By Rick Platt
While awaiting the 33rd annual Sentara Colonial Half Marathon at William and Mary on Sunday, Feb. 26th, and the 11th annual Jamestown High School Swamp Run 5K on Saturday, March 10th (the opening race for the 2012 Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix), area runners have kept busy with four Peninsula Track Club races this past month.
The most recent was Saturday’s eighth annual Grafton Cold F-F-Feet 5K, a cross country road race held on the trails around Grafton High School, and the first PTC Grand Prix race of 2012. There were 186 finishers, up from 122 in 2011, for the race organized by the Grafton High School Boosters. Victor Fleming, 32, of Smithfield won by a half minute in 17:07, followed by Nate Wallace, 29, of Yorktown (17:38) and the 2011 CRR men’s Grand Prix champion, Todd Kessler, 29, of Newport News (17:44). Nicholas Dunham, 17, of Smithfield (17:56) was also under the 18-minute barrier.
For the women, 2011 CRR women’s Grand Prix champion Karen Terry, 23, of Newport News won easily in 18:42, followed by Connie Glueck, 47, of Williamsburg (20:33), 14-year-old Justina Rowe of Yorktown (21:29) and 2011 PTC Grand Prix champion Susan Hagel, 38, of Norfolk (22:08). Kessler and Terry coach the cross country and track teams at Smithfield High, with Dunham one of their top distance runners.
Under miserable weather conditions (a steady rain, heavy at times, that created some flooded conditions on the course around Menchville High School), 140 runners entered, but only 96 completed the inaugural Menchville Winter Chill 5K, benefiting the Menchville Choral groups. The top five men were Christopher Reoyo, 28 (19:23), Marshall Padilla, 17 (19:48), Ryan Smith, 18 (19:50), John Scott, 48 (19:52) and Mike Stohler, 32 (19:56), all from Newport News. The most impressive performances of the day, though, came from the top three overall women—Mercedes Castillo-D’Amico, 54, of Newport News (20:27), Connie Glueck (20:48) and Susan Hagel (21:46).
Under much better weather conditions (sunny, but cold, with temperatures in the 30’s) a week earlier, there were 103 finishers at another inaugural PTC race, the I AM 10K held at Newport News Park, sponsored and organized by I AM Fitness, with proceeds benefiting the Menchville House and Military Ministry. The 6.2-mile course followed the roads and trails of the park, including the Swamp Bridge Trail and the Bikeway, before returning over the scenic reservoir bridge. The top three, all from Newport News, were Tim Scott, 27 (37:59), Lee Lockwood, 29 (39:40) and Paul Chekal, 40 (39:49). For the women, the top four overall were Christine, Schaffner, 48, of Yorktown (50:14), ultramarathon standout Cheryl Lager, 46, of Newport News (52:03), Rachel Swift, 32, of Hampton (52:17) and Carol Bartram, 48, of Yorktown (52:24).
The opening race of 2012 was the Sentara New Year’s Day 5K, held on the totally flat roads around Coliseum Central in Hampton. Organized by the Sentara Careplex Fitness Center, the race benefited the American Cancer Society in memory of Denise Suits, a former Sentara Fitness Center employee and PTC member. Under perfect conditions (temperatures in the 50s and sunny), there were 295 entrants and 263 finishers. Grafton High’s Dylan Sydnor, 16, of Yorktown won easily in 17:05, followed by Todd Kessler (17:39), Robert Lindermann, 24, of Yorktown (17:40), Thomas Gounley, 21, of Newport News (18:00) and Douglas Marshall, 37, of Mathews (18:09). For the women, Karen Terry won in 18:45, followed by Peninsula Catholic’s Jessica Armstrong, 16, of Newport News (21:38) and Kim Ratcliffe, 44, of Yorktown (22:25). The most impressive race of the day, though, came from 70-year-old Joan Coven of West Point, whose time of 24:59 was seventh overall for the women, but also faster than her Virginia state women’s 70-74 record times of 25:17 from both the Governor’s Land 5K and the Sentara Sleighbell 5K. However, since the New Year’s Day 5K course was not officially certified to USATF standards, it will not count as a state record.
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