tough . Word has it that a mountain trail runner Max King was designing the course . From what I read he didn't want it to be a grass track race and bring it back to its roots . With high altitude , cold , and hay bails , hills and lord knows what else . I knew we were going to have to bleed alittle to win that 3rd straight title .
With weeks of training and a few injuries that left me from training as much as I wanted to December rolled around quickly . I posted a 15:50 XC 5k a few weeks earlier that left me confident for club XC . Arriving in Bend on a Thursday we had enough time to settle in check the town out and do some relaxing . A few of my teammates drove over to the course that Friday morning to preview the course . We ran three laps of the 2k loop and man you could feel the altitude plus this wasn't going to be an easy course to race on . Some sections of the course was so dangerous that the Nike Oregon Project decided to withdraw from the race . Said it was to risky . This was going to be a technical type race and had to run it smart . Nowhere to really open up your stride . Later that night a group of us were discussing what our strategy was going to be and knew that the Bowerman Athletic Club was going to be tough to beat especially in their own backyard . This side of the country is where all the elites come to train and live . Running heaven for many . I nearly had to leave the conversation due to my nerves and thinking about it . I couldn't seem to get my mind off it . My biggest fear was disappointing the team . They had high expectations of me this race . I decided my tactic was to stay behind Kristian cause he has more experience in these races and we have same fitness level . I didn't want to go out in lead like I did in Jersey . I wanted to conserve for a strong final lap .
I take off to bed early that night but I found myself not able to sleep . I ended up watching a movie on laptop for a few hours but still couldn't fall asleep afterwards . My heart rate was up a little higher than normal and couldn't stop thinking about how the race was going to play out . I think I ended up sleeping close to three hours . Upset when morning came around but feeling ok .
My teammates were Malcolm Campbell ( two time winner of this event ) , Chad Newton ( winner of several master championships ) , Kristian Blaich ( age grade winner at 47 ) , Valentin Alvarez ( traveled by car from Atlanta ) , Eric Stabb ( placed high on all Club XC races that contributed to winning title 3 out of last 4 years ) Matthew Whitis ( strong masters runner that's been here to contribute as well ) followed up with Steve Wilcox .
Getting up that morning we ate breakfast and headed over to get set up and eyeball our competition . The wind was blowing pretty steady through the course with the temps starting out that morning in the high 20s . We watched to Women's Masters race . And from the start the ATC had three runners leading the first lap . They were declared the winning team before their third place runner finished . The Women's masters team won their first Club title and put pressure on us men like there wasn't any more room . Warming up through the cold snow and some icy roadway , you cant help but notice the nice view .The one in the background of white snow covered mountains and the lovely looking female runners . Neck breaking and breathe taking type views . We made our way over to the start line . Debating on whether to wear gloves and beanie I decided to go with both . Andy Carr said we can just throw them aside at him if we want to take them off . I was told about all the competition I was lining up beside this morning . Master record holders , All-Americans , Olympians , etc. This field had it all . The Masters Men team had set a meet record with the most teams . Biggest field in the 16 years it started . I lined up beside Kristian and behind Chad and Malcolm . Valentin,Eric behind us with the rest of the team . Gazing up the half snow covered hill that we have to start up before we turn right onto the all terrain course , we try to play out which route to take at the start. As we lean to the start the gun suddenly fires. Running up the hill trying not to spend so much energy and adrenaline mastering the climb . I hold off and ease into a good spot not too far behind Kristian . I see Malcolm and Chad with the lead pack as soon as we turn right . Already laboring the first 1/2 mile into the stampede of the old bastards 6.2 mile true torture trail .I was wondering if I'm gonna hold this pace . Not finishing the first lap yet . Alvarez right there with me . Back and forth we two go .I'm wondering what my first mile pace is . There was no mile markers or clocks to let us know but that doesn't really matter in this type race . Just positioning . Coming up the long stretch of the course that you can see where your competition is for a few minutes there is Andy Carr on side yelling at the top of his lungs letting each one of us know where the Bowerman Team is .I think there was 4 ahead of me and Kristian was only about 5 seconds ahead coming up the treacherous small hill that will leave you to the feeling of walking . Only a 3 second climb that will leave the quads burning and crying . You can merely reach out and touch the hill. Coming to the second lap back through some dangerous turns where there have been carnage on throughout the meet . One teammate Matthew