Sunday, May 31, 2009

SCA Road Running Grand Prix Series Comes to Brentwood!

SCA Road Running Grand Prix
Brentwood 10K

June 7, 2009
BRENTWOOD, CA--Competition in the inaugural Southern California USATF Road Running Grand Prix Series is heating up with the 3rd stop in the 7-race series being the Brentwood 10K on Sunday, June 7—one of the most popular late spring Los Angeles area road races.

Thanks to its ideal, year-round training conditions, Southern California boasts some of the nation’s finest distance runners…including the Santa Monica-based Fluffy Bunny Track Club, winners of the 2008 USATF National Masters Cross Country Championships held in Spokane, Washington, last December. On the women’s side, The Janes Elite Racing Team, a USATF Elite Athlete Development Club also based in Santa Monica, has won two national cross country team titles led by their captain, the nationally-ranked Tania Fischer.

While the SCA recognizes the accomplishments of individual athletes in its Road Running Championships, the 7-race, 2009 Grand Prix Series is a new competition that emphasizes and rewards team-based competition as well. “We are very excited about working with W2 Promotions to bring our Grand Prix series to Brentwood,” says Long Distance Running chair, Wayne Joness. “The Brentwood 10K is a very popular local race and our USATF clubs are looking forward to the opportunity to compete against each other towards the individual and team cash prizes that will be awarded at the end of the Series.”

“The distance running talent that lines up at the starting line for the Brentwood 10K is outstanding,” Wayne continues. Runners that other races would fly-in to compete just happen to live a within a short drive the beautiful West Los Angeles Brentwood community!” In addition to the elite running teams like the Fluffy Bunnies, The Janes, and Nike Team Run LA, other local USATF clubs include the Elite Health Track Club based in Culver City, the Santa Monica Track Club, Track Club LA, Track West, and the VS Athletics Track Club—all based in Santa Monica. These clubs include more than a few local heroes, with runners who range in age from 19 to 69.”

Regardless of your fitness level, it is a good idea to have a well-planned strategy on race day. The Brentwood 10K is an out-and-back loop, with runners repeating the 5K loop twice before finishing in the middle of the Brentwood business district on beautiful San Vicente Boulevard. There is a slight uphill grade at the beginning and, consequently, a slight downhill grade to the finish line.

“I have been surveying some of our more experienced runners for suggestions on how best to approach racing the 10K,” Wayne noted. “USATF member Tyrus Deminter, who runs with Team Runners High, suggests focusing on holding a consistent effort the second time you hit the gradual uphill at the beginning of the second loop. He advises not to worry if you slow down a bit, just keep your effort the same. Then, when you make the turn-around before 26th Street, let the downhill assist you in building turnover for a strong finish and a final kick. Tyrus should know, as he has been the overall winner of the Brentwood 10K on more than one occasion!”

Veterans of the Brentwood 10K may be surprised to learn that it has been quite a while since Southern California USATF has conducted a competitive road running series. With the Southern California Association encompassing 34,000 square miles, this year’s Grand Prix Series features races from Dana Point in the South to Santa Barbara in the North. “For numerous local USATF runners, the grassy San Vicente Boulevard island is where their training runs start or end,” Wayne notes. “Runners you see circling the dirt path around the Brentwood Golf course later show up on the covers of Runners World and Cal Track and Running News magazines.”

USA Track & Field is about far more than just elite-level runners, however. For the Grand Prix Series, it uses age-graded scoring—which is a way of providing equal recognition and rewards for those who produce a great effort on race day based on their sex and age. Typically, Grand Prix Teams are a mixture of men and women teammates of various ages. USATF Clubs provide training groups that help runners of every ability improve their running. The energy and dynamics of training with a group inspires everyone to work harder and increases every member’s potential to achieve success. The effort to increase and expand club-based training and competition opportunities is a new priority for Southern California USATF and is what created its Road Running Grand Prix Series.

CONTACT:
Wayne Joness, Chair
Open Athletics Long Distance Running Committee
Southern California Association / USA Track & Field
Cell (310) 600-5332 Email: runner@joness.com

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

SCA Jim Bush Track & Field Championships

Jim Bush So Cal Championships
USATF West Region Championships
June 6, 2009
Mt San Antonio College
USATF MEMBERSHIP:
All competitors must be a 2009 member of USA Track & Field. A current 2009 membership number will be required to submit an online meet entry. Athletes can join/renew their memberships at www.usatf.org/membership/application. For athletes entering the meet on‐site, you will be able to join USATF for the annual fee of $30.00. (There is an additional $5 processing fee for issuing USATF memberships for residents of Associations outside Southern California.)

