Tag: Katie Matthews

FOUR TOP U.S. GRADUATES JOIN B.A.A.

BOSTON – Four outstanding, female distance and middle distance runners have joined the Boston Athletic Association, the organization has announced. Elaina Balouris, Juliet Bottorff, and Emily Lipari completed their collegiate eligibility in June, and they will reside and train in Boston, representing the B.A.A.  These athletes will join Katie Matthews, another recent graduate who has been training and racing with the B.A.A. since the beginning of this year when she completed her collegiate eligibility.  All four women are part of the B.A.A.’s new high performance team and will be coached by the B.A.A.’s Terrence Mahon.

Three-time U.S. Olympian Jen Rhines (2000, Sydney, 10,000 meters; 2004, Athens, marathon; and 2008, Beijing, 5,000 meters) was the first athlete to become part of the high performance team when the B.A.A. announced the launch of the program last Autumn. She is among the most accomplished female distance runners in U.S. history.

“The objective of the B.A.A.’s high performance group of athletes is to support American runners on their way towards making international teams and to compete at the Olympic and world championship level,” said Mahon.  “Each of these talented women is capable of transitioning from a decorated U.S. collegiate career to a successful professional career, and we look forward to providing them with a complete infrastructure with which to meet this goal.”

adidas, the long-time sponsor of the Boston Athletic Association and B.A.A. events – including the Boston Marathon®, provides essential financial support and equipment for the B.A.A.’s high performance initiative.

The athletes announced will begin representing the B.A.A. immediately at races.

Newly-joined B.A.A. athletes (in alphabetical order):

Elania Balouris
College: William and Mary
Hometown: Allison Park, Penn.
Recent highlight: Fifth place at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship at 10,000 meters.
Athlete Bio

Juliet Bottorff
College: Duke University
Hometown: Newark, Delaware
Highlights: 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Champion (10,000 meters); third place at 10,000 meters and 5th place at 5,000 meters at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships; fourth place at the 2014 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championship (10,000 meters).
Athlete Bio

Emily Lipari
College: Villanova University
Hometown: Greenvale, New York
Recent highlights: 2014 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Champion (mile); fourth place at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship (1500 meters).
Athlete Bio

Katie Matthews
College: Boston University
Hometown: Rocky Hill, Conn.
Highlights: Fifth place at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship at 10,000 meters; fifth place at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship at 5,000 meters.
Athlete Bio

Also:
 
Jen Rhines
College: Villanova University
Hometown: Liverpool, New York
Highlights: (U.S. Olympian in 2000, 10,000 meters; U.S. Olympian in 2004, marathon; and U.S. Olympian in 2008, 5,000 meters);
Five-time NCAA individual champion; multiple-time USA Track & Field track and road race champion.
IAAF Bio and USATF Bio

About the Boston Athletic Association and its high performance team:

Established in 1887, the B.A.A. is a non-profit organization committed to running and has played an integral role in the support and development of the sport throughout the United States since its inception. From fielding athletes who competed at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 through the 118th Boston Marathon in April 2014 and the B.A.A. 10K last month, the pursuit of excellence in middle and long distance running has stood at the fore of the organization.

Mahon On The Level at the BAA 5k

Interview with Terrence Mahon, coach of the BAA High Performance Group. Both members of his group raced at the BAA 5k on Saturday, with Katie Matthews running a 16:07 (15th female) and wife Jennifer Rhines winning her age group with a 16:22.

Matthews Shows Her Support at the BAA 5k

Katie Matthews is one of the key pieces to the young BAA High Performance Group, and she’s determined to help put Boston back on the map. “Everybody’s up in arms about who people can people can possibly train in boston, but like you know Bill Rogers did it, Bill Squires did it, people have done it.” For her part, Katie ran well on Saturday at the BAA 5k.  Despite not feeling like she’s in the best of shape at this point in the year, Katie ran a 16:07 and finished 3rd in her age group (but first American). Overall she placed 50th in the entire field and was the 15th female.

