Turkey Trots And More

First up is the phenomenon known as the York YMCA downtown Turkey Trot.  This year it brought in more than 5,100 runners for a brief tour of the city!  There were acquaintances who joined in and told me it took them more than 5 1/2 minutes to reach the starting line!

I would bet that less than 5,100 people venture into downtown York in all 364 other days of the year added together.  I have patients who live north of York and visit my office south of York and circle the entire city to get there.  A significant number haven't been into the city once since 1969 and the riots.  And as Dave Barry says, "I'm not making that up."

There are more than 5,100 behind that line!

Daughter the Elder and her ex-York Suburban teammates.

Mary Kate Curran dominated the snow, wind and the roads in Peru, NY with a dominating performance in the John P. Adams Memorial Turkey Trot 10K.  And I already know she's on Santa's good list for a great gift in a month or so!

The Fuller Bros. (Inc.) again owned the New Cumberland Turkey Trot.  Not sure if the entire harem was involved but Mary Dell also won the women's division.

The results photo was sent by Jeff Sanden (whose clan also can in New Cumberland) and turned in a world record time for someone just 2 or so weeks following an appendectomy!

And although it was a week earlier, the Dawson twins also turned in splendid performances in the Philadelphia 8K!  Close enough for a turkey! These results were supplied by our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer, who may begin his comeback in 3 years or so!

ROTHMAN INSTITUTE 8K RESULTS

            Men’s 8K Results

Thomas Awad, 22, Philadelphia, PA, 00:24:00

Louis Serafini, 25, Brighton, MA, 00:24:11

Owen Dawson, 28, Coatesville, PA, 00:24:18

Jonathan Phillips, 23, Boston, MA, 00:24:24

Kyle Dawson,

28, Philadelphia, PA, 00:24:25

And not to be left out, Joe Kovacs gets into the holiday spirit by tossing some bird in this promotional photo from USATF!

It's Only Her 23rd In A Row

Today marks the 46th Annual Sea Isle City Beach Patrol Island Run.  I have been to the last 23 of them, having stopped running them several years ago.  But Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golfers) have played a big part in the festivities here, with both Tyler McCandless and Kyle Dawson winning it more than once!

It is a dreadful run mostly on the beach, subject to the vagaries of a changing tide, soft sand, vacationers, the holes they dig, jetties of varying heights, heat, humidity and a wind in your face in both directions.  Seriously might as well be a marathon.  Still, thousands find their way  to the narrow promenade at the start of the event every year, filling the coffers of the beach patrol for one heck of a closing season party, I presume!

Partner the Better will be lining up for her 23rd in a row.  The streak includes the time she was just 2 months past a brush with the Reaper and with a hemoglobin level of 7.  And I'm not making that up! Today's version may be the worst ever as the sand reclamation project has the sand as the softest ever, and the temperatures will be in the 90s with a heat index of over 100.

I'll try to find some other members of our group and may just run my daily 3 during the race.  Say hi if you see me there!

Here's an article written by a friend which includes mentions of other friends, all of whom are legends in Sea Isle.

Distance Running Legends...

Bill Kehner and The Great Bile, 1980.

Distance Night Performances

Here's all the PSU related distance results from the 2016 Penn Relays by place (just to mess with your mind).

• Tessa Barrett                  2nd place   5000M        16:08.11
• Jillian Hunsberger          4th place  5000M    16:27.39
• Brian Fuller (Alumni)    7th place  5000M    14:38.25
• Colin Abert                     9th place   5000M         14:10.66
• Ean Disilvio                    9th place   3000M SC    9:06.25
• Timothy McGowan       11th place   5000M      14:10.94
• John Dugan                    13th place  3000M SC    9:13.90
• Kyle Dawson (Alumni) 14th place   5000M  14:46.33
• John McGowan             20th place   5000M     14:23.09
• Wade Endress                24th place   5000M     14:28.83

And a special note for Don Skerpon's daughter Elyse Skerpon, who was 2nd in her heat of the 400M H!

• Elyse Skerpon                32nd place  400M H     1:03.53
• Rachel DeCecco             44th place   400M H     1:04.89

It Was A Hot Time In LA Yesterday

A warm weather marathon can be miserable.  And a first marathon is almost always a miserable experience. My very first came the day after the State HS XC meet and I was totally untrained and tired.  My great 20 mile run in 2:25 pace was spoiled by my 2:56 finish! 

Four Nittany Lions and a Group Friend ran the Olympic Trials Marathon  (and Women HERE) yesterday through the streets of Los Angeles. Four loops with sharp turns and a substantial number of first-timers in the race made this a unique race.

