Tag: Kent Lemme

Run (Fast) Westfield

Apr. 02 Articles, Interviews, Racing no comments

The organizers of the Run Westfield 5k really knew what they were doing when they set this up and must have gotten exactly what they wanted. Set up a fast course, offer a lucrative prize structure and then watch the talented runners flock to you and lay down big PR’s.

Harvey, Chorney, Rupprecht & Murphy, bask in the glow of a fast race.

Harvey, Chorney, Rupprecht & Murphy, bask in the glow of a fast race.

Per the results posted on the web, there were just over 1,100 finishers, but a whopping twenty-one of those went under fifteen minutes!

Bob Rosen helped us fill in some of the gaps in coverage and provided ample notes to us from his vantage point on the lead vehicle. Bob is very close to Philemon Terer (5th) and Benard Langat (9th) and really knows his stuff.

About the course: it loses 90 ft from start to finish, but there’s actually a slight elevation gain of about  20 ft in the first mile. From that point on it’s basically flat with a slight downhill over the last mile.

As far as the race itself, it went out fast. Obviously. They went through the first mile in 4:18, but again that’s a slight uphill. Temps were mild with a slight tailwind (ideal conditions). Lead pack for the first mile: Simon Ndirangu (eventual winner) was right up front with Terer alongside, slightly behind. Alistair Cragg was a second behind (maybe), and then there was about a half dozen guys within two seconds of them.

Ndirangu asserted himself in the second mile and looked totally in control. Terer was with him, but they know each other from Kimbia. Knowing his opponent, and knowing that Terer isn’t a 5k guy must’ve given him more confidence. Cragg caught Terer just before mile two. Those two were back at it again only two weeks removed from their battle at the Holyoke St. Pat’s 10k, where Cragg took down Terer in the last mile. Ndirangu had 3 or 4 seconds on Cragg here. Two mile splits: Simon in the high 8:30’s, Cragg in 8:44ish, Terer in 8:46.

Over the last mile Ndirangu looked to be running away with it. Ndirangu kept kept his foot on the gas and put ten seconds on Cragg while Cragg opened up on Terer. Sang and Tefera overtook Terer in the last quarter mile, which is a huge loss for Terer. That drop in the results of only two spots cost him $1,500. Zach Hine had a huge PR and finished 6th, one spot out of the money.

For a little more about the course, we can find some good info from Rob Gomez’s race report:

I had scouted the course map a little before I arrived but during the warm up the potential for fast times really started to sink in. After cresting a small hill within the first quarter mile of the race, the course never went uphill again, instead dropping ever so gradually the first two miles and then more precipitously the last mile (although not so much as to cause a person to put on the brakes at any point). The one turn in the race comes in that same first quarter mile, and the wind (at least on this day) was fairly brisk and at our backs. Throw in perfect temps and a faster field than anything I’ve ever been a part of and… well, this happened:

Mile one: 4:33
Mile two: 4:34
Mile three: 4:43?, 29
14:18

14:18!!!

That’s a PR of 44 seconds. In a 5k. It still doesn’t feel real.

That’s pretty crazy, but with a fast course and a tasty prize structure you’re bound to see things like that. Speaking of prizes, here’s how it broke down: $5k – 3k – 2k – 1k – 500 for both top five men and women. They also incredibly offered $500-400-300-200-100 to top five Westfield residents. When you see the WMDP boys celebrating in the video, you’ll know why. The three of them got a combine $1,200 for their troubles. That’s incredible.

Speaking of the WMDP boys, the Messer’s averaged 15:02. That’s unfair to say though, since then we’d be saying that Andrew Messer’s 15:20 was below average.

For the ladies, Kim Smith ran what appears to be the third fastest road 5k ever for a woman. We saw that and embedded in a good discussion here on Letsrun. Kim had an almost unbelievable 44 second cushion between her and her training partner Amy Hastings.

Shout out to the masters as well. Sheri Piers (of Dirigo RC & the top female American at Boston last year) and Kent Lemme (Greater Springfield Harriers) took home the titles there, running 16:29 and 15:13 respectively. Wow.

Here’s a look inside the numbers compared to other high level 5k’s around here:

4 guys broke 15:00 at Kerouac (14:46 won). This was held in September and was the USATF-NE 5k Championship.

