USATF Southern California

News

SCA Marathon Championships – Los Angeles Marathon

by

SCA Road Running Championships
Los Angeles Marathon
Sunday – March 21, 2010

Awards – Overall Open Winners
Cheryl Smith, Laguna Beach, 02:45:19 (F-29)
Mark Batres, Rowland Heights, 02:28:36 (M-25)

Awards – Overall Masters Winners
Lydia Salinas, Los Angeles, 03:15:23 (F-49)
James Maynard, Whittier, 02:41:06 (M-42)

Pictures

A sell-out crowd of nearly 25,000 runners readied themselves in the pre-dawn light at historic Dodger Stadium for the marathon of a lifetime: the 25th anniversary Honda Los Angeles Marathon, presented by K-Swiss. In just seven months, the team of Peter Abraham and Russ Pillar had re-imagined and re-worked the LA Marathon into the course runners had been dreaming about for decades. The new “Stadium to the Sea” route takes runners past favorite Los Angeles landmarks like Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the famous Sunset Strip and down Rodeo Drive, finishing in Santa Monica, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The redesigned course offers a net downhill grade, with runners dropping 3.11 meters for every kilometer run, just squeezing in under the limit of 3.25 meters for an Olympic trials qualifying course. However, from the beginning in Dodger Stadium, it was clear that the 2010 LA Marathon was going to offer runners some difficult terrain before they could breath the cool ocean breezes at the Santa Monica Pier.

2010 USA Track & Field Southern California Association Marathon Champion, Mark Batres (M25 2:28:36) remarked, “It was just a really challenging course…after the third mile, the next hill was really challenging. After that I recovered, I had a couple of 5, 10 miles, and I started feeling better.” Batres continued, “ I knew the last three miles were going to be really fast, so I told myself as long as I am in a good position at mile 23, all I have to do is hang on.” And hang on Batres did, outpacing fellow USATF runners Mike Davies (M33 02:35:30) and Brian Livingston (M32 2:37:16) to win the Championship title. The 2010 Men’s Master Marathon Champion is James Maynard (M42) comfortably running a sub 3:00 marathon with a finishing time of 2:41:06.

In the women’s division, Cheryl Smith (F29) can claim back-to-back Championship titles, winning the 2009 Marathon Championship at the OC Marathon, and now the 2010 Marathon Championship at LA. Impressively, Smith’s 2:45:19 finish at Los Angeles was around 22 minutes faster than her 3:07:04 finish at the OC Marathon. Like Batres, Smith described the redesigned marathon course as “Challenging at parts, but that is just how a marathon goes.” Smith credited her renewed strength and speed as a marathon runner to consistency in her training regimen. Smith’s next big event is the New York Marathon in November, but her 2:45:19 also qualifies Smith to compete in the 2012 Olympic trials as well. Following Smith to the finish line was Erika Aklufi (F33 2:54:30), and Lydia Salinas (F49 3:15:23) who also claims the title of 2010 Masters Women’s Marathon Champion.

Perhaps the most surprising finisher of the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon was Constantine Yap. The 10-year old phenon finished in 3:03:40, running barely over a 7:00 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. This put Yap in the top 10 USA Track & Field finishers for the LA Marathon. Yap trains as a runner with the Equalizers Track Club, coached by Jerry Palazzo, but Yap is also coached by Chuck Hurley as a race walker, and has a number one National Elite Youth ranking in Bantam Boy’s 1500-meter race walk!

With six weeks of rest for weary legs, members of USA Track & Field, Southern California Association can relive the glory of finishing at the Santa Monica Pier, without the tribulations of running 26.2 miles to get there! The next Association championship race is the Santa Monica Classic 5000, on Sunday May 16. This race starts on the beach, on Barnard Way, and finishes near the Santa Monica Pier. This, fast, popular local race is a great way to get some speed back after long marathon training runs!

