Recap of USATF Club Nationals

Mathew Shannon, Jerrell Hancock, Tray Linde, and Ethan Mignard

Last Saturday, June 25, at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, the Twin Cities Track Club debuted on the USATF National Club Track circuit by finishing sixth out of 34 men's teams.   With only five TCTC athletes competing against much larger and more well-established clubs, most did not expect that big a showing. 

The most impressive and lasting memory was from the 4x400 relay team that came from behind and beat eight teams. Tray Lide (54.5) led off, followed by Jerrell Hancock (47.9), Mathew Shannon (50.4), and Ethan Mignard (47.7)  the anchor. As Mignard brought home the victory members of other track clubs were heard expressing their disbelief. It was a great way to end the meet. [Video here]

 [Results here and additional photos here]

More highlights

Earlier in the meet, the same foursome that would bring home the gold in the four by 400 finished third in the 4x100 relay in 41.79. Ethan to Jerrell to Mathew to Tray kept that baton moving. Remarkable, because before Saturday the team had done zero work on relay handoffs. (To put this into perspective, at the USATF Coaches school I am attending this week, they recommend a minimum of six workout sessions to correct 4x100 relay handoffs.) The team was able to use their collective track experience to get the stick around the track. [Video here]

Everyone competed in individual events.Hancock  was second in the 200 in 21.44, Mignard ran 48.99 to take eighth in the 400. Lide competed in the 100. Shannon long jumped (for the first time in many years), and Francis Shen finished seventh in the 110 Hurdles (and tenth in the 400 hurdles). 

The performances themselves are great, but just as important was the experience of competing as a team, against other clubs. For post-collegiate and Masters athletes, too often the experience of competing is solely an individual one. Our trip to Philly reminded everyone why it’s important to compete together.

I hope that next year we’ll travel with distance runners, throwers, and other field event athletes. If we can do that, we can give those bigger East Coast clubs a run for their money. But thanks to the dedication of our sprinters, the coaching and expertise of Coach Anton Kokorin, and the support of TCTC and Mike Reneau, we exceeded expectations.

Thanks to all who supported our inaugural year of training, and hope to see you on the track for some fun local meets this summer as well as base training for next year

From Frances Shen

TCTC All-Comers Meet Photos

TCTC All-Comers Photos HERE

Kids City XC Meet Tonight at Como

Our 2nd Annual All City XC Meet is TONIGHT at Como Park starting at 6pm! Come show your support for TC youth running http://t.co/knpvrbvJrY

— Kids CityXC (@CityXC) October 6, 2015

Brit's Pub Vault Video

The official 2015 Brit's Pub Vault video is up! Check it out here: https://t.co/Fo6RaNmtSF #britspubvault

— TwinCities TrackClub (@TwinCitiesTC) September 11, 2015

Brits Pub Vault

It's Saturday morning....why aren't you at @BritsPubVault?? Happening all day....so come on down! #BritsPubVault pic.twitter.com/JggtOOXeow

— Mike Henke (@TfVaultOfficial) September 5, 2015

#BritsPubVault Photo of the Day Steve White, Skyscraper http://t.co/DmEMo1GMre http://t.co/Y9kZrAD7IX #polevault pic.twitter.com/ZFjuvwB7IO

— Mike McCarthy (@McCarthysan) September 5, 2015

Kids City XC League Starts This Week

There's still time to register your child for the 2015 @CityXC League: http://t.co/HKeib6WVH6 4 locations this year! pic.twitter.com/1GFOqKPEwH

— Kids CityXC (@CityXC) August 16, 2015

TCTC Pole Vaulter Leslie Brost PR's in Mexico

3rd meet in Mexico.. Got a new PR 4.51! And more importantly: my first ever oversized check 😉… https://t.co/IlB0OaI6ok

— Leslie Brost (@LeslieBrost) August 9, 2015

TCTC All Comers Meet #4 Wednesday

Our All-Comers Track Meet #4 is tomorrow night @StPaulCentral! Details here: https://t.co/qkqKwkP6W8 Hope to see you there! 👍🏼

— TwinCities TrackClub (@TwinCitiesTC) July 29, 2015

Hopkins Rasberry Festival Results

Hopkins Rasberry Festival 5 Mile & 1-Mile Results are  HERE

TCTC Kids City XC League Registration Open

Registration for the 2015 TCTC Kids City XC league is now open - including 2 new sites! https://t.co/HtygJu6h7s

— Kids CityXC (@CityXC) July 7, 2015

Leslie Brost 6th in the pole vault

TCTC's Leslie Brost sixth in the women's pole vault. Result is HERE

TCTC All Comers Meet Photos

Photos on TCTC Facebook page from TCTC All Comers meet HERE

TCTC All-Comers Meet

Twin Cities Track Club All Comers Meet Wednesday at St. Paul Central HS.  Registration starts at 5:15 PM.  More info HERE.

