A thousand miles, voice, and 1/10th of a second
2022 Waltham Track Club XC Nationals Trip Summary
“Sure, running fast, setting PRs and winning is nice- but the best part by far are the friendships made, experiences shared ” - Kara Goucher, mother of 11-12 Boys Competitor, Colten Goucher
“Displacement is HUGE in big races” - Joe Tranchita
“Every spot counts” - Countless XC coaches
“Did we fly thousands of miles for 0.1 second?” - Anonymous but numerous
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At nationals, I learn things every year. This year’s large group served up a lot of learning. You learn from your own race and also your teammates.
Over the last 2 years, the 13-14 group has left a lot of lessons for us. The 13-14 girls race broke in a wonderful fashion on the back of execution, pack running, and love.
For the athletes, there is optional homework at the bottom of this summary to help capture their own learning.
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2 Years
For some, this trip started 27 months ago when they decided to show up to practice wearing masks, setting up at socially-distanced workout stations, and competing with masks. This choice allowed the largest number of athletes to train in 2020. It was onto Leary Field XC invites, then NH one week and travel ban the next. There are even a few who were part of Joe’s Zoom workouts and scavenger hunts in the spring of 2020. They wanted to be together and they made the decisions to make that possible. .
2 Days of making the right decision to get to the start line
Their bonds made the various hiccups worth enduring. 6 hours in Dulles to breakup a 15 hour flight. Getting waivers. Skipping the team dinner to keep from making your teammates sick. Throwing up before th race go get the nerves out. Rescheduling flights so you can fight off a cold. Parents waiting in inert merchandise lines for hours so the athletes could get out of the sun. Water, Ice, box lunch, and dinner supply lines. Van Planning, Van Decorating, Van Rerouting, Van Returning.
Race Day
Now onto to race day. Versus Saturday, we had the blessing of clouds for many but not all of the races.
The aforementioned van caravan responded to the parking situation and the athletes arrived in plenty of time. There was even time to go back to get a forgotten bib.
11-12
11-12 Girls were the first to toe the starting line for WTC. They did a good job warming up as a team before the clerking, checking in together, and looking out for one another once out there. While different course and weather, all of the girls ran faster at Dale Watts than at Regionals. Two collections of strong friendships started to meld over this weekend.
As expected, the race got out fast and it was incredibly dense . Janie hit the first split on a 5:01 mile pace, 5 seconds behind the 10th runner yet in 35th place. Daria was 3.5 second behind in 53rd. Clare, Vivi, Giulia, and Maggie were within 2 second of each other but separated by 20 places. While the density might be deceptive, they did get out. This is really the only time these girls were separated by this much distance all weekend.
At the 2K split Janie and Daria were holding their position after the start. Giulia continued her persistent 2nd half and had worked up 30 spots. She would continue to close over the last 700m taking 30 more. Vivi, Claire, and Maggie settled in. Now it was a matter of the seeing how the heat, the start, and the competition would impact their final positions. Janie and Daria had put themselves in the race they wanted coming into the last 700m. As everyone found out, there is a lot of competition at Nationals over that closing stretch.
11-12 GIRLS
Daria Lamakina 36th 11:18
Janie Conrad 44th 11:26
Giulia Bussone 103 11:58
Viv Dupere 174 12:34
Maggie Mantell 203 12:45
Clara Kennedy 225 12:59
12th place with 283 points
Coach Learning: Everyone has a pacing strategy that is optimal. We need to find more opportunities to experiment. I also need to emphasize the goal of the warm-up: To prepare the mind and body for what is about to go down. ( “Am I ready” ) The long wait at the start line at Nationals is a departure from most other races. That can allow one to sit around and drift from "ready" There is a lot of autonomy on that start line.
11-12 Boys
Both groups of boys were literally ready to rumble during the course walk the day before.
Talking about giving yourself a chance, Travis made many small decisions just to get to the line. Frido was out so fast, I thought Lincoln was throwing him a pass. (He was wide open)
Boys too got out and found out. As the sun started to break out, those who held the start a bit long had to pay something back. You learn more going too fast than too slow.
