Leo's Footlocker Reflections 2009

2009 Foot Locker Reflections

Both Christmas and New Year celebrations have run their course and, as things settle back down into their normal rhythm, it might be time to reflect on the great Foot Locker races from last year. XC fans had one great present prior to Christmas, which was the Foot Locker weekend held earlier in December. The race just for the girls’ championship was something special to behold in many ways. In reporting the race it was noted that the final mile was as fine a one-on-one competition among females as I have been privileged to have witnessed, yet even that statement fails to pay justice to what fans witnessed that Saturday, for there were two others at least, who made significant contributions.

The first runner deserving of credit is Chelsea Ley of New Jersey, who began the race with what one might refer to as a tribute to New Jersey’s Bruce Springsteen, who long ago sang of "The wild, the innocent & the E Street Shuffle" As a three time Foot Locker finalist she was not an innocent and was well aware of the risk that she took in taking out the pace, but it was her initial effort that set in motion the conditions, which make everything later in the race possible. She mentally chose to take charge of a situation that was allowing a pedestrian pace to squander the day’s potential. It should be apparent to all that every year Foot Locker race presents a field to which no other race can reasonably compare and to take a lead here early is at the very least brave. Most runners will conserve their energy believing their best chance of victory is to come off of the pace. Such action does not make for great racing and Chelsea’s charge made the race far more interesting than it might have been. Hers was the core reaction that led to the nuclear detonation at the end. It would be misleading to say that she died at the end, for she placed 7th overall in a very strong field. According to my records young Ms. Ley now has the 23rd best three-year record among girls in the 31 year history of the event, which has long been a stepping-stone for future American Olympians.

The mantle of race leadership was then donned by Aisling Cuffe, who moved to the front during the second stage of the race. She pushed the pace and forced Megan Goethals to move with her. It was Aisling, who led the way on the first ascent of Upas Hill and she challenged Megan, as well as Chelsey Sveinsson, to stay with her on a course that was not in good condition due to the rain. It is hard to determine the exact impact of the weather but the course was saturated in areas long before the last rainfall began & it would be reasonable to say that the course was a good 15 to 20 seconds slower than it otherwise might have been on a clear day. Like Ley Aisling did not die at the end of the race either and her 4th place finish was a very impressive effort. Her final time of 17:22 places her in the top fifty runners all-time in spite of the poor conditions. Ley & Cuffe may have raced hard early but they could be seen in the latter stages of the race fighting for every bit of ground For the record Aisling has now finished 12th and 4th in her two trips to nationals & with any luck will end up with one of the best three-year records ever in the series.

Megan Goethals & Chelsea Sveinsson added their own pyrotechnics late in the race and then closed it out in as memorable a finish as anyone might have imagined. Their battle down the final stretch is still a bit hard to comprehend. This is one case in which seeing is still not quite believing, as both runners put in such stunning efforts. In some ways a dead-heat would have seemed fairer but both runners provided a present of running excellence! Still even their great performance was predicated by the earlier ones made by Ley and Cuffe. It is also interesting to note that Megan placed only 64th in the Midwest Region in 2007 but in the two years that she did qualify, she finished third & then first, which is quite a record! Chelsey is just a junior and has placed 15th , 4th and 2nd in her three seasons, which makes one look forward to next year already.

Sadly to just focus on those two runners is to be too simplistic, as there were so many others who made contributions Emily Sisson ran an intelligent race and was never too far removed from the action. In the final stage she closed fast to claim third place. Emily, of course, is a four-year finalist & leaves with a record of placement of 3rd, 23rd, 29th & 3rd. Megan Ferowich & Kelsey Lakowske also gave good account of themselves in taking 5th & 6th. For a good portion of the race Lakowske had a spirited battle with Chelsea Ley before pulling ahead down the stretch. Jessica Tonn is also a four-year finalist & leaves with a record of placement of 24th - 20th - 10th - 13th. There is much to be said for the girls’ 2009 Foot Locker.

Lukas Verzbicas placed his own stamp on the boys’ version of the championship and, although he removed any doubt about the outcome long before the finish, his race was memorable. A sophomore winning Foot Locker was at one time almost unthinkable! Wade Meddles succintly stated it after the race that Verzbicas’ early surge was a "brave move," which he backed with a performance as spirited. As with the case with the young ladies the time was impressive on a soggy course. His time, incidentally, ties him for 48th on the all-time Balboa course at nationals.