News: USATF Indoor Champs Viewing Party; FloTrack Kick of the Week; NSIC Weekly Summaries and AOW: NCAA DI Separates Men & Women for Outdoor Championships; Emily Gordon; Blayne Dulian

USATF Indoor Championships viewing party details HERE.

Erin Teschuk is the @Flotrack Kick of the Week! http://t.co/7m0UMCHfmt pic.twitter.com/D9RPVnw0xV
— NDSU Track & Field (@NDSUTrackField) February 17, 2015

NSIC summaries and AOW for men HERE, women HERE.

NCAA approves schdeule change for NCAA DI Outdoor track championships.  Men and women will compete on separate days HERE.

Team USA Minnesota Emily Gordon's blog and biochemistry lesson HERE.

Gopher SID profile of Blayne Dulian HERE.

Grey 7th at USATF Club Nationals XC Championships

A week long bout with the flu didn't stop Team USA Minnesota's Jon Grey. He finished seventh at the USATF Club Nationals XC Meet Saturday in Bethlehem, PA to qualify for the US team that will run in the Bupa Great Edinburgh XC Meet on January 10, 2015.  Grey was only 11 seconds out of first in 29:18 for 10K.  Ryan Hill won the race in 29:07.  Medtronic Twin Cities 2014 men's champ Tyler Pennel was 8th in 29:20.69. Former TCTC runner Joe Moore finished 11th in 29:39.83. Gopher grad John Simons finished 65th in 30:43.76 and was a non scoring member of the team champion Zap Fitness Reebok.  Full men's and women's results are HERE.

7th place, just behind the win after coughing up blood all week from the flu. Off to Scotland I go! @TeamUSAMN #ForeverFaster #TeamUSA
— Jonathan Grey (@jsgreyrunner) December 13, 2014

Twin Cities Track Club's Kylie Blakeslee was 103rd in 21:56.96 for 6K.  Her teammate Melissa Agnew was 110th in 22:02.99.  Medtronic Twin Cities 2014 champ Esther Erb finished 40th in 20:51.10.  Full men's & women's results are HERE.

Run 'N Fun's Ben Sathre was 52nd in 30:33.30.  Teammate Dan Greeno was 53rd in 30:33.94.  Hamline grad Devin Monson was 80th in 30:57.52, and Run 'N Fun's Mason Frank was 152nd in 31:49.27.

Great times with the @ZAPFitness crew! @2014ClubNats champions! @Reebok #redemption pic.twitter.com/Ln9qeORyhU
— Tyler Pennel (@TylerPennel) December 13, 2014

ICYMI: W Team Results from @usatf #ClubXCNats pic.twitter.com/Is8MmfF4R4
— Jeff Caron (@JeffCaronRun) December 13, 2014

.

52nd for me and 53rd for greeno. My first cross race with Boumeester since college. My first race since fracture pic.twitter.com/lYFv6vTznk
— Ben Sathre (@BenSathre) December 13, 2014

Run 'N Fun finishers in the Masters 10K men's race : Jon Keillor 22nd in 33:36.69, Kelly Mortenson 40th in 34:18.75,Gregory Hexum 63rd in 34:52.02, Brent Roeger 77th in 35:14.05, Pat Billig 87th in 35:33.41, Eric Johnson 97th in 35:44.17.  Masters Men results are HERE. Women HERE.

Race highlight videos for Men are HERE Women HERE.

@RoseRunsOn @usatf they asked us not to post or have live results
— 2014 XC Club Nats (@2014ClubNats) December 13, 2014

Top individual finishers at #clubxcnats courtesy of @urimiscott. Full unofficial results here: http://t.co/Q9TQguiokr pic.twitter.com/TTiY7nMpb5
— USATF (@usatf) December 13, 2014

Peterson 12th, Moore 15th, Monson 19th at .US 12K Road Championships

Team USA Minnesota's Jonathan Peterson finished twelfth on Sunday at the .US 12K Championship in Alexandria, Virginia in 34:55.  "Very solid 34:55/12th for current stage of training!" wrote Team USA Minnesota coach Dennis Barker on Twitter. "Not the results I wanted today, but still strong effort in a respectable field." added Peterson. Former TCTC member Joe Moore finished fifteenth in 35:15. Hamline grad Devin Monson was 19th in 35:45.

