Congratulations to Pegasus member Paul Terbrack in his attempt to become a US Centurian. He finished 95 miles in this 24 hour race.
Below are some pictures from the “Not Just A Walk in the Park – 100mile/100k” Facebook site.
The New York Times recently published a short column asking the question:
How does race walking stack up against running in terms pf positives (fitness and health) and negatives (injuries)?
Held in Grand Rapids Michigan.
The following shows that medals won by the Pegasus AC members in the Racewalk Division
Place | 5 KM Totals | 10 KM Totals |
---|---|---|
1st | 2 | 4 |
2nd | 5 | 2 |
3rd | --- | 3 |
4th | 2 | 1 |
Name | Age Group | 5 KM | 10 KM |
---|---|---|---|
Cathy Mayfield | Women - 60 | 4th | 3rd |
Zbigniew Sadlej | Men - 50 | 1st | 1st |
Dave Swarts | Men - 50 | 2nd | 2nd |
Dan O'Brien | Men - 50 | 4th | --- |
Paul Terbrack | Men - 55 | --- | 4th |
Mark Green | Men - 60 | 1st | 1st |
Bill Reed | Men - 60 | 2nd | 2nd |
Andrew Smith | Men - 65 | 2nd | 2nd |
Max Walker | Men - 65 | --- | 3rd |
Leon Jasionowski | Men - 70 | 2nd | 3rd |
Marshall Sanders Jr. | Men - 75 | 2nd | 1st |
Max Green | Men - 80 | --- | 1st |
Imagine this—racewalk action on both coasts of the USA during the same weekend. On the 20th at New York’s historic Millrose Games will feature the one-mile men’s and women’s racewalk. Indeed, a very select field of talented speedsters vying for top honors in front of a noisy crowd. Start time: 12:30 p.m. for the women’s race; 1:37 for the men in front of national TV cameras no less with officials donned in tuxedos. You can’t beat that for spectacle.
Contrast that to the following day to sunny South California in the hamlet of Santee where the men’s 50 Km. RW Olympic Trials will be held. The field of twenty hardy walkers will chase the 4-hours 3-minute Olympic qualifying standard for entry into this year’s Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The hook in all this is the local connection to these two events: Pegasus master walker, Zbigniew Sadlej, qualified for his first trip to the Big Apple. “Zibby” as he is known to the Saturday Pegasus workout gang, qualified for the Millrose field with a 6-minute, 53-second mile race last 4th of July. Zibby will be the first Michigan walker to participate at Millrose since Gary Morgan did so in the last years of the 20th Century. Also in the field from Michigan is John Cody Risch of Williamston, former speedster from Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids.
Pegasus AC members, Ray Sharp, resident of Atlantic Mine in the UP, and Dave Swarts, of the Jackson area, qualified for the. Olympic Trials at the 2015 National 50Km. Championship held at Santee, CA.
Sharp is a long-time walker, who surprisingly is still very competitive as a master walker. He has qualified in numerous Olympic Trials events going back to the 1980’s. Swarts, on the other hand, has been walking for only five-years. He was masters walker of the year twice in Grand Prix competition.
Go Evergreens! Go Pegasus!
Frank Soby
Pegasus men’s team members swelled the middle of the race pack with Dan O’Briens 6th in 26:25, followed closely by evergreens Leon Jasionowski (30:00) and Bill Reed (30:11) resulting in a 2nd team performance behind Shore A.C. of New Jersey. Oddly, the first walker was a Canadian Finishing in 20:37 follow by Mike Mannozi’s 23:34 taking the U.S. Championship.
On the distaff side, Katie Smith (28:39) teamed with Becky Benjamin for the Pegasus women. Benjamin’s 31:13 set an age group 50 record. Sadly, two walkers aren’t enough for team scoring.
The national race walk Grand Prix is a grueling series of races, all at different distances, held at different sites throughout the United States. The race distance range from 5km through 40km.
The Pegasus teams have been especially fortunate in having members who are both willing to travel and talented enough to score at varied distances. The 2015 USATF convention held at Houston in December honored a number of Pegasus walkers for their achievements during the past year. Age group winners include Mary Anne Taylor (awarded posthumously – 45-49); Dave Swarts (50-54); Andrew Smith (65-69); and Leon Jasionowski (70-74). Additionally, Dave Swarts and Debbie Topham were named top masters finishers. Swarts was also named Masters Racewalker of the Year.
The women’s Pegasus AC team finished first in the Grand Prix team standings; the men’s team finished second.
The other team members who participated in the race walk national Grand Prix include Katie Smith, Cathy Mayfield, Becky Benjamin, Teresa Vaill, Max Walker, Mark Green, Dan O’Brien, Zbigniew Sadlej, Ray Sharp, Bill Reed and Tom Belford.
In the past decade the record of Pegasus teams competing in the Grand Prix speaks for itself.
Special thanks to Dan O’Brien and Debbie Topham for their diligent record keeping of the Pegasus team achievements over this past decade for for comping this data.
I have already received a couple of 2016 membership. How about forwarding yours along.
Frank Soby
Coach and Sometimes Editor, pegasusac.org
11 January, 2016
The 2016 Pegasus membership form has been added to the website. It can be downloaded here.