Videos
http://www.youtube.com/v/WRh-514sUAk&hl=en_US&fs=1& – Race Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/v/eJn7H_hOVv0&hl=en_US&fs=1& – USATF Men’s Champion – Mark Batres
http://www.youtube.com/v/aMEDb2ikEio&hl=en_US&fs=1& – LA Marathon – Men’s Start
http://www.youtube.com/v/GpW-CcIor1A&hl=en_US&fs=1& – LA Marathon – Women’s Start

More Information: SCA Road Running Championships & Grand Prix

SCA-USATF CONTACT:
Wayne Joness
Chair, Open Athletics Long Distance Running Committee
Southern California Association / USA Track & Field
Cell: (310) 600-5332
Email: [email protected]

IAAF World Cross Country Championships

by

March 28, 2010
Bydgoszcz, Poland
Results | Photos

Senior Women – Team USA – 3rd Place: 76

  • 12 Shalane Flanagan
  • 19 Molly Huddle
  • 20 Magdalena Lewy-Boulet
  • 25 Amy Hastings
  • 38 Renee Metivier Bailli
  • 41 Emily Brown

Senior Men – Team USA – 9th Place: 182

  • 36 Patrick Smyth
  • 45 Ryan Vail
  • 48 Robert Curtis
  • 53 Scott Bauhs
  • 67 Robert Mack
  • 80 Ben Bruce 

Junior Women – Team USA – 6th Place: 123

  • 18 Emily Sisson
  • 29 Shelby Greany
  • 35 Juliet Bottorff
  • 41 Emily Jones
  • 45 Sophia Ziemian
  • 51 Laura Tremblay 

Junior Men – Team USA – 8th Place: 169

  • 29 Trevor Dunbar
  • 42 Andrew Colley
  • 44 Walter Schafer
  • 54 Andrew Kimpel
  • 66 Ammar Moussa
  • 84 Michael Lynch

USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships

by

March 26 – 28, 2010
Boston, MA
Results | Photos | News


USATF Southern California Champions

  • Kathy Bergen (W70)
    • 60m Champion: 9.21 WR
    • 200m Champion: 32.31 WR
    • High Jump Champion: 4-02.25
  • Chris Faulknor (M47)
    • 60m Champion: 7.35
    • Long Jump Champion: 20-00.50
    • 200m – 3rd Place: 24.04
  • Rufus Morris, Jr (M64)
    • Long Jump Champion: 15-09.50
    • 60m – 8th Place: 8.80
  • Tom Patsalis (M88)
    • 200m Champion: 50.54
    • Triple Jump Champion: 20-05.00
    • 60m – 2nd Place: 11.99
    • Long Jump – 2nd Place: 8-04.50
  • Derek Pye (M42)
    • 60m Hurdles Champion: 8.09
  • Nolan Shaheed (M60)
    • 3,000m Champion: 9:55.03 AR
    • Mile Champion: 5:16.40
    • 800m Champion: 2:21.00
    • 400m – 2nd place: 59.86
  • Johnny Speed (M46)
    • 400m Champion: 52.81
    • 60m – 4th Place: 7.42
  • So Cal Track Club (M30-39)
    • 4 x 800m Relay Champions: 8:37.87
      • 1) Chambers, Keith 31
      • 2) Givens, Barry 36
      • 3) Sepulveda, Rene 44
      • 4) Dameworth, Bryan 39
  • So Cal Track Club (M50-59)
    • 4 x 400m Relay Champions: 4:33.94 2
      • 1) 448 Jones, Eric 67
      • 2) 765 Sheehan, Jim 60
      • 3) 827 Talib, Salih 64
      • 4) 761 Shaheed, Nolan 60