Matt McElroy, Wade Meddles, Craig Lutz & Brian Shrader put on a great show behind the leader with a score of position changes along the way. Just a cursory glance at the pictures at various points in the race displays how much interaction between them there was during the course of the race. .Jake Hurysz, Kirubel Erassa & Shane Moskowitz were always pretty much in the hunt as well and they made the race more interesting than it otherwise might have been. The guys from the South had their top five members finish in the top 14, yet they still finished 11 points behind the West as Moskowitz & Steve Magnuson added 9th & 12th place finishes.

For those, who prefer to look towards the future, Craig Lutz (4th) & Chris Walden (11th) are just juniors. Blake Williams of the South, who finished 20th, is also a junior. Of course they will most likely have to deal with the sophomore Verzbicas again, which could be daunting. Even Dathan Ritzenhein "only" placed 8th as a sophomore and prior to Verzbicas’ finish this year, Jorge Torres 5th place had been the highest placement for a sophomore. Add to that Lukas’ margin of victory was fifteen seconds, which is one of the greatest ever as well.

There is much more to take in as well for Cody Helbling became the first runner from Idaho to qualify for Foot Locker nationals for a second time. His story is especially interesting as well, because he had finished behind Eric Fitzpatrick, who was a three time state champion from Idaho’s large school division. Still the past two years he has stepped to the plate at Mt. SAC to defeat his in-state nemesis and this should not be taken as a knock of any sort against Eric. Everyone, who has raced, knows only too well that there are days, when things do not go as scripted Across the board it was a day to take pride in as the runners experiencing an off day put in solid efforts. One fan watched Jacque Taylor struggle to hold it together in spite of the fact that she was hurting. He looked at her final time and noted that's an awfully good time to place like that! Indeed it was and she was not just jogging in with a 'who cares' attitude. Everyone, who ran on this messy course, ran times that 99% of runners would love to run just once. There was a dedication to putting your best effort in, although not at their best, that made it clear why these young people are as good as they have become: pride & determination.

The weekend itself it appears was a refreshing experience for most everyone and even the rain did to little to dampen the overall mood. Thursday was travel & check-in time at the Del. It was also the time to be fitted for your uniform and various other apparel. An entire room was set up to house the shoes, jackets that were to be given to the athletes. The Foot Locker jacket alone was a keeper for sure but the thing that stands out in memory is the look on the athlete’s face, when they realized the multitude of fine clothing & equipment that was ready for them. Christmas had come early and the Foot Locker shirt was something that would be worn with pride for years. The usual Friday walk-through was speeded up a bit in case the rain began to fall but it held off so that runners had ample opportunity to jog the course as they wished and confer with the various alumni members, who were on hand. There once was a time, when jugglers were hired to perform, but there was no need for that this year, as Billy Orman of California provided his own juggling demonstration for athletes, fans & officials. Molly Huddle was one of the regional captains and she was joined by Ed & Jorge Torres. The Torres brothers clearly enjoyed being on hand to interact with the young runners. Meb Keflezighi was seemingly all over the place chatting with everyone. I had a chance to chat with Meb & his fellow Olympian Keith Brantly (Keith participated in the first Kinney meet in 1979) and both shared their experiences of the meet, especially stressing its importance in the formation of their running careers and how they treasured their time. Happily back again too was Suzy Favor Hamilton, cross country ambassador extraordinaire, who lit up everyone’s face. Her impact on the young runners was especially evident at the awards banquet. Although Suzy was handing out awards to members of her Midwest team members, one young man was determined to get a peck on the cheek from the running diva & receiving it was worth a mini-victory celebration. Another all-time Foot Locker great, Melody Fairchild, was on hand, because she was working with Boulder, Colorado’s Kelsey Lakowske and there numerous young athletes thrilled to meet her. Also Eddy Hellybuck, the noted marathoner, was advising Steve Magnuson & for those who recognized him, he was an added bonus. Incidentally Keith Brantly was working with Floridian Brian Atkinson and his presence was a pure bonus. The Foot Locker people had arranged many activities for the young athletes like the Thursday evening Mardi Gras, Friday’s Pasta Buffet, which was followed by an alumni panel discussion and, as always, Saturday’s awards banquet and dinner dance. There was also a ‘make your own sundae’ event, which was especially popular. As usual a room was set aside as a sort of athlete lounge where games could be played & for those who were interested videos of all the Foot Locker races since 1985 could be viewed.