29 broke fifteen at CVS (8 broke 14, winner was 13:52). Also held in September, this was the National Championship.

Here in Westfield, the top six broke 14, 21 total broke 15. Winner came in at 13:16, and the top six under Ben True’s winning time in September. Although

It might not have the challenges of a loop course, but it’s not without it’s merits. Without a doubt there’s going to be debate about the legitimacy of the course, but hopefully the course certification can put that to rest. It appears to be a legit length, and although it’s downhill, it’s not like running a down a ski slope. If this doesn’t excite you because it’s a downhill spectacle, maybe you just need to embrace it in the same way people embrace things like a home run derby. If anything it’s just fun to watch. Try telling anyone their Boston Marathon PR isn’t legit and see what they have to say about it. This race could very well be the next big thing around here. There’s not a lot of money in running so it’s good to see another race step up and offer some substantial prize money

Great course, excellent prize money, deep field. Can’t wait for 2014.

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Cragg, Hastings Win in Holyoke

Mar. 21 Articles, Interviews, Racing no comments

Some big names came out for the 38th running of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race, and they did not disappoint. Local speedster Zach Hine (of South Hadley, but currently located out in Boulder, CO) was back to defend his title. Zach had his work cut out for him right from the gun, as Philemon Terer was ready to avenge last year’s loss. Added to the mix this year was Alistair Cragg, a two time Olympian and Irish national record holder.

Hine led the way for the first couple of tactical miles. The front of the race thinned out pretty quickly and just after the first mile it was already down to a pack of four. Zach would hold that position through three miles, but Cragg and Terer were starting to pull away by the fourth mile.

With just about a mile to go, Cragg made a decisive move on a downhill and gained some separation on Terer. Terer was not able to cover it, and Cragg just seemed to glide in the rest of the way. Alistair ran 29:20 for the 10k, followed by Terer (29:25) and Hine (29:28). Hine actually ran nine seconds faster than he did en route to winning in 2012, but it was only good enough for a third place finish this time around.

In the women’s race, Olympian Amy Hastings was more of a clear favorite. The race was also missing that element of a reigning champ returning to defend the crown as last year’s champion Brielle Chabot was recovering from an injury and not competing. Amy ran a 33:32 and won by well over a minute (Colleen Hogan was 77 seconds back with a 34:49).

The masters race was won by Joseph Ekuom (32:55), followed by Eric Nedeau and Kent Lemme. For the ladies it was Dawn Roberts in 41:23, followed by Mary Guertin and Kim Handzel.

Below is a video including race footage taken from the back of one of the lead trucks, and an interview with Bob Rosen. Bob is quite involved in the running scene out in Amherst, and he and his family have become very close with Philemon Terer. Also included are the pre-race thoughts of Sam Alexander:

For more on the race, including results and summaries, visit the race website.

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Kentucky Outtakes

Jan. 07 Articles, Interviews, Racing no comments

As you probably already know, the latest issue of Level Renner was released yesterday. The featured event in it is the USATF XC Club Nationals, for which we’ve already put up extensive coverage. Even though I got four pages to tell my story, it still wasn’t enough to include everything. With four races to cover there was just way too much to even make it into my first draft.

Since I got some great feedback from some local runners who competed in Lexington, I thought we’d include them in their entirety in a blog post. It’d be a shame for these to never see the light of day, so here are some responses I got from area runners on their performances:

Eric Ashe (BAA) – 22nd, 30:59: “I knew going into the race I was well prepared for 10k of racing, but maybe not a sloppy 10k. This was going to take some extra mental strength. Like seemingly everyone, I was in the hurtbox by 4mi but I tried to just focus on moving forward rather than backwards.”

Tim Ritchie (BAA) – 26th, 31:10: “Nationals was a lot of fun and a great way to end the year with a team I love representing and running with. My race fell shy of my expectations. I was hoping for top six, an improvement on last year and a chance to represent the old USA in Scotland. Two miles into the race, I knew I was in trouble, at which point I think I stopped hoping for the win and started to focus more on staying in a front pack. On the second loop of the course, in what seemed like a fraction of a second, I fell from the top group to about 30th place. A course like this one grinds and grinds and takes a tough and experienced runner to really run it well throughout. From 5k onward there was very little movement in the pack; everyone at that point just seemed hopeful that the finish line might be getting closer. I managed to stop the bleeding and not lose too many more spots in the last mile, finishing ultimately in 26th place.