ENTRY PROCEDURE & DEADLINE:
All pre‐meet entries must be made on‐line at www.usatf.org by 11:59pm PDT on Sunday May 31. Athletes must be entered as “unattached” if they are not members of a USATF‐registered club. Pre‐meet entries will be posted at www.usatf.org and updated hourly as received. “A” section heats and flights will be posted at www.flashresults.com/flashwest on Thursday, June 4.

LATE ENTRIES:
Please note the late entry fee is $30.00.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

SCA Marathon Championships Results

OC Marathon
Sunday - May 3, 2009

NEWPORT BEACH, CA—Under perfect marathon running conditions (overcast and cool), the 2009 Southern California USATF Marathon Championship was held in conjunction with the 5th annual Avia Orange County Marathon on Sunday, May 3. Taking first place in the men’s division was marathon newcomer Eulogio Rodriguez, who traversed the scenic 26.2 mile course in 2:26:30. In the women’s division, veteran Cheryl Smith claimed the championship title with a time of 3:07:04.

Eulogio Rodriguez - Winner Men's Marathon with USATF Coach Bob Larsen


Cheryl Smith - Winner Women's Marathon

For Rodriguez, it was only his second marathon—the first being the Long Beach Marathon last October in which he ran a nearly identical time of 2:26:27. “Eli”, as he is known to his International City Racing Club teammates, was hoping for a time of 2:22. “I thought the next runners were only 3-4 minutes behind me,” Rodriguez noted. “So every time I cramped up and had to stop and walk, I was worried they would catch me.” As it turned out, his nearest competitor was almost 25-minutes behind, leaving Rodriguez to race against the clock for the last half of the race.

While Eli is new to the marathon, Cheryl Smith, the women’s champion, claimed the title again after winning the inaugural OC Marathon in 2004. Close behind Cheryl was runner-up Rosalva Bonilla, the first Masters Woman finisher, with a time of 3:10:37. While, start-to-finish, the course elevation is a net loss (i.e. downhill), the rolling hills of the redesigned course sapped the speed from some of the top runners in the race.



In addition to those top athletes, the Southern California Association was well-represented in all its 5-year age-groups. Among those runners were age-group gold medal winners Ryan Albu (31) of Pasedena and Andy Bussell (28) of Newport Beach. Like Eli and Cheryl, both were also 2009 Southern California 5K Champions at the Coaster Run 5K in March. In addition to running both those Association Championship races and participating in the Road Running Grand Prix Series, Andy, who ran 6-miles Sunday morning before the start of the marathon (!!), is also launching an ultra-distance runner career and participating in the 2009 SCA M.U.T. Ultra Runners Grand Prix.

With the highs and lows of racing the challenging marathon distance behind them, SCA runners are now focusing on the next Southern California Grand Prix race—the Brentwood 10K—on Sunday, June 7 in beautiful Brentwood, California. This starts a stretch of Grand Prix scoring-only races, which continues with the Semana Nautica 15K on July 4 in Santa Barbara, and the Run Forest Run 5K, held in conjunction with the Long Beach Marathon, on October 11.



The next Southern California USATF Championship race will be the Santa Barbara Half-Marathon on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

SCA Masters Track & Field Championships

June 6, 2009
Soka University
Aliso Viejo, CA

SCA Masters Track & Field Championships

SCA Masters Track & Field Championships Information (PDF)

IMPORTANT NOTE: On time entry deadline is May 28th. Late entry with $20.00 late fee until June 3rd--no entries accepted after June 3rd - NO SAME DAY MEET ENTRIES

USATF Masters West Region Track & Field Championships

June 20-21, 2009
Soka University
Aliso Viejo, CA

USATF Masters West Region Track & Field Championships

USATF Masters West Region Track & Field Championships (PDF)

IMPORTANT NOTE: On time entry deadline is June 10th (must be postmarked or done online by then) $20.00 late fee from June 11th to June 15th--no entries accepted after June 15th - NO SAME DAY MEET ENTRIES

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