DEDHAM -- The USATF Masters 10 Km Championships were held on Sunday, April 27th in Dedham, MA. The James Joyce Ramble, in its 40th running, hosted the Championships for the 11th time. The weather was great for running, with temperatures in the low 50’s. Athletes love the course that winds through this small, picturesque town outside of Boston.
Record Watch
Will Jan Holmquist, now 80, break another American Record? In 2015, she set the American 10 km record for women 70-74. In 2023 she set the record for 75-79 and then broke her own record last year. Nora Cary could better her own recent times, the fastest of which, once ratified, becomes the American 70-74 record for 10 km. Her time on this course last year, at age 69, was 45 seconds faster than her new 70-74 record.
Overall
Jessica Smith returns to the site of her 2022 overall win. Smith is primed for a good race; she claimed the 10K Masters win at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Marathon in February. Karen Bertasso Hughes finished just off the podium in the 10 km at the WMA Championships in Gainesville, Florida. Hughes’s time in Florida was two seconds faster than that of Smith in California. Jennifer Lutz took top Masters honors at the Boston Tune Up 15K; Lutz aims to move up from her third place finish last year.
Mario Vazquez, dubbed ‘Super Mario’ after his dominant win two years ago, returns to try for a second 10 km gold medal. Vazquez also took top honors at the USATF Masters 12 km Championships last September. Justin Freeman and Dan Smith will try to find the magic that eluded them over 15 kilometers last month. Vazquez took top Masters honors at the Frank Nealon Boston Tune Up with Smith and Freeman following, well back. David Angell, who just won the World Masters Athletics (WMA) 45-49 gold medal will try to break them up.
Age Division
There are terrific age division matchups as well. Mark Andrews edged Richard Falcone for the 50-54 championships last year by just three seconds, in 34:08. Shawn Powers ran 34:10 at the New England 10K Championships at Lone Gull last summer. The last time they held this championship and Nat Larson did not win his age division was 2019. He will be challenged in the 60-64 division this year by John Van Danacker who finished second to Larson two years ago, and Rick Lee, third here last year, fresh off the Boston Marathon and a Thursday night 400 leg at the Penn Relays. Colorado’s Roger Sayre and Georgia’s Ken Youngers will renew their rivalry in 65-69 with added competition from local runner, Paul McGovern. In what has become one of the most hotly contested divisions, 70-74, the first nine finishers last year were separated by less than a minute. Jim Linn and Jack Pottle seem most likely to lead the pack this year, but it will be another tight contest.
In women’s 50-54, Hortencia Aliaga looks to add another gold medal to her growing collection, while Jennifer Rodriguez and Abby Dean lock horns again and try to overtake her. Rodriguez took gold to Dean’s silver medal at the WMA’s last month. With just twelve seconds between them, it could go either way. Suzanne La Burt looks to extend her mastery of the 60-64 division. Last year La Burt took wins at the 5K, 10K, 12K and 10 Mile Road Championships. Mary Cass finished second to La Burt at the first three listed. Joyce Hodges-Hite goes for her fourth consecutive Masters Grand Prix win in the 85-89 division.
Age-Grading
The age grading score identifies the best performance adjusted for age. Larson, Sayre, Youngers and Vazquez are favored among the men, with Andrews, Falcone, Linn and Van Danacker possibly breaking into the top three. Last year Holmquist and Cary went one-two and there is no reason to expect a different outcome this time. Others with a podium shot include Cass and La Burt, Dean and Rodriguez and Smith.
Teams
Team contests in every ten-year age division from 40+ through 70+ will be tightly contested. The top contenders from last year are back along with new teams from the Manchester Running Company (CT) and the Twin Cities Running Club (MN).
Submitted by Paul Carlin