Both Tyler McCandless and Nick Hilton failed to finish in the heat and both were near the front more than half-way through.  Tyler went for broke and led for 6 or 7 miles and reported being chilled despite no longer sweating after 20 miles. At least 61 men dropped out!

Matt Fischer, in what I think was his first marathon, finished first for the Lion contingent in 2:25:34 in 43rd place.

Kyle Dawson, also in his first foray into the event, finished in 2:37:36 in 89th place.

The top Lion was Elizabeth Herndon who finished in 2:45:32 and in 40th place. She has earned another post-race beer!

The television coverage of the event was poor, the streaming options abysmal and the difficulty of getting full results from the USATF nearly impossible.  Still, any 4 from our group with a keg of beer could run things better and with more fairness. And with the continued antagonism (whether warranted or not) by 4th place finisher Kara Goucher to Nike Inc., maybe we haven't heard the last of this race.

"Breakthroughs don't happen without taking a risk. Today I took a risk but a breakthrough didn't happen. I dropped out at mile 20 when I felt I had chills but wasn't sweating anymore. The marathon is humbling, but the incredible support from friends and family is more humbling. Thank you all and I'll be back and striding towards new goals again soon."  -Tyler McCandless.

2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials

Three Four former Nittany Lions will be lacing em up tomorrow at the 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials

Name              Affiliation     Status     Decalation

Kyle Dawson

qualified

declared

Matt Fischer

Boston Athletic Association

qualified

declared

Tyler McCandless Boulder Harriers qualified declared
Complete entry list .

The men's and woman's races will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. If you are like me and want to watch multiple sports at once you can stream the event online via NBC Sports Live Extra (the Live Extra app required to watch on a mobile device).

Another great way to follow the entire Trials experience is to check in on the Tyler McCandless social media empire. Which should be in full force over the weekend.

Edit: Elizabeth Herndon is a declared entrant in the women's race. Competing for Cleveland Elite Development.

This Makes At Least Three In The Olympic Marathon Trials

In a jammed finish, Kyle Dawson finished his Half Marathon in 1:04:35 to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Trials.  Congrats Kyle!  Tyler McCandless will also be there.  Are there any others?

Kyle got in touch and points out that Matt Fischer will also be lacing up his racers for the Olympic Trials!

Kyle Dawson, in green.

Summer Running Down The Shore

It was my wife's 22nd finish in a row at the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol 10-Mile Island Run.  Quite a streak.  I only made about half of that, and now just sit around while everyone else suffers through the most miserable run in the world. (I did run my usual 3 miles on a treadmill earlier!)  10 Miles, mostly on the beach, with three soft-sand crossovers to a macadam promenade for about 2 miles out of the ten.  Some years there are leaps over the jetties that vary from steps to cliffs depending on the beach erosion.  They try to time the event so that tides are good to have enough sand for running, especially the last 2 mile stretch to the finish.  This year the tide came in and people were dodging the sunbathers, their kid's deep holes dug into the beach AND knee deep waves.  And they added an extra obstacle this year as the the runners had to scale a sand berm 3 times, created by the sand reclamation dredging project.

Needless to say, i enjoyed sipping my Black Cherry Wishniak as I greeted Fellow Nittany Lions and waited for my wife to finish while sitting on a deck overlooking the festivities.

Penn State has a deep history at the event, with 3 victories in recent years by Tyler McCandless and Kyle Dawson.  I'm pretty sure there have been other notable finishes by Lion runners, but I'm too lazy to look them up right now.  Fill me in if anyone knows more!

Kyle Dawson returned after a one-year lay off from the event to place 2nd overall.  Owen Dawson was there to watch also.  (You know those Middle Distance runners think 10 miles is way too far.  In this case, I agree with him!)  I even got to deliver the reimbursement voted on by the entire Idiot Officer quorum at the last Reunion.  Owen hand-delivered the Golden Putter to the event in time for its presentation to this year's recipient.  He had to rent a car for the trip and didn't even get to stop by for a meal.  It's good to know both Dawsons plan on attending next year's festivities.

Kyle Dawson, 2nd overall

Kyle Dawson, Owen Dawson warming up.  Coincidentally, friend Bill Kehner appeared in the pic upon review in the blue shirt.  This is his 39th or so in-a-row.

Barb Black at the start.  She doesn't yet know about the sand berms...

Kyle Dawson at the half-way mark.

