Photo courtesy of USATF
October saw CNW runners competing in long-distance events across the country. The first weekend alone had multiple wins, PRs, and marathon debuts. Within a two-day span, Carl Combs won the Masters 5 km Championships in New York in a blazing time of 15:52 while In Wisconsin, Joe Gray took the W at the Half Marathon Trail Championships.
Joe Gray winning the Half Marathon Trail Championships
Photo credit: Richard Bolt
In Yachats, OR, Pomona–Pitzer alum Shelley Chestler won the Oregon Coast 50k in 4:43:30. Closer to home at the Fall City Half, Pat McAuliffe was first in 1:13:33, with Sean Haffey and Nicole Green in third for the men and women, respectively. The next day in the Midwest, Nick Welch ran 2:29:11 at the Chicago Marathon, his first time at the distance, and Cheryl Bayart finished in 3:19:22. Keeping a strong October streak going for Club Northwest, Janet McDevitt took 3rd at the Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships in Boston.
Meanwhile, back on the West Coast, Moira O’Connor finished her marathon debut in 2:57:52 at Portland for second overall. North of the border, David Fort ran a big PR of 2:40:19 at the Victoria Marathon, running in a strong group for sixth overall. Even one of CNW’s youngest members, nine-year-old Sonya Carter, brought home a victory, a PR, and a debut, winning the 14 and under division at the hilly Columbia Gorge Half Marathon in 2:31:10.
Tyler Van Dooren looking strong at the WWU Classic at Lake Padden
There was no shortage of local race victories as well. At the Dawg Dash, Kristi Houk was sixth in 19:27 in the 5k, with fifth-place finishes from Charlie Waters and Ben Sauvage on the men’s side in the 5k and 10k, respectively. At the Fall City 10k, Joe Sheeran, 59, was second overall in 36:09, a stellar time at age 59!
The first of two races this fall at Lower Woodland, the Emerald City Open on October 14 saw Club’s open teams dominate at the 6k and 8k distances. In fourth overall, Lana Lacey led the women’s team in 22:09, with Ashley Nichols and Olivia Hill in seventh and eighth, and a pack of Annie Reed, Meghan Lyle, Caitlin McIlwain, and Zosia Brown completing the scoring in 11th through 14th. The men had SPU alum Turner Wiley in second overall, with Forest Tarbath, Robert Baraldi, and Tyler Van Dooren working together in fourth through sixth. Lance Thompson finished strong in 27:06 for the second masters spot behind Seattle Running Club’s Uli Steidl.
Lana Lacey having a strong race at Lower Woodland Park
Club returned to Lower Woodland for the association championship, where CNW nearly swept all team titles, taking wins in both open divisions and the women’s 40+, men’s 40+, and men’s 50+ masters divisions. The open women scored a close 27-29 victory over the growing Bellingham Distance Project squad behind strong performances by Ruby Roberts in third and Lana Lacey, fourth, who repeated at 22:09 for 6k. The open men swept the top eight spots in the 10k behind Joe Gray’s dominant 31:13 win on a cold and windy day. Turner Wiley repeated his second spot from three weeks prior, with six Club teammates in tow: Drew Polley, Baraldi, Forest Tarbath, Van Dooren, Nathan Richards, and Chris Reed.
A cold start at the PNTF Cross Country Championships at Lower Woodland Park
The penultimate cross race of the year is November 18 in Portland, where CNW will battle regional foes at Fernhill Park for the USATF Pacific Northwest Championships. From there, it’s three weeks until we return to Club Nationals in Lexington, Kentucky, on December 9.