Other Finalists

  • Kirk Bentz (M55)
    • Long Jump – 2nd
    • Triple Jump – 2nd
    • High Jump – 4th
  • Bert Bergen (M72)
    • High Jump – 2nd
  • Keith Chambers (M31)
    • 400m – 2nd
    • 800m – 4th
  • Mark Cleary (M51)
    • 3000m – 4th
    • Mile – 6th
  • Bryan Dameworth (M39)
    • 800m – 5th
    • Mile – 6th
  • Barry Givens (M36)
    • 3,000m – 2nd
    • Mile – 4th
    • 800m – 7th
  • Debbie Lee (W53)
    • 400m – 4th
    • 200m – 4th
    • 3000m – 5th
    • 800m – 6th
    • Mile – 8th
  • Chris Pittman (M37)
    • High Jump – 4th
    • Super Weight – 4th
    • Weight Throw – 5th
    • Triple Jump – 6th
  • Rene Sepulveda (M44)
    • 3,000m – 3rd
  • Thaddeus Wilson (M59)
    • 50m Hurdles – 2nd
    • Long Jump – 3rd
    • 60m – 6th
  • So Cal Track Club (W40-49)
    • 4 x 800m Relay – 2nd 
      • 1) Reaser, Christine 44
      • 2) Miller, Sheryl 46
      • 3) Tefft, Jan 51
      • 4) Lee, Debbie 53
  • So Cal Track Club (M50-59)
    • 4 x 800m Relay – 3rd
      • 1) Thigpen, Aaron 45
      • 2) Pearson, Paul 58
      • 3) Easley, Ricky 56
      • 4) Lucas, David 50
  • So Cal Track Club (M30-39)
    • 4 x 400m Relay – 2nd
      • 1) 186 Chambers, Keith 31
      • 2) 758 Sepulveda, Rene 44
      • 3) 240 Dameworth, Bryan 39
      • 4) 663 Pettes, Alfy 35
  • So Cal Track Club (W40-49)
    • 4 x 400m Relay – 5th
      • 1) 695 Reaser, Christine 44
      • 2) 830 Tefft, Jan 51
      • 3) 851 Valle, Lisa 43
      • 4) 585 Miller, Sheryl 46

Final Team Standings

  • 1. Mass Velocity Track Club – 363 points
  • 2. TNT International Racing – 343
  • 3. Southern California Track Club – 339.50
  • 4. Potomac Valley Track Club – 220
  • 5. Florida Athletic Club – 157
  • 6. Twilight Throwers & Central Park Track Club- 141
  • 8. Philadelphia Masters – 114
  • 9. Houston Elite & Shore Athletic Club – 108
  • 10. Southwest Sprinters Track Club – 107

New Course Record and Sell-Out Crowd at Brea 8K Classic

by

SCA Grand Prix – Brea 8K Classic
Sunday – February 21, 2010
SCA Grand Prix Results & Standings

Awards – Overall Open Winners
Nathalie Higley, Redondo Beach, 28:41 (F-40)
Brian Livingston, Los Angeles, 24:39 (M-32)

Awards – Overall Masters Winners 
Nathalie Higley, Redondo Beach, 28:41 (F-40)
Jon Megeff, Los Angeles, 27:29 (M–46)The Southern California Association USA Track & Field Road Running Grand Prix headed to the heart of Orange County on Sunday, February 28, 2010 for the 19th annual Brea 8K Classic. USATF members, who just three weeks earlier set the roads ablaze at the Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K, joined local runners at the start line. And for the first time ever, the Brea 8K sold out! The large field of runners also attracted some of the best talent in the Association, where Brian Livingston (M-32) set a new course record, running the rolling hills of the Brea 8K in 24:39!

Ground Hog day may be early in the month, but it was on this last day of February that spectators witnessed a replay of the Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K results: Nathalie Higley (F-40 28:41) again raced through the course to win the Open title, followed closely, again, by Tania Fischer (F-43 29:03) in second place. And, again, Higley and Fischer won both the first and second place Masters awards as well! And the talented Jon Megeff (M-46 27:29) repeated his Masters victory, followed, again, by Dale Campbell (M-56 27:40)!

And these top runners were not alone, participating with their teammates from the many USATF clubs running on Sunday: A Snail’s Pace Running Club, Club Ed Running, Elite Health Track Club, So Cal Road Runners, Team Runners High, The Janes Elite Racing, Track Club L.A. and more. And while club support has been strong in the Open and Masters divisions, nothing could compare to the overwhelming turnout of the Equalizers Track Club, coached by Jerry Palazzo. With 63 runners participating, the Equalizers Track Club easily dominated the Youth awards.

