Tag: Chris Magill

Magill Wins Again

Magill Mayor's Cup Mason

Courtesy of Scott Mason Photo

Chris Magill is one tough competitor on race day. That’s no secret. Now he racking up victories even when he’s not running. Chris is this month’s contest winner! Yeah, so nothing race related here. Was that a little misleading? Sorry about that.

New Balance and the New England Running Company combined to make some excellent happen for Chris. For being an extremely lucky Level Renner subscriber Chris has won himself some sweet new running gear (a pair of shoes & apparel).

Since they support us, be sure to follow both New Balance and New England Running Co on Twitter. We’re always giving stuff away here so if you’re not a subscriber already, what are you waiting for? It’s by runners, for runners and all free.

New Balance NE Running Promo

Nahant 30k Recap & Raw Footage

The Nahant 30k is in the books and we have the race footage to prove it. It’s raw footage, but it gets the job done. We interviewed the winners yesterday and already posted that, but you can find said interviews with Dan Vassallo and Cheryl Cleary here.

For the men, Dan Vassallo led CMS to victory in the open division. Chris Magill and the BAA took the masters division, but Magill wasn’t the fastest masters runner on the day. That honor belonged to Jason Porter of…you guessed it…CMS. The Whirlaway seniors won their division by topping Greater Lowell by a 23 minute margin.

Over on the ladies’ side, Kasie Enman and the BAA topped the SISU squad in the open division while Whirlaway captured the masters and senior divisions. The top masters runner on the day was Christin Doneski, a member of that Whirlaway masters machine.

Sorry kids, no time to go into detail like who ran what time, but you can find the full results here. And while you’re looking for stuff on the race, be sure to check out Krissy Kozlosky’s pics from yesterday. The featured image attached to this post on our main page today is hers, and you’ll be able to see that and much more once you click that link.

As promised, here’s the raw footage from the race:

Q & A with Chris Magill

 Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the July/August 2012 Issue of Level Renner magazine.  We are re-issuing it here to celebrate Chris Magill’s 2nd place finish in the masters division at the Falmouth Road Race held on August 11, 2013.  Magill ran 37:58 (5:21 pace) for the famous 7 mile course and finished just ahead of another local runner, Joe Navas (38:29 for 3rd).  Kevin Castille won the division in a scorching 34:01 (4:47 pace).

By Kevin Gray

Magill at the Amherst 10 Miler in 2012. Photo by Krissy Kozlosky.

Magill at the Amherst 10 Miler in 2012. Photo by Krissy Kozlosky.

Chris Magill, a native of Rhode Island, has been a fixture on the New England running scene for the good part of twenty years. A former Kinney Finalist (pre-cursor to Foot Locker and Nike Cross Nationals) while at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, Chris went on to have a successful career at Iona College and has run post collegiately for the BAA for the past 14 years. After being in a self-described “rut” for the last year, and now 39 years old (and father to three boys), I caught up with Magill  as he recently returned to form with a 15:26 at the BAA 5k.

Q: Can you bring us through a brief history of your career, maybe touch on your proudest accomplishments?

A: In high school, it would have to be the 1989 Penn Relays, where St. Ray’s won the DMR championship of America, beating out the favored Jamaicans in front of 20,000 people. The Victory Lap was awesome. Besides that, it would have to have been placing 2nd in the 1990 New England Cross Country Championships and qualifying for the Kinney Championships in San Diego. Other accomplishments, while at Iona, would be making the IC4A finals in the 3,000 meters indoors in 1993 (I believe I placed 5th) and making the IC4A finals in the 1,500 meters outdoors.  While running for the BAA, I am proud to say I won two road race Grand Prix titles and helped the team  win Grand Prix team titles.  If you look at the list of winners, I am proud to even be mentioned with them.

Q: After a brief stint at Old Dominion, you transferred to Iona College and ran for Mick Bryne.  How was your experience at Iona?

