Running Through the Past

Way back in late 2007, CRR fielded masters' teams in the USATF Cross Country championships. They got special CRR orange team uniforms and thus was born The Running Pumpkins. The men fielded two teams - 40 to 49 and 50 to 59. The results are at http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USATFClubXCChampionships/results/MM.asp. The women fielded a 40 to 49 team and you can see how they did at http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USATFClubXCChampionships/results/MW.asp. Cheryl Lager documented the trip. You can check out her pictures at http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?sid=0BYtnLhyyaMXKw&startIndex=0&fid=17446262d0976557. CRR also fields teams at the USATF Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships. For 2009, see http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/Results/results.asp

Last year, Rick Samaha, Danny Schlickenmeyer, Jim Goggin and Steve Chantry ran 9:06.90 for the 4 x 800-meter relay at the USATF National Masters Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston and smashed the previous U.S. club record of 9:20.1 for men 50-and-over by the Shore Athletic Club (NJ) in 1999. You can read about it at http://spikedshoesociety.blogspot.com/2008/04/jim-goggin-helps-set-american-record-if.html. The quartet defended their title this year. Rick Platt described it - "The team’s focus this year switched more to the individual events, but they did want to defend their title in the 3,200-meter relay, and they succeeded Saturday afternoon with a time of 9:31.0, with splits by Samaha (2:23.5), Schlickenmeyer (2:19.5), Goggin (2:25.5) and Chantry (2:23.5), easily winning the men’s 50-59 division by over 10 seconds over their friendly rivals from New York, the Genesee Valley Harriers. That was the same team that the CRR beat last October for a national team title in Greensboro, NC at the National Masters 5K Cross Country Championships, but lost to by just one point, 27-28, at the National Masters 8K Winter Cross Country Championships in Derwood, MD in February."

If you are interested in running on a CRR team, contact Rick Platt. rickplatt1@juno.com.