LOOKING AHEAD TO A RANGE OF COMPETITIONS
No, local runners are not going to find any big events being held in the coming weeks in Morris County as we breeze through the 2006 winter. But, if we look beyond our borders there are some interesting opportunities.
It is no secret that I am a fan of indoor track. When I am fit I love to run indoors and anytime I love to watch indoor track. Time constraints this year have kept me away from the local high school competition so I am reduced to following via newspaper accounts. I know that some of my readers also follow the kids and some, albeit a much smaller group, also like to compete indoors.
Coming up on February 12th is the annual USATF-NJ Masters and Open Track and Field Championship. For as long as most of us can remember the Masters meet has been held at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack. The Open meet has piggy-backed with that meet for the past couple of years.
MEET HAS MOVED TO JERSEY CITY ARMORY
Masters runners who ran indoors while in high school probably remember competing at the Jersey City Armory, a huge cavernous building with a track that was basically lines painted on the floor. You couldn’t wear spikes and you also couldn’t expect to run the turns fast for fear of skittering off sideways.
Well, the unbelievable has happened. The Jersey City Armory has begun to upgrade the facility and at the center of the action is a new Mondo track. Feedback from those who have seen the track is extremely positive.
“It’s a first rate track that is being refurnished in a first rate fashion with top notch equipment,” said Ken Brinker of Randolph. Brinker’s own track career goes back to high school and an illustrious career at Penn State. He has won numerous medals in Masters competition at the hurdles and sprints. Brinker is a volunteer coach with a local high school and is the President of USATF-New Jersey.
“The hurdles are top notch Olympic standard hurdles,” said Brinker. “They are not only putting in a first rate track but they are also giving attention to putting in first rate equipment.”
“The track has been surveyed and certified,” he said. “Which means that records will be certifiable.”
“A Mondo surface is what I would call the top line performance surface,” said Brinker. “It’s the kind of surface put down for the Olympics”
One of the complaints about the FDU track was the ban on spikes. A Mondo surface allows for pin spikes according to Brinker.
“It’s six lanes with an eight lane straight-away,” he said. “It will accommodate more of the distance races, like a 5k race or a DMR. You can put more relay runners on it.”
The meet schedule on the 12th begins with a series of select youth events at 10:00 a.m. At 12:30 p.m. the Open and Masters track events begin, starting with the 60 meter sprints followed by the first distance event, the 1500 meter run. Also for the distance runners is a 3,000 meter run, and for the “shorter” folks, an 800 and a 400 meter run.
At the end of the meet is a 4 X 400 followed by one specially selected for road runners – the Distance Medley. This is a great event for running clubs. The distances are 400 meters, 800, 1200 and 1600. While it is only officially offered for Open competition, that does not preclude clubs from putting together DMR teams that include Masters athletes or that are made up entirely of Masters.
A meet application is available at www.usatfnj.org on the Track & Field page.
RUN CROSS COUNTRY IN FEBRUAY
For those who really like running outdoors and never mind that indoor stuff, and for those who like both, a real opportunity to compete at a high end event is being offered this year for distance runners. One of the major national cross country events is being held on February 18th and 19th at Van Courtlandt Park in New York. Top distance runners will be trying to qualify to represent the USA at the 2006 IAAF World Cross County meet in Japan and to compete at the national championship.
Distances for the meet, which features separate races in a number of divisions range from 4 kilometers up to 12K. Masters will have separate 8K races on Saturday morning for women and men. New Jersey clubs are being encouraged to field a team or teams for the events.
Complete information can be found at http://www.usatf.org/events/2006/USAXCChampionships/
RUN FROSTBITE AT SPARTA
Back home in New Jersey, runners could warm up for the New York cross country races by running in the Frostbite in Sparta’s Station Park on February 5th. The distance, according to those who have run the race, is maybe 5K, maybe not, depending on the weather and the condition of the park and what course is used. That should not keep people home. The cost of the winter fun is a can’t-beat-it eight dollars. Race time is 10:00 a.m. For information call Sparta Recreation at 973-729-2383.
Published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County New Jersey
on Sunday, January 29, 2006
Copyright, MADELINE BOST, 2006