I'm Always Going To Be Outdone By The Youngsters

My vacation in nearby Harpers Ferry was scenic and tranquil (miserable internet sees to that!), but leave it to our younger set to outdo my vacation in a big way. Here are my favorite vacation spots for running.

Tim Johnson, Owen Dawson and Kyle Dawson headed west to meet Dennis Pollow for a tour of the western states.  Here's some of their photos I have stolen from various sources.  I don't think they will mind.

Kyle Dawson, Owen Dawson and Tim Johnson. Apparently they have been running!

Darrell Hill Steals The Show Again

I traveled up to State College to see some friends and escape my mundane existence in South-Central PA.  I was hoping to capture some footage for my fledgling Reality Show.  When I arrived I took a quick tour around the Ashenfelter Facility and saw no one I knew.  Nothing special considering my 20 years of so of a hermit-like existence following graduation.  I got to watch warm ups for the upcoming Mens Shot Put.  It's actually an event I fully enjoy despite my 11 foot PR in the event. The season-by-season, year-by-year discipline and step-wise progression with these guys is really something to watch and admire.

As I saw Darrell Hill warming up I thought "He looks like he's ready for a big throw."  But what does a former college 118 pound second-string distance runner know about the throws?  I paid no more attention and didn't watch the actual event as I finally ran into pole-vaulter Don Skerpon, 800 U great Steve Shisler and the ever younthful Nick K.  When the results were posted on the big board, I was confused, as was Don.  Darrel set the all-time PSU record several weeks ago, bypassing the NCAA Champion C. J. Hunter with his toss of over 66 feet.  The board today said 67 feet 3.5 inches! There had to be a mistake.  But there wasn't!  Congrats to Darrell on the leading throw in the NCAA so far this year and the new School Record.

I'm busy trying to write a big man into my Reality Show scripts.

There was some action on the 800 U: Winner Take All front.  Following the photo-finish and apparently extra-exciting Distance Medley Relay on Friday night, I was psyched to watch the 800 M Invitational. And it didn't disappoint either...

Brannon Kidder was coming back from his stellar  2:51 1200M in the relay the day before. It didn't seem to affect him as he took the lead off the final turn to win the event in 1:47.86, the third ranked time in the NCAA.  I even got a photo of the pivotal moment of the race with my Droid Maxx!  Five PSU underclassmen were under 1:52 in the event! Game On in the Reality Series as Georgetown superstar Amos Bartlesmeyer pulled out of the race trying to double from his 1600M leg of the relay the night before.

  1 Kidder, Brannon    JR Penn State  1:47.86
  2 Windle, Drew       SR Ashland     1:48.41
  3 Murphy, Clayton    SO Akron       1:48.47
  4 Manahan, Ryan      SO Georgetown  1:48.63
  5 Muhammad, Ishmael  FR Villanova   1:50.82
  6 Watkins, Za'Von    JR Penn State  1:50.92
  7 Rhodes, Robert     JR Penn State  1:51.03
  8 Logue, Joey        FR Penn State  1:51.49
  9 Makins, Jordan     FR Penn State  1:51.88

The Mile gave me my first glimpse of Georgetown's Ahmed Bile, with PSU's Wade Endress and Alumni Golfer Owen Dawson mixing it up in the inevitable sub-4 race (8 years in a row!)  Owen seems to be in great shape early in his training season with his 4:03 and Wade set his PR with a 4:02 effort.  A personal shout-out to both from me on great runs!

Early in the race with Ahmed Bile in third, Owen Dawson in 4th and Wade Endress in 5th.

  1 Denault, Robert         JR Villanova   3:58.25
  2 Bile, Ahmed             SO Georgetown  3:59.04
  3 Knight, Justyn          FR Unattached  3:59.51
  4 Hehir, Martin           SR Syracuse    3:59.81
  5 Garcia-Garrison, Andrew SR Bucknell    4:02.35
  6 Endress, Wade           JR Penn State  4:02.69
  7 Leibold, Collin         JR Georgetown  4:03.29
  8 Dawson, Owen            AG Bryn Mawr   4:03.83

And let's not let fellow Alumni Golfer Kyle Dawson out of the mix as I caught a blurry view of him in the 3000M as he checked out his early season fitness on the banked turns of his home track.  We had a good conversation at the end of the meet discussing our experiences of running in the  tunnels under the 322 Bypass.  Not for the faint of heart.

Some Lions Prowling The XC Course

The USATF Club XC Championships were yesterday at the Lehigh course.  And there was a big Nittany Lion influence.  Most of you know I'm on my own for the most part, and stressed beyond belief for time and energy.  So I'm not here today to bring you all the details, but I will distribute some tasty tidbits I've come across and then hope others step up to fill in the gaps!

