WHO ARE THOSE GUYS? GEEZERS MAKE THEIR MARKThey showed up at Holmdel two weeks ago. Wearing shirts and singlets that were spin-offs of comic hero Superman, but with a big "G" on their chests. Who are those guys? No, not superman's cousins, they are the Geezers. Mostly from Randolph the Geezers entered an M40 and an M50 team at the cross country 5K. They picked up points too. Four points for their M50 team, and with the same men, three for the M40 team. The Geezers ran fairly unnoticed as a forties team at the Summit Our House five miler in May that was the Masters championship for that distance. Team member Peter Lee of Randolph had yet to turn 50 at that point. |
Had they been an M50's team they would have placed eighth out of ten teams. As an M40 team they finished tenth out of ten.
Not deterred by their inaugural showing, they entered the President's Cup Night Race in Millburn in June. The President's Cup is an Open men's championship and all of the clubs throw teams into that race including their masters teams. Out of nineteen teams, the Geezers finished last.
Then came the cross country race and those new shirts. Runners began to take notice.
"Our goal this year was to see our names on that USATF website under the team standings," said Steve Stikna of Randolph. "Now, we know we're not knocking off the Striders or whatever the big teams are, but if we could just see Geezers with a few points we'll be happy."
Next Saturday October 27, the Geezers will be back where they began, at the Dover Renaissance 5K. Although the race is in the New Balance Grand Prix, it has never been a championship and that allowed Lee, who is the race director to create team categories that do not have to follow strict rules. Runners can compete with an official club team, but a group of pals can put together a much more informal team. Thus the Geezers were born.
"It's informal. You don't have to be USATF," said Stikna, who is now 56. "We had just turned forty and we were masters so that's how I came up with the name."
For the past fifteen years the Geezers entered the Dover Renaissance and a few other informal team races; just a bunch of friends enjoying themselves. But at the back of Stikna and Lee's minds was the lure of becoming a real team.
"So I said to Pete, 'we really have to get official'", said Stikna. We've been talking about this for years. We've got to get a USATF number."
Stikna pushed it even further. "You're going to be the President and I'm going to be the Vice President."
Thus the team was registered. The Original Geezers, USATF-New Jersey Team number 966, Open and Masters, Track, LDR and XC. It says so right on the association website.
The core group is from Randolph, or has some sort of connection. Dr. Steve Feuer, for instance, lives in Bridgewater but has a dental practice in Denville. Feuer has been running the Dover race since 1992 and says it is his favorite race according to Lee. A few years back Stikna approached him and invited him to run for the Geezers. He's been one of their fastest men, usually going under 20 minutes in a 5K.
Tom Grunert is another Randolph resident who met Lee when their kids were in the Randolph Recreation program. Grunert is a veteran marathoner who runs in the 21 to 22 minute range.
Most are in their 50's or will soon turn fifty, which is when they will be at full strength as an M50 team. Racing for a team is only part of their fun. They have found that running as a group once a week has been good for all of them.
"The incentive when you get five or six guys running together on a Sunday morning is tremendous," said Stikna. "We would run on a Sunday morning. We rotated from house to house and we'd go out even if it was ten or fifteen degrees. We didn't care, as long as it wasn't dangerous."
"When you meet every Sunday you have to run a couple times during the week because when you meet on Sunday you don't want to be lagging," said Stikna.
"On paper we thought we could be fairly competitive," said Stikna. "But we had no idea of the injury toll. We only have five, six, seven guys in the 50 to 59 group and trying to find them healthy at the same time - that never crossed our minds."
"This year we didn't take it too, too seriously," said Stikna. "We don't have any grand hopes of being the state champions, but we're having a lot of fun. It's keeping us motivated."
RENAISSANCE ON TEMPORARY COURSE THIS YEAR
Road construction on the traditional Dove course has forced a temporary change this year. It will be a true out-and-back on Blackwell Street, and virtually flat with only the one turn. Times could be fast. Registration can be done from Tuesday through Friday at Runners Haven on Route 10 Eastbound or on race day.
Originally published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey on Sunday, October 21, 2007
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2007