Results are HERE.

TC 10 Mile Familiar Faces: Photo Album by Gene Niemi

New Team USA Minnesota member Emily Gordon finished third in the
TC 10 Mile in 59:04.  Photo by Gene Niemi

Eric Finan(200) and Joe Moore(010) placed 3rd in 48:46 and 2nd in 48:40,
respectively, in the TC 10 Mile men's race. Photo by Gene Niemi

New Team USA Minnesota team member  Gina Valgoi(20002) finished 4th
in 59:13 and former Team USA Minnesota team member Katie McGregor, who was
2nd in 57:46. Photo by Gene Niemi

Gene Niemi's Brit's Pub Vault Photo Album

Leslie Brost after a successful vault.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Brost in the runway with the Gopher's Sam Sonnenberg
passing the pile of poles.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Flying through the air without a trapeze, women's winner
Kalya Caldwell. Photo by Gene Niemi

Mitch Valli clears the bar.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Becky Holliday on the runway. Photo by Gene Niemi

Holliday in the pit after a successful vault.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Spectators on the lawn at Brits. Photo by Gene Niemi

A "bird's eye view" of the crowd. Photo by Gene Niemi

Men's vault winner Jeff Coover up
and over. Photo by Gene
Niemi

Photo Essay: Brit's Pub Vault Underway

The pit is in. The hair is ready.  The sun is out.  The vaulters are flying at the Brit's Pub Vault.

Photos courtesy of TCTC and Mike McCarthy

Kids City Cross League: Learning to Love Running

Coach Ilse Renner running a warm up with the Como team.
Photo by Tyler Morey

Twin Cities Track Cub’s Mike Reneau is not only an accomplished athlete, he’s a person with big ideas.  This weekend’s Brit’s Pub Vault is one of those ideas, another is the Kids City Cross League.that is designed to provide resources for developing both athletic talent and, hopefully, the beginning of a life-long love for running among grade school children in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

In addition to being elite runners, Reneau and Gopher grad Stephanie Price, who is the program’s volunteer coordinator, also coach high school athletes.  They observed that there is a disparity of resources within the inner cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul compared to the suburbs.  While suburban schools often have “feeder programs” that provide the opportunity for young athletes to get a head start on learning the skills necessary for success in their sport.  

The inner city kids don't get started in running until later, if at all.  "It's not that there is a lack of talent, it's a lack of opportunity." says Price

Soccer, football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, to name a few, all have youth programs, but there weren’t development/teaching programs for distance runners, said Reneau. Until now.  Thanks to a grant from Pepsico, TCTC has been able to launch the Kids City Cross League this summer. Running has the advantage of not needing lots of equipment to play, says Reneau. All you need is a park. 

Bryn Mawr team photo with coaches Ben Merchant(far left in white hat)
and Karl Heinzerling(on the far right in black shirt).

 Reneau had originally planned to start with the league with eight teams, but they got a late start.   and decided to begin with three teams instead--Como Park, Bryn Mawr, and Kingfield. Each team is supplied with the basics, said Price. Starting with a measuring wheel, a simple tool that shows the kids how courses are created and that they are a set distance. You can create short, medium, or long distances.  All you need are flags and cones to keep the runners on that newly measured course.  The cones have dual functionality in that they can also be used to mark an agility course for use doing drills that build strength in the legs and feet.

Each team has batons for relay events, emphasizing team building and having some fun.  Having fun being an important element for young kids.  Sometimes, Reneau says,  sometimes you have to trick the kids to get them started, introduce an element of play or a game, making the association  between running and fun.

For example, Elizabeth Yetzer, who is one of the coaches for the Como team, gets the kids going by playing a game.  "Gallop like the horses" being one of the fun drills taking advantage of the fact that they are based at Como Park where there is a zoo.

They are learning.  It's not all fun and games.  Each of the young runners gets a notebook and pen to record their workouts, and the times achieved in periodic time trials and/or races.  Each team also has first aid kits, stop watches, a water cooler,  flags, and all the runners get special Kids Cross League T-Shirts.

Coaches Missa Morey (green shirt) and Elizabeth Yetzer
(purple pants) under the rainbow. Photo by Tyler  Morey

The program goes through October 9 when the teams will compete against one another on Como Golf Course. "We hope the kids develop a love for running," says Price. A love they can experience for the rest of their life.