Special guest appearance by Lauren Fleshman near the very end.

.US champs

The .US National Road Racing Championships (results) were held back on November 17th in Alexandria, VA and several athletes with local ties did quite well there. A couple of them even did better than anybody had before. Ever.

Both Molly Huddle and Shalane Flanagan went under the 12k world record. Although Shalane was pushing the pace early it would be Molly who came out on top, running 37:49 compared to Shalane’s 37:57. It was a little confusing as to what record was broken and who held it, since some articles seemed to say American record, others that it was a world best. That led me to believe that Kastor held the world record, but she didn’t. Here is the nitty gritty:

Old world record: Lineth Chepkurui 38:10
Old American record: Deena Kastor 38:24

There’s a good piece over at Competitor (by David Monti) that explains it and summarizes the race.

The triple points earned in this race were enough to propel both Molly and Shalane past Mattie Suver, who had a strong grip on the top spot, for the season standings. was named the USATF athlete of the week. Huddle and Flanagan finished 1-2 with 60 and 51 points, respectively, while Suver dropped to third with 47 points. As if the week couldn’t get any better for Huddle, she was named the USATF Athlete of the Week.

A couple of other locals placed in the standings as well: Katie DiCamillo finished tied for 19th for the year with her 16 points, followed by Katie Matthews and Sheri Piers, who both scored 6 points and ended up tied for 39th place.

Speaking of Matthews, she did quite well at the 12k to wrap up the circuit. Katie finished 10th in 40:22 and was the youngest finisher in the top 20. Matthews responded to a couple of Level questions after the race:

Having debuted in the half not too long ago, did you have more confidence about your strength going into this 12k?

“I did have confidence regarding strength going in to the 12k after running the half marathon. The half marathon was so new for me though that I figured I would feel more comfortable in the 12k than I did in that half.”

How did things play out over the last couple of miles?

“In the last few miles the chase pack that I was with sort of strung out and I ended up being almost alone between the women, which made it tough. Dealing with being alone like that and still pushing when the race is at it’s hardest part is something that I need to work on. I think I lost track of my pace and let it slip a little more than I should have. Those miles are when I need to be picking up the pace and not slacking off!”

In the men’s race, it was Aaron Braun taking it in 34:27. Tim Ritchie continued to assert his presence at the front of these elite fields with another strong race, this time running 34:45 and finishing 6th. Tim went on the Level after and answered a couple of questions:

Not too much time between TCM and .US. For mere mortals that might not be enough time to recovery. Were you still feeling the marathon in your legs for this one?

“I had six weeks in between TCM and .US and had this 12k as the goal race all throughout the second half of the year. Therefore, the marathon was more of a step (granted a big step) along the way. That being the case, the approach to TCM was patient and controlled. In training, I was not going overboard so as to not be wiped out by the race, or unable to recover in time for the 12k, and in racing, I was relaxed and consistent throughout. Both of these were done consciously knowing that my season still had six weeks left. The course at TCM was favorable for recovery with minimal downhill and relative flat terrain for the first 20 miles. In the race I was able to run pretty even splits, negative splitting the second half. I think both the course layout and the whole ‘not-bonking’ thing really played well into the recovery. Had I gone into Twin Cities with the goal of winning or really tearing it up, I do not think I would have been able to bounce back as quickly. I took two weeks of light running after the marathon, followed by three weeks of normal mileage with a workout or two per week. In this last week, I rested up and cut things down to prep for the race on Sunday. I do not think I still had the marathon in my legs and I was ready on Sunday to give it my best.”

As you’ve said before, it usually comes down to one late move in these races. How were you able to respond this time?