Taking a much needed week off now. Perhaps I expected my season to be over a month ago with the NYC marathon and so now I am feeling extra tired, but I am glad I was invited to come down to KY and play a part in the BAA’s 7th place finish.”

Why didn’t you go to Philly (like Katie DiCamillo did)? Are you on a pretty rigid schedule gearing up for Boston 2013? How soon after they cancelled NYC did XC enter the picture?

“We were all gearing up for this one particular marathon, so when that was not an option anymore, I did not really have any interest in running another one – could not see the point. I was not trying to run a marathon, I was trying to run the New York City Marathon. For me, flexibility in training/racing is a key to my success, being able to adjust and roll with the punches.

I was still pretty fit in November, so Coach Kerr said I could run Manchester – race hard, try to pick up some cash. He was against my running club XC, thinking I should rest and start building for Boston, rather than delaying it by 2 weeks. I wanted to have a little fun and I missed running cross country, so he gave me the ok with a warning though. When I came back from Kentucky, following a race I was pretty disappointed with, he was there to say ‘I told you so.’ (justified.)

Starting tomorrow it is all about Boston 2013. So, I will do what Coach Kerr tells me and not let other things effect my running/racing schedule, but keep my eyes on the prize.”

Mary Kate Champagne (NBB) – 14th, 20:55: “I wasn’t absolutely thrilled with my individual performance (would have liked to have been top ten), but I wasn’t devastated either; the fact that we placed third as a team and had fun the whole weekend mitigated my disappointment. I look forward to getting on the track in the spring.”

Katie DiCamillo (NBB) – 19th, 21:03: “In terms of qualifying for a USA xc team, I am not planning on going abroad to race. I raced the Philidelphia marathon, a few weeks before club nationals – I need to focus on getting back in shape before I start getting into serious racing. I would like to focus on indoor and outdoor. 
In terms of club nationals – My goal going into the race was to place top 20 – so I was happy with my individual performance! Considering that I only had two weeks of training behind me, I just wanted to have a solid performance. But my main goal was to help score points for the team. So I was delighted that we came in 3rd. We all had strong performances!”

From Brielle Chabot (BAA) – 20th, 21:04: “I thought the course was great, I think the rolling hills and the muddy conditions made for it to be a difficult but strength-based kind of race. Running the course the day before was very helpful because the finish comes up kind of quickly, so it was good to know exactly where to anticipate it.

There were a couple of hairpin turns here and there and so that was the only thing I was really concerned about regarding the course on raceday. Everything else is just a matter of embracing the conditions – after all, it is xc! It was great to be able to race against so many talented and fast women from all over the country, though it was comforting to see fellow Boston-area runners througout the race. I felt as if I ran a very competitive and strong race. I got pushed around a little at the start, but I just kept confident and focused on racing.

The Kentucky area is beautiful and so it was a great experience for me to visit a new place. The UK Basketball scene is no joke – everyone is a hardcore fan!”

And then she sprinkled in some flavor…

“It was muddy, it was tough…there’s nothing sexy about xc! I love saying that cause its true. You don’t feel like a gazelle by any means on an xc course, haha.”

Kent Lemme (GSH) – 14th, 34:30: “I think I told you at NE X-C that we (Harriers Master Team) are more or less interchangable parts as far as what place we finish in. At NE it was Mike, Kent, Francis, Sandu at Nationals it was Francis, Kent, Sandu, Mike. It all depends on the day, who is feeling good, what the course is like, the distance, etc. I was actually really happy with my race, typically when I get into courses that are soft with poor traction I fall off the pace pretty badly. Knowing it wasn’t my type of course and the fact that I was wearing 7.5 OZ Inov-8 shoes and still coming in 14th overall I was psyched about it! I know I am in better shape than the time I ran but once again X-C is all about place and not time. When you look at the Master’s Men results the big surprise is that about 1/2 of the top 20 were 45 and over. Typically as the new just-turned-40′s enter the scene the 45 and over’s start to take more of a back seat but this current group seems to be hanging tough and defying the laws of nature!”

If you haven’t picked up the latest issue yet, what are you waiting for? It’s out now. If you’re a regular reader but haven’t subscribed yet, it’d be a big help to us if you signed up for a free subscription. Thanks!

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