The Central Mass Striders traveled to Tallahassee Florida for the USATF 2016 National Club Cross Country Championships. A rolling course, home to FSU, within Apalachee Regional awaited teams from all over the country. It felt like home for CMS. Several teams from the USATF New England Association were in attendance: Greater Springfield Harriers, Liberty Athletic Club, Greater Lowell Road Runners, Boston Athletic Association, Greater Boston Track Club, HFC Striders, Battle Road Track Club, NE Distance, SISU Project, The Heartbreakers.
Also from the North came freezing temperatures on the morning of the race. Temperatures warmed up to the 50’s by the late morning. The Central Mass Striders men’s masters team, led by Tim Van Orden, finished 7th out of 16 40+ teams. Tim ran 34:23. He was followed by Gregory Putnam who paced the course in 34:56. Todd Callaghan ran 35:11. Joe Shairs clocked the course in 35:23 while Arthur Besse capped the scoring with a time of 35:50. James Pawlicki ran 36:28.
Nate Jenkins ran a solid race, passing runners throughout the five loop course, placing 119th in a field of 307 starting runners in the Men’s Open 10K race. He ran a time of 32:10, 5:11 pace per mile. Nate’s wife, Melissa Donais, ran 24:24 to place 165th out of 188 runners.
Place TmPl Name Age Club Time Pace
26 24 Tim Van Orden 48 Central Mass Striders 34:23 5:32
34 32 Greg Putnam 47 Central Mass Striders 34:56 5:38
38 35 Todd Callaghan 47 Central Mass Striders 35:11 5:40
41 38 Joe Shairs 48 Central Mass Striders 35:23 5:42
45 41 Arthur Besse 44 Central Mass Striders 35:50 5:46
53 49 James Pawlicki 42 Central Mass Striders 36:28 5:53
OPEN MEN'S 10K OVERALL
119 Nathaniel Jenkins 36 Central Mass Striders 32:10 5:11
OPEN WOMEN'S 6K OVERALL
165 Melissa Donais 32 Central Mass Striders 24:24 6:33
USATF 2016 National Club Cross Country Championships Tallahassee, FL results
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| CMS 40+ team: Todd, Jim, Tim, Joe, Arthur, & Greg |
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| Todd, Greg, Joe waiting for open 10K results |
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| Nate Jenkins on his way to a 32:10 in the Men's Open 10K |