Friday was very much a day to kick back and the runners were scattered all over the vast Hotel Del Coronado complex as well as Imperial Beach. There was even the possibility of going ice skating on the premises, although it is not known if any of the athletes availed themselves. That afternoon I went out for a run along the beach and ended up in an interesting chat with the Pennsylvania contingent of Brad Miles, Rad Gunzenhauser & Ryan Gil. They certainly appreciated the sand after escaping the cold of the east coast. Returning to the Del one passed the lobby & the huge Christmas tree, which many stopped to inspect & have their pictures taken in front of but the surprise was in going to the second floor atrium where Steve Magnuson, Brian Shrader & Blake Williams sat in large chairs. They looked as if they were medieval noblemen, who were appraising their domain. Steve poignantly noted: ‘I want to be here when Foot Locker celebrates its 50th Anniversary.’ Magnuson had also noted that he enjoyed that the "scavenger hunt" had been optional & he could simply relax as he wished.

These runners are competitive and they were in San Diego to race first and fore most, but even for those, who were disappointed in the outcome, it was not long before spirits were lightened. You never would have known that just ten minutes earlier a number of runners had been less than pleased with the day’s results but there were Kelsey Lakowske from the Midwest, Wesley Frazier of the South, Aisling Cuffe & Chelsea Ley (both from the Northeast) dancing with Suzy Favor Hamilton. There was little doubt that they were having a great time dancing in the rain. A year ago Gig Harbor coach Patty Ley recalled her experience at the first Kinney West regional, when afterwards as a freshman, she secured souvenirs in the form of the course-marker stakes. On Saturday after the race everything appeared to have come full-circle for there was Conner Peloquin, who she had coached, taking part in the post-race reveries. Off in the distance was California’s Jacque Taylor, who as an experienced returnee, was showing her first-time compatriots (Maddie Meyers, Molly Grabill & Karlie Garcia of the West) the art of souvenir procurement: "See, you place your foot on the stake here and break that sucker off here like this!" Ah the joy of being young! It’s also somehow comforting to know that some things never change.

The afternoon following the race was in theory being given to interviews and calls home, yet a number of the guys saw it as the opportunity to play a game of football in the sand. It was the first time in many a year I have had any joy in watching a football game. Hard to beat the enthusiasm of the young as they displayed their talents in another sport as the waves crashed just beyond them on shore.

One other thing probably should be noted as the State of Oregon ponders an ill-conceived effort to end cross country as a team sport. Although established as an individually qualified for event Foot Locker has always fostered a team aspect among the regions. When I first watched the races that aspect had been under-appreciated until Tod Williams told of how the Midwest guys wanted to win the team title, although there also was memory of the tradition of the Midwest girls taking a victory plunge after the race as well. This year Keith Brantly was on hand & he pointedly asked, if the South team had ever won, which to my recollection has never happened. Keith wanted a team victory and he made clear of his hopes for it. The South has had a resurgence in recent years and they clearly wanted to win that aspect of the race and the girls & guys both made significant runs at the team championship. Oregon officials should take note that a team of individuals who barely, if at all, knew each other just days before were all intent on participating in a team victory aside from any individual aspirations. Any doubter only has to look at the pictures of the team painting "dirty South" written on their legs. Even at Foot Locker the team aspect is a part of the whole racing aspect. It should never be underestimated for in sharing goals we often find hidden strength.

The final evening, which merged into night and morning, found so many athletes ‘chilling’ and just generally ‘hanging’ that one had to wonder if any one went to sleep that night. It is assumed that someone did but there was a multitude, who were truly thrilled with the experience and did not want it to end. Like the 1960’s Christmas song there was a good deal of "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" at the Del early Sunday morning. For many it was an impromptu party, which lasted until they were forced to depart the next morning. The good news is that the memories & friendships will never end for many. And happily Saucony has committed to continue its sponsorship of the Foot Locker events and they will join the Foot Locker staff that has made this race a labor of love for three decades. Next year’s crop of talented & dedicated runners will have their shot at Harrier Heaven. .