“This race was controlled the whole way by eventual winner Aaron Braun. He took the pace early and kept inching it up the whole way. There was a big move at 5 miles or so which separated the top 4 from everyone else – I was in 5th at that point. As that group pulled away, I towed along another 5 runners or so until most of them passed me in the 11th kilometer. Finding myself in a disappointing 9th with 600m to go I knew I had to dig really deep. I began a lengthy kick which put me back up into 5th before finally being beaten out to take 6th in the last 30m. It was tough to see the top 4 and the win disappear at 8k and hindsight always makes you wonder if you could have stuck with it. At this point, I think that reflection is not going to get me anywhere, so all I can do is look forward. Though I wanted the podium, I was pleased with 6th, it was consistent with my performances all year on the USA Running Circuit. The year 2013 was the year of scoring points. I hope 2014 will be the year of winning races!”

If Tim’s answers don’t motivate you, then you might want to consider taking up another sport. I’m finding it hard to resist the urge to go out and do a tempo run right now. How can you not root for a guy like that?

Tim wasn’t the only member of Level Legion to run well that day. Pat Fullerton ran a 37:09 and finished in 19th place. Abdi Abdirahman finished in 23rd, so although Pat wasn’t up with the leaders he still got a scalp. It looks like Abdi had an off day, to say the least, but you still have to be in pretty good shape to get a guy like Abdi even when he’s not at his best.

For the year, Tim finished in 5th place with 47 points. Other notable guys with local ties: Ben True (11th), Chris Barnicle (39th), Pat Fullerton (43rd), Zach Hine (47th) and Brian Gagnon (54th). Overall it was Shadrock Biwott, with the help of the 12k triple points, coming in ahead of Matt Tegenkamp by a score of 88 to 69.

 

Blazing Debut For Matthews

The 13th Annual BAA Half Marathon was held back on October 13, 2013. With so many thirteens in that last sentence, it seems it would be an unlucky event. Not for Katie Matthews, who pretty much nailed it on her first attempt at the distance. Katie, who ran for BU and now runs for Saucony, ran a 1:14:29. That earned her a 6th place finish amongst the ultra competitive elite women’s field and also 28th overall. Most importantly, Katie earned the “B” standard for the 2016 Olympic Trials marathon.

What did you think of your first half marathon?

My first impressions of the half marathon are that it is a lot more tiring and uses less strategy than a 10k and doesn’t really call up any speed like in a 5k…it basically felt like a tempo run that was never going to end but with really long hills in there too. It was fun though because it’s less “intense” than a shorter race and it draws on different aspects of training such as mental strength and sustained focus. I think that these longer distances are where my future in this sport will veer towards, but I still want to get in some fast 5ks, 10ks, and maybe another 3k even in the next few years. The B.A.A. Half was such a fun event and I loved being able to run my first one right here where I live and am familiar with the area…although I had no idea we ran through the dirt paths in the zoo at the end, that was a surprise!

Was a trials qualifier one of the goals? is the marathon next?

I didn’t know that runners could qualify for the marathon Olympic trials in a half marathon, nor did I know that I even had the qualifier until I read it on Twitter later that day.  So it wasn’t my goal at all. My goal was just to finish the race! (Only slightly kidding!) I missed one of my best friend’s birthday parties the night before the race so I was going to be really upset if I missed going out for nothing! I don’t have any marathons planned but hopefully in the future I will try one. The majority of the advice I have been given from my coach and experienced elite marathoners is to be patient in waiting a few years to tackle that beast. I think that I have a LOT of work to do before I could run a fast marathon and recover from it healthily.

How far into the race did the leaders start making moves?

If you consider Kim Smith’s 4:45ish first mile “moving” then the leaders started making moves in the first mile! I ran with Kristen for the first 6 miles are so, and we came through about 4:58 which was still fast. The leaders were a good bit ahead of us by mile 4 or so. At the 6th mile she told me she was going after the runner ahead of us so that is when I was more or less alone from the women and ran with a few of the guys around me which helped me out.

What do you feel you need to work on most after this race?