A: My experience at Iona was great.  Mick Byrne is a great coach and certainly helped me establish the PR’s that I have today. My transition from being the number one runner on the cross country team (at Old Dominion) to battling to be in the top five certainly helped me become a better collegiate runner.   Qualifying as a team to the 1993 NCAA cross country meet (back when there were only 22 teams invited) was a highlight while at Iona.  Also, I established friendships and had some good times on North Avenue with guys such as Martin McCarthy (13:42 for 5k), Mark Churchill (former Foot Locker Finalist from Vermont), Billy Myers (former Rhode Island standout) and Jermaine Hall.  After I finished my undergrad, Mick brought me on to be the graduate assistant coach.  This was a great experience as I recruited some top athletes including current Gaels coach Ricardo Santos.

Q: You also have been a fixture of the New England racing scene post collegiately for a good while now. You must have had some good battles with some of the Providence College guys; any races really stick out in your mind?

magill 10 quickies 8.15.13A: I have had some great battles with many athletes.  In terms of battling against some Friars, I do remember the leadoff leg of the Championship of America 4×1500 where I battled David Healy (Providence) and Jason Bunston (Arkansas) for the lead. I ended up with a 3:47 split with Healy just ahead of me and Bunston may have had a second or so on me.   I did compete with Keith Kelly on the track at a Northeastern Twilight meet for a lap or two.  I ran 14:16 and I believe he ended up closer to 14 flat (I think he was only a freshmen).  Also, at another Northeastern twilight meet I tried staying with Mark Carroll for as long as I could and ended up running 8:12.  I believe he was near 8 flat.  Other battles I have had included battling David Hinga on the track at the end of the Ro-Jack’s 8k to win the overall Grand Prix road race series.

Q: As time has progressed, I imagine you have had to change your training and racing a bit now that you are married and the father of three young boys. How do you balance a very demanding job along with all the responsibilities at home?

A: A typical training week for me includes a long run of 16 to 18 miles on Sunday with guys like Chris Lawrence, Kevin O’Neil, James Dandeneau, Matt Pelletier, and Pat Moulton.  My job requires a lot of travel, so my most recent week was Monday: 8-9 mile run on the canal in Phoenix, AZ, Tuesday: 8-9 mile trail run in Portland, and then back to Cumberland for a track workout on Wednesday. I would end my week with 10 miles a day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday on the roads of Rhode Island. As far a homelife balance, I have great support from my wife and kids and they understand that running is still an important part of my life.

Q:  What kind of mileage are you hitting? How many workouts a week? Do you double?

A:   I am all over the place with my mileage, but I try to look at monthly mileage as it is tough to get good mileage when I travel for work.  To answer your question it ranges from 60 if it is a tough travel week up to high 70’s if there is no travel.  I like to workout once a week and put in a tempo run during my Sunday long run.  Long run is typically with 5 to 8 miles at 5:30 pace.  I do not double.

Q: Favorite workout?

A: I am olde school, so I like the classic latter track workouts such as 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400.

Q: Do you wear a GPS every day? At what pace do you typically train?

A:  I wear a Garmin that my wife bought me.  I did not think I would like it as much as I do.  I wear it everyday except for track workouts.  I think it is especially helpful during long runs and tempo runs.  Other than track workouts and long runs most of my runs are slightly under 7 minutes per mile.

Q: What are your goals for when you hit 40?

A: I have been thinking about getting back on the track to try and run a solid mile.  I also have been thinking about running some National Masters Races such as the Master Cross Country Championship and some road championships (5k, Half Marathon).  In terms of the mile, I would like to run the New Balance Master’s Mile at Reggie Lewis.  I really have to sit down with Coach Pieroni to make sure I am focused on specific goals for 2013.

Q: Have you had any major injuries over the course of your career?

A: Yes, I had a stress fracture in high school and a torn meniscus a few years ago.  Other than that I have had some hamstring issues which I deal with on occasion.

Q: How is your diet? Are you strict about what you eat, any beer or ice cream?

A: I am not strict about what I eat, but my wife is trying to get me on a healthier diet.  She believes I can run faster if I eat healthier.  I only drink beer in some social occasions.    My favorite snack is Italian meats and cheeses.   Believe it or not I am half Italian.

Q: What is your favorite race in New England?

