Bruce Rash, Bill McNelis claim Philly track, throws pentathlons
Chuck Shields of the Greater Philadelphia Track Club graciously writes: “Attached are the results of our event held on August 7 at Larry Wilson Stadium. Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Lower Gwynedd, PA. We lucked out with the weather as predawn storms subsided by meet time but it remained overcast and muggy. Winners were determined by applying the age graded tables to each person’s result. Cash awards for the top four in each competition. We also tweaked the event order this year for the Track Pentathlon per the suggestions of many sprinter participants from the 2010 event. Last year the order was 3000,800, 200, 1500 and 400. This year we added the 100 and made the last event a choice between the 400 or the 800. That made the 2011 order 3000, 200, 1500, 100, 400/800. Bill McNelis (M59) of Altoona, PA successfully defended his 2010 crown in the Throws Triathlon. Sprinter Bruce Rash (M49) of Cherry Hill, NJ came from behind to beat distance runners Lorraine Jasper and defending Pentathlon champ Kevin Forde. Running event results are here. Throwing events results are here. Kevin detailed his day at the races on his entertaining blog.
9 Responses
Congratulations to Bruce for defeating a pair of hard-hitting middle distance competitors in Lorraine Jasper and Kevin Forde.
A bit of history: I believe I was the founder of the track pentathlon for Phila. Masters back in the day (when I was president). As I recall, I stole the events from a track pentathlon held previously (possibly in New Mexico) and then changed the order.
The rationale for having the 3000 first was to get it out of the way when people were still fresh enough to complete it. Might have had something to do also with administration of the meet; placing the 3000 first seemed easiest.
The rationale for having the 400 last was to have a challenging but doable event at the end. The rationale for 800, 200, 1500 in between (in that order) was not to have “adjacent events” (in terms of distance) be held back-to-back.
Thus, I have a special interest in this event (tried to post this on Kevin Forde’s Web site but was unable to do so). There was (and is) a rationale for the order of events, but it is nice to see some variation tried as well.
Oops, I originally posted the running pentathlon results from 2010 instead of 2011. The correct 2011 results are now posted:
http://masterstrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/newPhilly2011.pdf
Nice design for the throws triathlon. Looks like fun! Maybe I’ll head east next summer.
Ken, the second posting still seems to be 2010. Sorry for my carelessness.
2011 results
http://www.greaterphiladelphiatc.com/files/Pentathlon_2011_results_corrected.pdf
Peter Taylor’s creative touch is everywhere – Penn Relays, the GPTC running pentathlon, etc. Years ago in ’98 Sid Howard and I convinced each other that we should go out from NYC and compete in the netherlands of Germantown (Germantown Academy) and show the country boys and girls something about running fast and often. I was 44 and he was 59 years young at the time.
Things went pretty well for us Sid putting together 417 points and myself 412. We consulted before the results were in figuring we had achieved our mission of 1st and 2nd and needn’t hang around for the official print. Just before getting in to our car we were informed that a 51 year old upstart had upset us with a 422 point performance. . and to make matters worse he was a professional actor who had just taken up running 6 months prior. Sid and I were duly chagrinned. But, the upstart, a Mr. Green, whose first name Sid will remember, became a good friend and even rabitted Sid’s indoor American 800 meters record at the Armory when Sid hit 60 later that year. We raced with and against him for the next couple of years and then never saw him again. He will probably reappear if Sid and I ever dare to venture past the Delaware River for a future pentathlon.
Tom, that is Dick Green, of Delaware, that I believe you are referring to. I think he was M50-54 800 Champ at Nationals one year, about 10-11 yrs ago.
Thank you, Tom. Yes, as Chuck S. says, that was absolutely Dick Green, the TV actor. Wonder what ever happened to him.
Peter,
There is more than enough credit to go around in the establishment and evolution of the Runners Pentathlon in the Delaware Valley area:
During the 1970’s and 1980’s Ed League organized the Atlantic City Pentathlon. The events were typically 5 miles (road), 800m (track), 2 miles (road), 400m (track), and finished with the mile on the track. There were several variations over the 20 years or so it ran, but it was mainly for distance runners and took about 4 hours to complete. 50 to 60 runners participated each year (our friend Gary Fanelli won it a couple of times). It was not age-graded, but there were awards given in 10-year age groups. The scoring was done by Frank Greenberg using the normal track scoring.
In the late 1980’s, as President of Philadelphia Masters, you brought the concept entirely to the track and made the format (3000m – 800m – 200m – 1500m – 400m) attractive to runners other than hardcore distance folks. It was entirely age-graded (tables). Our friend Bruce Gilbert still treasures his First Place trophy from the 1989 Phila. Masters Running Pentathlon, held at Camden High School that June.
In the mid-90’s, after a couple years hiatus, the late great Tim Dickens spearheaded the drive to bring back the Runners Pentathlon to the Phila. Masters schedule, moving it to later in the year, with some years it being practically a “polar bear” meet. In 1995, Tom Yunker was the first to use spreadsheet software to expedite the age-graded scoring. And how can we ever forget Ed Laurelli barking out commands to ensure each runner had their proper recovery time !! The last Runners Pentathlon put on by Phila. Masters was in the Fall of 2003.
In 2010, Philadelphia Athletic Charities and Greater Philadelphia Track Club (GPTC) teamed up to bring back the Runners Pentathlon to the Philadelphia area. They used the format you had developed years before. Despite criticism from the then current Philadelphia Masters President, Joel Dubow (“a failed event not worth resuming”), the Philadelphia Track Pentathlon was a success, with proceeds benefitting the maintenance of the much revered Belmont Plateau Cross-Country Course Venue.
In 2011, after listening to a suggestion to add the 100m by a number of sprinters in the 2010 follow-up event survey, Chuck Shields of GPTC came up with a revised format for the Pentathlon: all runners would run (in order) the 3000m-200m-1500m-100m, then choose either the 400m or the 800m for their fifth and last event. The thinking was that sprinter types would tend to pick the 400m, while distance runners would mostly pick the 800m. This way there would be an equal number of sprints and distance events available to the participants. Sprinter Dave Lapreziosa says that if the goal of the competition is to determine the best all-around track runner, then this new format provides an equal test of the runners aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. Once again, the Philadelphia Track Pentathlon, now hosted solely by GPTC, was a huge success.
With the event on sound financial footing and interest at an all-time high, there is talk of adding a supplementary Team Competition to the Pentathlon in 2012, while keeping the spotlight, as always, on the Individual Competition.
Peter, thank you for all you have done for our sport and for this particular event. If you are in the Philly area next August, we would love to have you stop by the 2012 Runners Pentathlon. Your many friends would be so happy to see you. Details will be posted at http://www.greaterphiladelphiatc.com .
Regards,
Kyle Mecklenborg
Greater Philadelphia Track Club
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