Baltimore-Washington AC 5th at Club XC Nationals

Baltimore-Washington AC 5th at Club XC Nationals
Josh Simpson second in open 10K

By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com

Women's Masters 6K: Individual - Laura Haefeli, FleetFeet BoulderRwrfaster, 21:57. Team - Club Northwest
Women's Open 6K: Individual - Serena Burla, Riadha, 20:23
Men's Masters 10K: Individual - Tracey Lokken, Front Line Rt, 32:10. Team - Atlanta Track Club
Men's Open 10K: Individual - David Jankowski, Zap Fitness, 29:18. Team - Zap Fitness

LEXINGTON, Kent., Dec. 12 -- Ray Pugsley was strong through 8,000 meters.

Unfortunately for him, the men's masters race on Saturday at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships was 10,000 meters. Pugsley, the top runner competing for the Baltimore-Washington Athletic Club, was feeling the lactic acid that had built up in his legs over the first 4.97 miles of the 6.2-mile contest at Masterson Station Park.

In front early on and in the lead pack through the first three-quarters of the race, Pugsley, 40, of Potomac Falls, Va., faded to fourth in the final 1,000 meters before falling back to a sixth-place finish in 32 minutes and 32 seconds. Tracy Lokken, 44, of Marquiette, Mich., took first overall in 32:10. Simon Gutierrez, 43, of Alamosa, Col., was second in 32:14 and Chad Newton, 40, of Pisgah Forest, N.C., was third in 32:18. Longtime professional runner Peter Magill, 48, of South Pasadena, Calif., was fourth overall in 32:26 while Paul Aufdemberge, 44, of Redford, Mich., edged Pugsley for fifth place (32:29).

Pugsley's Baltimore-Washington Athletic Club earned a fifth-place finish among 19 complete teams in the men's 40-49 division with 149 points. The Atlantic Track Club won with 62 points, followed by California-based Compex Racing (88), Lokken's Front Line Rt of Michigan (102) and Maine-based Dirigo Running Club (110).

The competitors were among some 1,000 runners and more than 40 club teams from across the country to compete.

BWAC teammate Steve Kartalia, 44, of Westminster, was second for the team - and 26th overall among 293 finishers in the field, that combined all male runners age 40 and older. Kartalia finished in 34:12, 25 seconds ahead of teammate Peter Keating, 43, of Columbia. Keating edged teammate Andres Wright, 42, of Frederick, as both were awarded with a time of 34:37. Keating placed 36th overall, one spot ahead of Wright.

Westminster High School graduate Mark Gilmore, 41, of Columbia, finished fifth for BWAC in 35:29 and fellow Columbia resident Chris Chattin, 45, was four places behind in 70th overall with a time of 35:36. David Berardi, 49, of Baltimore, rounded out the team's seven-man squad with an 88th-place finish in 36:08.

Pugsley and Kartalia spoke with Mark Cleary, a USAT Masters Track & Field Executive Committee member and West Regional Masters Coordinator, shortly after the race.

"I was really impressed with what you guys" did, Cleary said. "I wasn't looking for you guys."

Pugsley said he didn't expect to lead early on - that might have hurt his chances later. More important, Pugsley acknowledged he's in great shape - for an 8K race.

"I haven't trained well" since October, said Pugsley, owner of Potomac River Running stores in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia.

As for Kartalia's effort, he almost apologized after failing to post even or negative splits. His first 5K was in about 16:36 - a pace per mile better than 5:21. But that made his final 5K even that more disheartening - a pace of slightly better than 5:40.

"I was pretty aggressive," Kartalia said, but "the wheels kinda came off the last mile."

Still, Cleary expressed optimism before the official results were available that the Baltimore-Washington Athletic Club could have placed as high as third.

"I hope you're right," Kartalia said.

He wasn't - technically. But 40-year-old Edmund Burke was a late entrant to the race. He traveled to Lexington with BWAC and finished seventh overall in 32:38. Had he competed as a team member, the Baltimore-Washington Athletic Club would have finished third - with a two-point advantage over Front Line Rt of Michigan.

Contact Kevin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.

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