April 03, 2016

Despite early morning squalls that coated the nearby roads in a layer thick, slippery snow, more than 400 runners made their way to the Bethlehem Central Middle School in Delmar, NY, to tackle the 28th edition of the Delmar Dash five mile road race. A popular race with runners across the capital region, the Delmar Dash has historically drawn out the local racers looking to put down some fast times. It is also the second race in the USATF-ADK grand points series.

While the streets of nearby Albany were thoroughly covered in snow, the quiet, neighborhood roads that make up flat, twisty Delmar Dash course were miraculously clear and, by race start, mostly dry. Though runners were spared treacherous footing, they were forced to contend with gusting winds that, during a long straight section of mile four, was punching them right in the face. 

The womens’ race was led in the first mile by Julia Flower (Kinetic RC), Karen Bertasso (Willow St. AC) and Brittany Winslow (Willow St. AC), who came through together with a large pack of men at around 5:45. Flower, who usually takes races out very fast from the gun, held back at the beginning but then put the pressure on over the next two miles, hitting mile 3 in 17:12. Bertasso let Flower go, but was unable to reel her back in. With the strong winds breaking up many of the front groups, both Bertasso and Winslow found themselves out in no man’s land by the halfway point. “Where the wind impacted me the most was between mile 3 to 4.25,” said Bertasso.  “I was alone from 3-4 so that was hard against the wind physically and mentally.” Bertasso crossed the line in 30:04, followed by her teammate in 30:35. Winslow, who has returned to the capital region and road racing after running track and cross country for Boston College, was happy with her early season performance. “I primarily have raced the 5k but I'm starting to like the longer distances,” she said. “I'm excited to try a half marathon or 10 mile race because I think that might be a nice middle ground.”

In the men’s race, Eric Macknight stayed true to form, taking the lead early and coming through the first mile in 4:59, followed closely by Aaron Lozier (ARE RT) in 5:07 and Rich Messineo (ARE RT) in 5:26. Macknight kept the pace high, but steady, and with no one else wanting to take the race out fast, Lozier quickly found himself on his own in windy conditions and shifted strategy. “After the mile, I throttled waaay back hoping that a chase pack would catch me for someone to run with and break the wind,” said Lozier. With about a mile and half to go, Lozier was caught by Chuck Terry (Willow St. AC) who covered the second and third miles in 10:34 to close the gap. A battle for second place ensued, and while it looked like Terry might have the better of Lozier, a calf strain took him out of the running. “It really sucked seeing him pull up lame with half a mile to go but that is a part of the sport,” said Lozier. Macknight finished as strong as he started, powering through to the finish 25:22 with a 4:59 final mile, followed by Lozier in 27:08. John Farley (Willow St. AC), who kept up a strong, steady tempo after the first mile, rounded out the men’s podium coming in at 27:21 .

With two races down in the USATF-ADK Grand Prix series both Flower and Macknight have jumped out to an early points lead, both having finished first in March’s Runnin’ of the Green four miler. Macknight, who has yet to be challenged, is looking forward to the Adirondack Distance Run 10 miler on June 26th, which should be a great test of his speed over distance and over rolling terrain. Flower will keep her eye on the grand prix races, but will also be racing for the Schalmont High School track team. Bertasso was the series winner in 2015 and runner-up in 2014 and would like to come out on top again this year, but is transitioning off of a year of marathon-focused training and racing and favors the longer distance races (15k and up) over the shorter distance races that make up the bulk of the grand prix schedule. For her part, Winslow is enjoying the break from the competition-focused running of the last four years and isn’t targeting the grand prix series. “I haven't thought about points or times yet. In college I put a lot of pressure on myself to get certain times and places, for right now I want to just focus on enjoying running and racing with my new team.”

March 15, 2016

The 2016 USATF ADK grand prix series kicked off last Saturday with the Runnin' of the Green four mile road race in Rotterdam. More than 300 runners toed the line at Shalmont High School, including many of the area's top-talent who were eager to pick up some early, grand prix points.

In the women's race, Julia Flower set a hard pace from the starting gun and kept the lead throughout, crossing the line in 23:04. Flower, a senior who runs for Schalmont High and who will be taking her talents to Iona College next fall, has had success at this distance before, running a 22:42 at the Firecracker 4, was able to hold off a surging Renee Smith Tolan of Clifton Park, who crossed line in second just eight seconds behind her. Emily Bryans of Delanson, who has won this race seven times between 2000 and 2013, rounded out the womens' podium.

With so many strong women in contention, there was no time to relax. "I actually had no idea that there was another woman behind me so I definitely started the race hard and finished slower than I would have liked," said Flower, when asked about the close finish. "When I did hear people coming up behind me, I kicked it in hard for the last 100 meters. Renee did awesome too and ran a smart race."

In the men's race, Eric MacKnight (Ballston Lake), coming off of a strong top-20 showing at the USATF-NE grand prix opener 5k in Cambridge, MA the previous weekend, took the race out fast and kept it that way. "The only thing crossing my mind was 'don’t let up' because I know there is anyone that could come up on me," said MacKnight. "I have some leg speed, but don’t like leaving it to a kicker’s race." MacKnight broke the tape in 19:57, followed by Aaron Lozier of Albany who set a new PR of 20:22 for the 4 miler. "My goal for this race was to hang on to Eric for as long as possible," said Lozier. "I was only able to hang on to him until 1.5 miles in when he gapped me. The last 2 miles I went into survival mode to make it to the finish." Alex Benway of Saratoga Springs rounded out the men's podium, crossing the line in 20:52. 

More grand prix points will be up for grabs at the 28th running of the Delmar Dash 5 mile road race on April 3rd, and both Flower and MacKnight will be there with the hope of maintaining their early lead in the fourteen race series that ends with the Troy Turkey Trot in November. 

This was the 17th running of the race as a four miler, and its second year starting and finishing from Schalmont High School in Rotterdam under Race Director Brian Northan.