While the 2009 Road Running Grand Prix seven race series finished with a total of 161 runners posting scores, the 2010 Road Running Grand Prix already has 166 runners participating, with only two races completed! In addition to the expanded race series, and increased prize money, the 2010 Road Running Grand Prix also has added a Youth division. While Open and Masters runners are required to compete in a minimum of five races for scoring, Youth runners need to finish three races to be eligible for end-of-the-year awards.

More Information: SCA Road Running Championships & Grand Prix

SCA-USATF CONTACT:
Wayne Joness
Chair, Open Athletics Long Distance Running Committee
Southern California Association / USA Track & Field
Cell: (310) 600-5332
Email: [email protected]

Tribute to Doug Speck (1948 – 2010)

by

In 2005, Doug Speck was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the USATF Southern California Association:

 
Rich Gonzales (L) presents award trophy to Doug Speck (R)

Raised in Los Angeles, Doug graduated from Eagle Rock High School in 1965, where he was introduced to track & field by Bill Peck (then a student teacher) and long-time Eagle Rock track coach and local AAU official, John Oden. He went on to attend Pasadena City College from 1965-1967 where his interest in the sport was further nurtured by its track coach, Ted Banks—later one of the most successful cross country and track & field coaches in NCAA history at University of Texas- El Paso. From 1967-71 he attended Cal Poly- Pomona, where he graduated and competed in cross country and track for a year, until injured.

Doug taught social studies and coached track and cross country in Oxnard from 1971-76 at Channel Islands and Hueneme High Schools. Since 1976, he has been employed by the Arcadia School District teaching social studies and physical education, and serving as Athletic Director from 2000 through 2004. He coached cross country and track & field until the mid-1980’s when his daughters entered middle school time and more time on the home front was called for.

From 1976 through 2000, Doug helped the Arcadia Track & Field Invitational to expand its reach to include outstanding high school athletes from other states and nations. In doing so, he morphed his school’s annual invitational into what has become America’s premier high school track meet. Celebrating its 42nd edition in 2009, the Arcadia Invitational has grown to feature more than 300 teams from as many as 25 States and 3 foreign countries competing in 100 events in its Friday evening relays, Saturday open session, and Saturday evening invitational. Performance-wise, there is no other high school track meet that comes close to matching Arcadia’s 22 national records and alumni of 101 Olympians.

For the past 25-years, Doug has also been an editor covering prep cross country and track & field for California Track & Running News and Track & Field News, and, more recently, DyeStatCal.com. He was a founding member of the CIF State Track & Field and Cross Country Advisory Committees, serving from the late 1980’s through 2002, and created the cross country rankings for the CIF Southern Section and State polls for two decades starting in 1980. From 1988 through 1996, he was also a USATF Consultant for its National Junior Program, helping to dramatically increase participation in the National Junior Championships. In that capacity, he had the experience of accompanying USA Junior National teams to international competitions as far away as Poland and Cuba.

Doug served as vice president of the Southern California Association of USA Track & Field during the 1980’s and early 1990’s. He has been the lead announcer for major high school competitions nationwide, including the Foot Locker Cross-Country Nationals, Indoor & Outdoor National Prep Track & Field Championships, USA Junior Championships, major local Invitational meets, and the CIF State Track Field Championships.

Doug has two daughters: Kerri, a member of the California Bar who is taking a few years off to raise his granddaughter, and Jennifer, who is finishing up her Masters degree in counseling. He now resides in El Segundo with his girlfriend, Leslie Paoletti. On most afternoons, the two of them can be found cruising up and down the bike path to Manhattan Beach and back.

No one has done more to raise the profile and brighten the spotlight on high school track and cross country in Southern California than Doug Speck.

(By Skip Stolley)

More information: SCA Lifetime Achievement Awards

Please post comments and memories below.