Noah went out to the first split (0.7km) on a 4:35 pace in 19th one spot behind Jude Ritzenhein (son of Dathan Ritzenhein NCAA XC Champ, 2012 Olympian). The next wave of boys also experienced the density of these races. Only 11 seconds separated Frido, Will, Travis, Rohan and Sam yet there were 134 runners in that 11 seconds! Lincoln was aggressive only 12 seconds further back and there were another 100 athletes in that 12 seconds.
At the 2K split, Noah is in the same spot still on the heels of Ritzenhein. Will has moved up a bit while Frido is paying back his start but hanging tough. Then to my surprise, there is Travis coming on and fully engaged as the race enters the final hill. Rohan’s around 200th and engaged despite the pain. He is able to run down 15+ runners over the final stretch. Sam and Lincoln are feeling the heat but got engaged on the final hill to hold onto their spot over the final 700m. This doesn’t get easier you just get better at battling.
Back over to Noah. He takes the final hill strongly and then commits to the "10-seconds-at-a-time" mantra. In a very fast part of the race, Noah is able to track down 8 runners, to move up from 19 to 11 and solidify his All-American status.
11-12 BOYS
11 Noah Geiger 11th 10:00.7 ALL AMERICAN
98 Will Olmsted 98 11:04
131 Frido Miechsner 130 11:14.1
167 Travis Bebinger 11:31
182 Rohan BANERJI 11:33.9
238 Samuel BRESLAU 11:57.4
348 Lincoln BURES 13:10.8
12th place with 328 ponts
Coach Learning: Their pre-race football game could be an effective strategy for pre-race mind energy management. Idle time tends to chew up brain energy. Some read a book, others draw picture but everyone needs a plan to save their mental energy for the race ( Though, we do need to stay out of concussion protocols :)
13-14
This group is dedicated to writing a better story every year. Last year I told a story about a prior team’s mishaps at Nationals to which they said: ‘Hold my mud.’ A lot to learn from this group.
Boys
On the boys side, this age group sees a wide range of physical maturity with some also benefitting from high school 5K training. They are all going to grown but competitive learning accumulates regardless.
At the gun, Rule from CC XC gets out hard. People in the crowd are asking if he is pacer. Patrick is strongly in the chase pack. Patrick finds himself in 4th at the first checkpoint (1.7 km) with an opening 5:04 mile and things have closed up on Rule but a surge is coming. Caleb and Trevor are closely bunched around 55th place with opening 5:27 miles. Ryan is further back than he wanted to be but mustering his enthusiasm looking for a second wind. Mathew is 322nd looking to move up in the second half.
Horton from Kokopelli lays down a surge and breaks up the chase pack. He runs the next split in about 4:50 mile pace. Patrick stays on his 5:03 pace while Rule and Krieg try to go with Horton and are now a 2 man group. Thankfully, Patrick has a pack of competitors all around him. Caleb and Trevor have largely held their position with 900m and the hill to go. Ryan has moved up a bit with seemingly every bit of heat and sun having found its way to his face. He is speechless but no one is working harder. Matthew has moved up 22 spots to 300.
At the final hill, they all engage with the part of the race they are in. With the pack pushing him, Patrick attacks the hill. I can see that Rule is paying back his furious start. Does Patrick sense this? He is still 9 seconds behind in 4th Patrick simply executes up and over the hill and begins to separate from his group and is closing on Rule. Patrick takes 7.5 second off of Rule’s lead to secure 4th. Caleb also gets up and over and catches 15 runners. Trevor catches the luck of being in a group that executes the hill well and they carry themselves to the finish maintaining their spots. Cheered on by his Day Middle School teammates on the hill, Ryan muscles up the hill and reels in 13 spots. Matthew, now in cruise mode, passes 36 runners.