Finishing this race was a wake up call for just how much I still have to work on.  For example, I was hesitant to go with Kristen at that 6 mile mark because I didn’t know what the end of such a long race was going to feel like and how badly the hills would affect me. I am going to start introducing some longer workouts into my training and maybe some long runs. I decided to run the half marathon about 2 weeks before the race, so I did a few 13-14 mile runs/workouts in those weeks but I don’t typically run that many miles in one run. I don’t feel like I have that sustained strength yet that is so necessary in these races, I was so tired at the end! I want to be able to run the entire race at a faster pace and then still finish strongly and competitively. Also, I should run up more hills on a regular basis…those were killer.

Up next?

The .US champs in Alexandria, VA (12k Champs) and then the Manchester Road Race which I run every year since it is local to my home in CT.  Then I’m pretty sure I will be getting back on the indoor track come winter.

If you hadn’t seen it, this is the interview we did with Katie and Rich Peters after New England’s a couple of weeks ago, on the eve of her half debut:

New England XC Championships Footage

It’s finally here…the raw race footage from the NEICAAA XC Championships held at Franklin Park yesterday. Up first is the women’s 5k race. Includes our interview with Eimear Black (senior, Bryant) who took second overall in the 5k race with her 17:27. Rosa Moriello of Boston University won it in 17:13.

Then the men, where Mike Biwott (AIC) dominated, beating out Rich Peters (BU) and Wes Gallagher (Northeastern). Includes a portion of our interview with Rich Peters and BU assistant coach/Saucony athlete Katie Matthews:

More to come on this. For now, be sure to check out the interviews we posted yesterday. Besides the ones mentioned above, there was also an interview with the men’s team champions CCSU. Coaches Eric Blake and Sam Alexander have done a remarkable job with that group.

Rich Peters Runs a 24:05, Leads BU to 4th Place Finish

Rich Peters ran a solid race, especially for a rust-buster. The Boston University junior looked pretty good in finishing second at the NEICAAA XC Championships. Afterwards, he ran back to campus with grad assistant coach Katie Matthews. Matthews, who competes for Saucony, will be running the BAA Half Marathon tomorrow and wanted a sneak peak at the course.

Ritchie, Fullerton Earn Some Points

CVS 5k Scott Mason

Fullerton goes after it, courtesy of Scott Mason Photo.

The US National 5k Championships were held in Providence back on September 22, once again as part of the CVS Downtown 5k race. This post race interview with Pat Fullerton and Tim Ritchie almost slipped through the cracks during our hectic month of race coverage that was September. It’d be a shame to overlook Fullerton’s first big Level interview.

In the race itself, Tim placed 6th overall (14:02.7) and Pat was 12th (14:20.7). For national championship scoring purposes, Tim was 4th and Pat was 8th, so they both earned top ten status and Tim got himself another top five finish. Pretty impressive.

As Tim says in the interview, it’s a tactical race and there’s really only one big move and that comes at the end. Things really shake out in that last mile and the lead pack will be together for the most part up until then. With that in mind, it was quite surprising to see Pat out in front when the gun went off. It led to a moment of “Is that? Wait. Really? Is Pat leading the race?” It didn’t last long, as he settled back in and ended up running a PR by thirty seconds. Not a bad showing for someone that still doesn’t have a lot of 5k experience.

With that PR, Pat scored himself some series points. It’s safe to say that Pat won’t be sitting in a tie for 38th place for long if he keeps racing like this. With a little more experience on this stage he could become a constant up in the front. is anything In the standings, Tim is currently sitting in sixth place. The seven points he picked up for his efforts helped him leapfrog a few other runners to get him into the top ten.

Here’s the interview:

New England is also has some representation up front in the women’s standings. Katie DiCamillo is currently 10th, while Shalane Flanagan and Molly Huddle are both tied with other runners for 11th. In the 5k championships more specifically, Katie Matthews placed 9th (16:09.2).

The next championship distance is the marathon, which will be the Twin Cities Marathon on October 6th.

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