Monday, March 30, 2009

Goggin Runs 2:25 at USA Masters
For those of you who ran in the late 80s, you well remember Jim Goggin, who was a middle distance coach and is still racing. A few weeks ago at the USA Masters Championships, he ran 2:25 on the victorious 4x800 team and then came back and ran 2:28 for 10th overall, beating a former world record holder Henry Rono. Last year the same team set an age group world record. More
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Rick Platt said...

By Rick Platt



One year after their U.S. club record for the men’s 50-59 age group in the 3,200-meter relay at the USATF National Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Colonial Road Runners foursome of Steve Chantry, Rick Samaha, Danny Schlickenmeyer and Jim Goggin were at it again this past weekend. The venue changed from the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston to the Prince George’s Sports Complex in Landover, MD, for the eighth annual three-day event (Friday through Sunday).

In 2008, that quartet ran 9:06.90 in the 4 x 800-meter relay to smash the previous American record of 9:20.1 for men 50-and-over, with splits of 2:16 (Samaha), 2:18 (Schlickenmeyer), 2:22 (Goggin) and 2:10.9 (Chantry). The team’s focus this year switched more to the individual events, but they did want to defend their title in the 3,200-meter relay, and they succeeded Saturday afternoon with a time of 9:31.0, with splits by Samaha (2:23.5), Schlickenmeyer (2:19.5), Goggin (2:25.5) and Chantry (2:23.5), easily winning the men’s 50-59 division by over 10 seconds over their friendly rivals from New York, the Genesee Valley Harriers. That was the same team that the CRR beat last October for a national team title in Greensboro, NC at the National Masters 5K Cross Country Championships, but lost to by just one point, 27-28, at the National Masters 8K Winter Cross Country Championships in Derwood, MD in February.

Rick Samaha started the individual events on Friday with a seventh-place finish (men 50-54) in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:17.73 (equivalent to a sub-11-minute two mile).

On Saturday Chantry placed sixth for men 50-54 in the mile with a time of 4:51.02, although he was leading for much of the race, in an attempt to break the American single-age-54 record of 4:48.69, going out in a blazing fast 33.5 for the first 200 meters, but getting passed by a pack in the final 400 meters.

Also Saturday Schlickenmeyer was fifth (men 50-54) in the 400 meters with a 58.05.

On Sunday, Schlickenmeyer was 10th in the 200 meters in 27.09. Chantry was third in the 800 meters in 2:10.67, his best race of the weekend. Goggin was 10th (for men 55-59) in his 800 meters in 2:28.20, beating former world-record holder Henry Rono of Kenya. Then the foursome concluded the weekend by placing fourth (for men 50-59) in the 1,600-meter relay in 4:08.62, with splits of 57.6 (Schlickenmeyer), 1:02.3 (Samaha), 1:08.9 (Goggin) and 59.8 (Chantry), close to their eventual goal of a sub-4:00.

As a team, the CRR placed 38th of 87 teams with a total of 23 points.

On an age-graded basis (with 90% being considered world-class and 80% considered national class), Chantry led the way with a 92.04% in the 800 meters and a 90.36% in the mile. Schlickenmeyer had an 86.45% in the 400 meters and an 83.89% in the 200 meters. Samaha was 82.1% in the 3,000 meters, and Goggin was 81.84% in the 800 meters. Every performance was at least a national-class effort. The group plans additional outdoor track meets during the spring, with Chantry making another attempt at the U.S. age 54 record in the mile.

Chantry had broken an American single-age 54 record in the 3,000 meters three weeks earlier with a time of 9:43.95 at the Eastern Masters Indoor Track Championship on the same Prince George’s track, breaking the previous mark of 9:44.73 by Harry Nolan in 2001.

Last year, at age 53, at the USATF indoor championships, Chantry age graded 90.07% in the 3,000 meters (9:32.32), an event he skipped this year to save himself for the mile. Also in 2008, Chantry age graded 91.22% in the mile (4:45.89) and had his lifetime best 93.07% (either roads or track) in the 800 meters with a 2:08.12.

March 30, 2009 at 9:49 AM

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