A: There are many great races in New England  such as the Mayor’s Cup Cross Country Championships and the BAA 5k, but I have to go with the Arnold Mills 4th of July Road Race in my hometown of Cumberland, RI.  It is one mile from my house.  Everyone in the community either runs the race or is there to watch the race (there is a parade after).  If you win the race you are an instant local celebrity no matter how slow or fast you run.

Magill and training partner Chris Lawrence at the 2012 Norwood Turkey Trot. Photo by @kevbalance.

Magill and training partner Chris Lawrence at the 2012 Norwood Turkey Trot. Photo by @kevbalance.

Q: How many more years do you think you will be able to beat CJ in a 5k? He is coming on fast and you’re getting old.

A: CJ , who will be 9 in June, is begging me to run 5k’s but I will  not let him yet.  He did run under 7 minutes for mile so it may not be long before he beats me.  My other boys, Connor (6 years old) and Cooper (one year old) are also looking to knock me off the medal stand.

 

 

 

Ritchie Returns to Form at Hollis

In the men’s race at the Hollis 5k (June 13th), Tim Ritchie led the way with a 13:47. For Tim it was his first race since the Boston Marathon, and what a race it was. The top four all went under 14 minutes:

Tim rolls on the downhill course, courtesy of Krissy Kozlosky.

1 TIMOTHY RITCHIE…..13:47.5
2 JEFF VEIGA…………….13:53.7
3 PAT FULLERTON……..13:59.2
4 NICK KARWOSKI……..13:58.9

As usual, Tim wasn’t letting the fast downhill course or the ideal conditions distract him from his goal of leading the BAA to the title. “The team win was the only thing on my mind. The personal win and the fast time were unexpected bonuses. I wanted to help Eric, Brian and I get up front and take the top spots. I was not too confident in a kick at this point in my training so I wanted to get it going from the start. The hope was to clear out everyone except Eric and Brian so we could go 1-2-3. It was good to have others in the mix though – made the race exciting, tough and fun, but also meant I had to work the whole 3.1 miles. We ended up 1-5-6 [Note: 1-3-4 when you take out the two non-scorers], but still good enough for the top team on the day.”

Tim’s plan held up, as his Unicorns won it by two minutes over the WMDP Wolfpack. Sean Duncan led the Wolfpack with a 14:27 8th place performance.

Right behind Tim was Jeff Veiga, the All-American from UMass Lowell. Jeff recently graduated and is relatively new to the road racing scene. This was only his third race for RUN and his first Grand Prix event (as a team scorer at least).

Jeff, who only weeks ago placed 4th at DII NCAA’s with a 4th place finish in the 10k (30:41), was not short on confidence as he entered into the USATF-NE fray: “My training wasn’t really consistent leading up to the race and I wasn’t taking it too seriously either. But I knew going into the race that I was just going to go out with whoever took it because there wasn’t any real stud in the race that I couldn’t run with. So I showed up just trying to get the W because time didnt matter, especially on a downhill course. Ritchie probably knew he had it the whole way but I tried to put up a decent fight.”

Just behind Veiga was Pat Fullerton, and although he didn’t factor into the scoring, Pat still ran a heck of a race. It was a PR* [note: should that be the shorthand notation for a downhill PR? If it’s not already, let’s make that official] for him, just like it was for many in the race. But since it’s downhill it doesn’t really put things in perspective. You get a better sense of the progress he’s made when you compare that to the 14:34 Pat ran on the same course last year.

Pat was eager to see what he could do on the fast course against some stacked competition, but that didn’t mean he was exactly resting up for it. “I wasn’t tapering, I ran more miles this past week than I usually do. It was a big race for me because at the Jack Kerouac race I was with the leaders with a mile to go and lost by 30 secs. So I just wanted to show up and run to my ability and I think this time I did! I’m still new to this 3k/5k distance but I’m getting better every race so I can’t complain!” Hit up McDonald’s, Pat. You earned it.