Leading USA XC Club Champs at mile 1. #hellobetter

A photo posted by Tyler McCandless (@trackty) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:31pm PST

Tyler McCandless started poorly in last year's race and vowed to do better this year.  So he led the pack at the 1-mile mark this year.  He faded some and ended up in 40th at 30:21.76 on the 10,200M course.  He was still happy, having taken the chance, and as in his meteorology doctorate courses, learned a valuable lesson.  His Boulder Running Co. team was fifth overall.

Owen Dawson was the first Nittany Lion with a very nice  30:01.23 for 22nd place.  Brother Kyle Dawson finished in 31:09.56 for 91st place.  The Bryn Mawr Running Club ended up 10th.

Kyle, left, and Owen Dawson, 3rd form left.

Doreen McCoubrie finished 2nd in the Women's 50 and over  Division (am I allowed to say that?).

Other Nittany Lions were represented in the Nittany Valley Running Club, along with a recovered Beer Miler!

26 #2762 Foster, Kara 24 Unattached 20:28.30

51 #1528 Herndon, Elizabeth 29 Cleveland El 20:59.58

71 #2142 Giannotti, Emily 22 Nittany Vall 21:23.67

80 #2145 Philbrook, Lauren 27 Nittany Vall 21:31.16

153 #2143 Kocjancic, Danielle 22 Nittany Vall 22:42.06

240 #2144 Marshall, Megan 28 Nittany Vall 24:06.97 199

19 Nittany Valley Running Club 601 60 65 125 152 199

Tyler McCandless

A Fuller! That's Tim Johnson taking pics with Brian Fuller next to him.

Kara Foster . Photo by Michael Scott.

John Evans, left ran too, but I couldn't find anything. so here is a pic of him and Paul Mackley a few years ago!

Owen Dawson .

USATF XC Club Nationals This Weekend

Our Director of Fun Teddy Quinn pointed me to the article highlighting the fact that this year's championships will have the largest field ever at the Lehigh course in Saucon Valley.  And right there at the top of the article is a nice pic of our very own Track Alumni Golfer Kyle Dawson, leading the pack!

I told Teddy that if it wasn't a Dawson it would be a Fuller!

Joining him at the event will be John Evans, who will be lacing them up representing our very own USATF team!  Thanks, John.   He relates that his expectations are muted, but I assured him that getting to the starting line means he has already won in my book.  Have a good run!

Also there will be Doreen (Startare) McCoubre, who happens to be the Grand Poobah of the entire Mid-Atlantic Division of the USATF, of which our team is part. Her help was integral to having a team representation in the USATF.  Thanks Doreen!

Some Excellent July 4th Fireworks

There were PSU Track Alumni (Golfers) in action all over yesterday highlighted by the great performances at The Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta.

Kara (Milhouse) Foster, left, 9th in Women's Elite.

$1250 for 6.2 miles!

Tyler McCandless, 8th in Elite Mens. (PRs at 5K and 10K)

$1500 for 29 minutes work.

Dawson Inc. at the Philly Zoo.

CoBlogger Matt Groves, at places unknown!

Director of Fun Teddy Quinn at the Firecracker 5K.

Dennis Pollow in Bergen NY.

And I'm finally home from West Virginia...

Track's Hot! So is the runway...

Track temperature surfaces estimated at 120 Fahrenheit today in Sacramento.

Just a few moments ago Mahagony Jones took fifth in the USATF Outdoor 200m final (22.64). One heck of a way to go out as a senior.

Just less than half an hour ago Casimir Loxsom took second in the USATF Outdoor 800m final (1:45). Duane Solomon took the bell lap at 49 seconds with Cas on his heels. Always one to get out hard, Cas' agressive running paid off in big ways as Charles Jock caused a bit of a stumble from the middle pack with 500m to go. Congrats Cas.

Meanwhile back here in Bucks County, the airport runway was hot. The afternoon heat was tipping over 90 degrees as Owen and Kyle Dawson took 1-2 in the Bucks County Mile — an out-and-back on the Johnstown Naval Air Base Runway in Warminster, PA. Hobbling on the sideline but cheering nonetheless was me.

These two remind me of that scene in Happy Gilmore where Happy keeps throwing big checks in the back seat of his car as he hops from tournament to tournament trying to buy back his Grandmother's house.

How do I get one of those big checks?