Whittis feels like he cracked a rib from wiping out hard . Footing is also important . Just holding my pace and keeping sight of Kristian . Valentin still on my heels . Throughout the laps I've had some runners pull up beside me and do a surge but they fall back . Andy continues to yell at us and letting us know what our position is . I notice two Bowerman guys in black ahead of us by a hand full of seconds on the fourth lap . Last lap coming up and I knew I had to work a little harder to get these two guys . I overtake one with about half lap to go and I.m pulling up on Kristian when we come down to the wipeout zone where there has been several guys losing their footing . Kristian still ahead of me and one other Bowerman guy right there with two yellow jerseys of Boston Athletic Association . I knew with about a 600 meters to go I would have to put on one heck of a kick down the hill to get Bowerman and possible catch my teammate . I think Kristian has about 5-8 seconds ahead of me . I wanted to wait till we made our final right turn down the hill we came up at the start . Once we did I took a deep breathe , said to myself Feet don't Fail me now , reached over and did a little right handed shift like I was shifting gears and took off down the hill . I passed one Bowerman teammate then one yellow jersey of BAA then the next . I can see Nancy Meck of ATC woman's masters team jumping up and down from the corner of my eye . I know I passed around four during last 200 meters . I kneeled over dry heaving .Valentin finishes about thirty seconds behind for our fifth guy followed by Eric Stabb. Finally this race is over . Pure torture . Chad finishes up with a strong finish of 5th place , Malcolm 7th, Kristian 17th just two seconds ahead of me while I got 19th , Valentin 32nd and Eric 34th . All we have to do is wait for final results to come out and see if we beat Bowerman for third club title . Over the past hour we watched the Open men's team and I ran down to that one bad spot . They came and came quickly through there like a wild herd of buffalo . The famous Alan Webb came by in second . I saw several guys lose footing and fall . The eventual winner of Opens men's race was Joe Gray , a great trail runner .Won quite a few championships. He came down to Georgia a couple years back and ran a trail championship race . I always wondered why he came to Georgia from Seattle to run a small payout race . From what I heard he ran a smart race . First lap he was around 40th place and moved his way up the field letting the track guys beat themselves up .
Finally they are starting to put up the results knowing in the back of our heads it was going to be close between us and Bowerman . Eric glimpsed at the results as she was shuffling them through her hands before she posted them on side of the van . WE WON!! as he hollered . By one point . Bowerman team showing their true sportsmanship by congratulating us . There was some mix up with our names on results as I was running with Kristian's number and couple other of us the same but it didn't cause any mix up with placement but gave us a scare . We protested it and got it corrected later on . Results still stood and we are winners once again but first national championship for me with this team . We pushed hard to the end and it counted . Every runner we passed counted . One point . Can't get any better or closer than that . I'm sure Bowerman will try to man up and go after us again in Bethleham , Pa. This race wants me to focus more on next years race and train harder . Better my 19th position . I'm sure the course will be easier than this and maybe built for a track runners race . Today I still cant get this years race out of my head . I'm sure in a few more days the memories will fade out . Real happy to contribute to this team. But I'm ready for next year already . God Bless
I'm not much of a writer and hope you can enjoy this blog as the way I wrote it out . This is as far as my high school education took me .
Finally they are starting to put up the results knowing in the back of our heads it was going to be close between us and Bowerman . Eric glimpsed at the results as she was shuffling them through her hands before she posted them on side of the van . WE WON!! as he hollered . By one point . Bowerman team showing their true sportsmanship by congratulating us . There was some mix up with our names on results as I was running with Kristian's number and couple other of us the same but it didn't cause any mix up with placement but gave us a scare . We protested it and got it corrected later on . Results still stood and we are winners once again but first national championship for me with this team . We pushed hard to the end and it counted . Every runner we passed counted . One point . Can't get any better or closer than that . I'm sure Bowerman will try to man up and go after us again in Bethleham , Pa. This race wants me to focus more on next years race and train harder . Better my 19th position . I'm sure the course will be easier than this and maybe built for a track runners race . Today I still cant get this years race out of my head . I'm sure in a few more days the memories will fade out . Real happy to contribute to this team. But I'm ready for next year already . God Bless
I'm not much of a writer and hope you can enjoy this blog as the way I wrote it out . This is as far as my high school education took me .