Boys 13-14 were 8th just 6 points in front of 9th. Every bit of staying committed mattered from 1 thru 5. The 4th and 5th runners were critical. In their part of the race ,5 seconds would lose or gain you 10+ points. Hard to think of your teammates through the struggle but that is a way through.
4th Patrick Noonan 13:07 - ALL AMERICAN
35 Caleb Fors 13:56
83 Trevor Stevens 14:24
216 Ryan Coistello 15:19.2
264 Matthew Fitzgibbon 15:43
412 Finishers
Coach Learning:
Get out so you are in your part of the race and don’t panic if someone makes a crazy move early. Know your plan and assess what is going on. Sometimes you do have deviate but choosing your response vs reacting is important. (See Patrick with Rule’s start)
Have teammates on the course supporting you in the toughest moments matters
We should learn from Rule too. For him, that blistering start earned him 3rd. If he had hung back with the main pack, would the result have been the same? Each athlete needs hone in on the right strategy. Regardless, he spent what he had.
13-14 Girls
48 hours+ later, I think they may have set this race up in an attempt to make sure they were in a future pre-race story. This competition literally went on for over 2 hours.
This race exemplified many critical competitive XC elements: pack running, getting out, running 10m passed the finish, give the effort you have on a given day, importance of displacement, tangents, and executing in the critical zone. Did we mention tiebreakers?
Underpinning it all was their connectedness that supported them on race day. This developed during many stretching circles, runs, and ribbon making sessions, It’s the between moments that paid back on Saturday.
In the clerking area they appeared calm if a bit thirsty. They just beckoned the coach to get some water and ice. Meanwhile they kept active before the storm of the start. Experience helps.
At the gun, they got out. As we thought might happen, the left side quickly collapsed. At around 600m mark, Sasha, Ellie, Adelle, Zaria, and Izzy were together somewhere in the 30-40 places with Pearl and Maggie right behind in 55-70 range. At the first checkpoint (1.7K) , 3 packs had formed that would carry them over the second half. Ellie, Sasha, and Adelle were right together in 31,32,33 place; Izzy and Zaria 65 and 66, Maggie and Pearl 134,135. They might really like to race together!
At 1.7K, WTC was tied with Kokopelli for 3rd. Now the race was on.
With 900m to go, our lead pack was starting to move and were now 25,27, and 29th going into the critical zone of the race. Zaria moved up to 49th and Izzy, feeling the effects of her cold, was holding her position in 72nd. Critically, Maggie and Pearl were 129,131.
The team had edged into a small 2nd place lead. Time to make the competition run their best to beat you. Watching the replay, Kokopelli, Waltham, Gulf United, and Salish really made the last 700m worth the price of admission. Chasing team points and personal goals, they girls kept their eyes on the ponytails. “Every place counts” “There are 10s of point” right in front of you. “10 seconds at a time”
Working to judge the 700m finish, positions were being exchanged all the way down the stretch. Kokopelli Kids and Gulf United were pouring over the finish line: 5th,17, and 20th. Gulf United 4th and 19th. Adelle is first across for WTC in 26th, one painful spot from All-American. Would the WTC team get one of the podium spots? Sasha and Ellie were next over the line in 31st and 32nd. Zaria takes down 7 competitors over the last 800m to finish 42nd right between Gulf United 3rd’s and 4th. Kokopelli’s 4th runner comes in 62nd.
With 4 runners in ,the team score is Wolfpack 44, Gulf 68, Kokopelli 70, WTC 85. (Remember unattached runners don’t count in the team score) It was coming down to the 5th runners.
Jameson from Wolfpack is next to finish in Team 38th, giving them 82. We will not catch the Wolfpack. With her tank on empty, Izzy was next over the line in 82nd (Team 49) so now we stood at 134. Would it hold up? Castillo from Gulf was next over the line 91st/Team 52 giving them 120 points and 2nd place.
Now there is only one spot left on the podium. If Kokpelli’s 5th runner can finish team 63rd or better, they would take the last spot.