The Masters

Chris Magill won the 5k crown by narrowly edging Joe Navas. Chris was just under the 15 minutes barrier (at 14:58.1) while Navas was painfully just over the mystical barrier (15:00.4). Magill and Navas finished 21st and 23rd overall, respectively. Finishing in between them was Brandon Newbould, one of quite a few runners (including the aforementioned Sean Duncan) in the race who were pulling the badass double of a downhill race at Hollis followed by an uphill race at Mt. Washington two days later.

There was a tense moment at the end when Navas was sneaking up on Magill in full on distance running ninja mode. Joe had the element of surprise and was about to make his last strong move when Dave Kanzanjian started cheering for Joe loudly. Normally that’s helpful for runners, but in this case it seemed to wake up Magill: “I did hear someone cheering for Joe and I knew I had to kick it in to the finish. Navas is an extremely tough competitor. Also, I knew I had to give it my all to help out the BAA all stars (Ritche, Ashe, and Harvey) get the team title.”

The Whirlaway men’s team rode Navas’ second place performance to a second place finish of their own. Dirigo RC brought their ‘A’ game and bested the Whirlaway squad by about 36 seconds. Leading the way for Dirigo was Andy Spaulding (15:16).

Photos courtesy of Krissy Kozlosky. Check out her page for more great shots from the race.

Johnson Out-Duels Pelletier

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The New Bedford Half Marathon was a few days ago, so you probably are already well aware of the outcome by now (if not, it’s probably a good idea to read this earlier entry by Jim Dandeneau). Kevin Johnson of the Western Mass Distance Project (WMDP) outlasted Matt Pelletier on his way to a win and a new PR of 1:06:04.

After the race, the cool down and taking a moment with the fans (the phrase “a brush with greatness” was thrown out there, which would make for a good title of the video), Jim interviewed Kevin:

Although Matty P wasn’t on camera for an official interview, we did catch up with him later to get his take on the race:

426507_552719524748477_1738086516_nIt was disappointing not getting the win. I felt like I was in similar shape to last year, but I’ve been sick a lot this winter (something kind of serious) and missed more days of running than I’ve missed in a long time. That said, I bounced back pretty quickly I thought that maybe being sick hadn’t been as bad as I thought. I feel like the difference was in the wind. Our first mile was 10+ seconds slower than last year, and our 2nd mile was 14 seconds slower. I feel like the wind aided miles were about the same as last year. Aside from not getting the win, I’m disappointed I couldn’t match Kevin’s move when he passed me. I feel like I should have been able to go with him, but he was really strong and it just wasn’t my day. Kevin’s time was faster than my PR, so it would have taken a great day from me to beat him, and it wasn’t that kind of day. He looked really smooth. I think had I been able to push him for another 2-3 miles, he would have gone under 1:06.

Like I said, I think I was in similar shape compared to last year so I was hoping to go under 1:06:30 and just be a few sec. faster than last year. I don’t like to race in the cold, so when I got to the race and warmed up I knew it would be tougher than last year. I wasn’t really sure how the race would play out. With the WMDP kicking ass lately, and Brian Harvey moving up in distance, I wasn’t positive I would win. This was a stepping stone on the way to VCM, so a fast time, a win, or both were all goals. Obviously I walked away with neither, but it is what it is. I still have 10 weeks to prepare for 2:17 guy Chris Zablocki and some other fast guys. Hopefully this will serve as motivation for Memorial Day weekend.

To complete our coverage of the open men’s division, here’s an interview with Rob Gomez (Dirigo RC). Rob played a key role in the race by helping to break it open earlier on. He then slowly worked his way up the ranks and finished an impressive third.

In the men’s masters race, Chris Magill enjoyed his first road race as a master by cleaning up. Although he was the second master in the race, he was the first from the USATF-NE association so he still ended up being a masters champion for the day:

See the rest of our New Bedford coverage here. Want to see more race pictures like the ones included here? Be sure to visit Scott Mason Photography’s great website. Also, special thanks to our sponsors for providing prizes for some of the top runners: Skechers provided pairs of shoes, along with a couple hundred goodie bags for finishers, and Sigvaris provided custom fit compression socks. They support us, so please consider supporting them.

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