The Newly Anointed Alumni Golfer

For those of you who may not have met me yet, I am the new guy. My name is Nick Scarpello, and I am honored to join the ranks of this highly esteemed group of track & field alumni golfers. Of course, to get to this point, I had to first go through a very important vetting process. And so fellow alumni golfer David Baskwill invited me to meet him on the White Course’s ninth green at 9 o’clock for my first test. I actually have some footage from the meeting.

After the necessary newbie pranking was over with, David got into the hard interview questions. First, I had to tell David that I've never won a free game in mini-golf. No extra benefits: still eligible.  Next, I had with me a titanium driver and demonstrated for him that I do in fact have a slice worse than Charles Barkley.

Bad golfer:  check.

Next I reached into the back pocket of my golf slacks and pulled out printed race results from last week's Henderson Distance Carnival.

This may confirm the rumors you have heard. In my first post-collegiate race, I was indeed defeated by not one, but two, high school runners. Therefore I officially enter into that generation of athletes complaining about new generations getting faster each and every year. Take note also of fellow alumnus Owen Dawson in eighth.

From left:  Kyle Dawson, Me, Owen Dawson,
and PSUT&F rising senior Glen Burkhardt.
May 31, 2014. Henderson Distance Carnival.

Overly-enthusiastic runner:  check.

I had David convinced. But just to be safe, we did Rusty Boots and the bond was sealed.

So that sequence of events is basically what brought me here today. That, along with a passion for running, a sincere desire to help in connecting the Penn State T&F family worldwide, and a firm belief that there is something special about our community. Just the fact that a Penn State T&F Alumnus whom I have NEVER met, David, (the story told above is completely fabricated) has invited me to contribute to this blog, and to do it with the help of a teammate and friend (Matt Groves) I think speaks volumes about what it means to be a Penn Stater. So thank you, David.

My goal here will be to help all present and future alumni golfers to recognize and appreciate the closeness of the Penn State Track & Field family, and to take pride in knowing that you…yes, YOU… are a valued part of this tradition. Whether you were a mid-pack fighter or an All-American, you are, and always will be, Penn State. And we are proud of you.

On another note, the team’s NCAA travel group should be touching down in Portland right about now. The championship action for Penn State starts this Wednesday, June 11, with Melissa Kurzdorfer in the Hammer at 4:30 p.m. EST. Mahagony Jones will be the first Nittany Lion on the track: she runs in the 100-meter semifinals on Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. EST.

Here is TV/broadcast info for the weekend:

Wednesday:  6:55 p.m. EST on ESPN3

Thursday:  6:55 p.m. EST on ESPN3

Friday:  7:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU

Saturday:  5:00 p.m. EST on ESPNU 

More Submitted (and Stolen!) Photos of Alums As We Await the Final Day of the 2014 NCAA Prelims

Cas Loxsom and Sam Borchers (2010? NCAA 800M)

Ricky Garcia (circa 1981)

Greg Fredericks (second row) Cemetery Hill, Van Cortlandt Park (1971)  Thanks to George Brose for the photo!

Ricky Garcia (inside) and Ted Lyon (third ) high school race 1977.

Kyle and Owen Dawson with our new author Nick Scarpello

Doing It Right

The Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon isn't messing around this year in regards to prize money. With winnings for the top seven finishers in the marathon earning $8,000, $6,000, $4,000, $2,500, $1,500, $1,000,and  $500. While the top seven in the half marathon receiving $6,500, $4,000, $3,000, $2,000, $1,000, $500, and $250.

 

The best part in my opinion is the bonuses that will be given out. The first five men who run under 2:25 in the full and women under 2:50 will receive the following cash money $4,500, $3,500, $2,500, $1,500, and  $1,000. The first five men in the half under 1:10, women under 1:20, get  $3,000, $2,000, $1,000, $750, and $500.

 

Dangling that carrot out their is exactly what the sport needs. Extra motivation for those marathoners teetering on the edge of the elite.

 

Speaking of going for the next level. Tyler McCandless, Kyle Dawson, and Owen Dawson get some air time in this video of the Gate River Run 15K. 

Gate River Run

Three alums competed in the Gate River Run in Jackonsville, FL Sunday morning. The event served as the 2014 USATF 15K Championships. (Full results here)

          Place  Finisher                                                          Time

          20       Tyler McCandless - Boulder, CO 27 M      45:54

          29       Owen Dawson - Coatesville, PA 25 M        46:30

          31       Kyle Dawson - Coatesville, PA 25 M          46:38

 

Tyler and his Newton Elite training partners