Where is Kokopelli’s 5th runner? She is locked a race with Maggie and Pearl our 6th and 7th runners. As this point, they are vying for team place 63-64-65. With 50m to go, Curtis from Kokopelli is ahead of Pearl and Maggie for 63rd. Then Maggie and Pearl reach down for another gear. They both continue their drive. Maggie finds the power and edges even; Pearl is calling on every muscle. (The first white shirt in the video is Curtis from Kokopelli, Thanks Cedar).
Who would run 10m past the finish? Pearl is so focused on the competitors in front of her she literally trips over the finish line. Maggie, just ahead runs the 5m+ past the finish to edge out Curtis by 0.1 seconds to take team 63rd to Kokopelli 64th. Curtis ran through but Maggie ran through a bit more aggressively. It’s now WTC 134 - Kokopelli 134 for 3rd place. Our 6th place runner, aided by our 7th runner, has displaced Kokopelli’s 5th runner to force the tie. Every runner made this score happen.
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Yes, we came all of this way for 0.1 seconds!
In the year of the tiebreaker, we end in a tie. In USATF XC competitions, the 5th runner breaks the tie. In this case, Izzy finished before their 5th runner. (High school and NCAA use different tiebreakers) This would appear to give us the last place on the podium but there remained a pesky asterisk on the results. Apparently not settled yet.
Even after a protest clears up the finish order, we’re still not done. The girls go to get medals and are told only 1st and 2nd are getting medals?. I starting calling USATF people to double check but the girls are a bit disappointed. They rally to go see Patrick get his medal and hat. Alas, they are giving medals out to the 3rd place 13-14 boys team. The girls really carried the day and engaged the official:
I get multiple calls and text and hustle over to the awards pavilion. Did they get the tiebreaker mixed up? I end up in a 3-way conversation with the awards manager and the meet referee who is also on the national USATF board. It appeared that Kokopelli were given the 3rd place medals. Kokopelli, seeing the asterisk, showed up for the medals. The awards manager, who knows the rules, was trying to get clarity from the referee when Kokopelli showed up. After the referee didn’t respond, she tried to figure out the asterisk and found a way to explain Kokopelli being awarded 3rd place and she moved on. The 3-way conversation resolved in agreement, WTC was third place.
Ladies, come get your medals.
TEAM 3rd
26th Adele Dupere 15:20
31 Sasha Lamakina 15:29.7
32 Ellie Allan 15:30.6
42 Zaria 15:39.5
82 Izzie 16:11.8
108 Maggie Abely 16:24.6
110 Pearl Neafsey 16:24.7
333 Finishers
Salute to Kokopelli coached by 1985 Boston Marathon Champ, Lisa Rainsberger. They appeared to execute very well and were definitely coached to run well past the finish line.
Learning: Have a voice and stick your nose in it. If not for advocating for themselves, they would not have gotten their medals despite earning them on the course. If they don’t speak up for water and ice at the start, maybe they give up one precious spot. Let's also note showing up for your teammate's recognition means a lot to your teammates. Once in a while you find the proverbial Easter egg for yourself.
Gratitude for the Locals
Then let’s appreciate the event and the course we got to compete on. Our athletes won’t often run on a better course not to mention the spectator’s view of a race. There is a lot of love starting with the gifts that built the course, the A&M staff that supported the bid and set up the course, the local USATF association who organized the bid, andthe army of volunteers including the officials who made the event go. Quite fitting to have the home of the ‘12th man’ hosting a XC championship. While we have our own awards story, that there was even an awards ceremony is due to the lobbying of a few including our local USATF New England youth chair, Peter Crapsey (of NE Elite). They did all of that for 0.1 seconds
Congratulation to our Competitors
New England Elite 15-18 Girls and Sentinel Striders 15-18 Boys won the National Championship in their respective divisions. New England Elite’s win also came via Tiebreaker. Competition motives and sharpens us.
Photo Share: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EvNx9Y7UXmg1SJ8N7
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