Track stars set 5K records on the roads
Canada’s Ed Whitlock and California’s Pete Magill are 30 years and thousands of miles apart but brothers in spirit. Both compete in masters track but also burn up the roads. Normally, I don’t cover “the dark side” (asphalt runners), but since Ed and Pete are dedicated trackos, they get some pop here. Over the weekend, both set national age-group record for road 5Ks. M75 Ed ran his 18:45 in Toronto, and the youngster, M45 Pete, ran 15:03.5 at the Bastille Day 5K in Irvine, California, dipping under Doug Bell’s 1997 record of 15:07.
Pete wrote some friends about his 5K:
“As expected, I felt VERY tired before, during, and after the race. It was hot and humid, and even though I went out at 4:45 for the first mile, the lead pack (of 6 or 8) had already dumped me (they ran about 4:36-37), leaving me in no-man’s land. I felt pretty cruddy, so I slowed down my pace and then just tried to hold it together. Since Tony Young was spectating, I didn’t want to drop out and have to live with that shame!
“I hit three miles at 14:35, then kicked it in for a 15:03.5, beating the listed record set by Doug Bell in 1997 of 15:07. (The records with an “a” after them had an altitude drop beyond that which is legal for road race records – that’s why most of them were set in Utah, where such races are commonplace! … honestly, I’m not sure why USATF lists them at all.)”
Me again:
I wrote Pete congratulations and shared the news of Ed’s own 5K record.
Pete replied, graciously and admiringly:
“I’m a solid fan of the elder statesman (he lets his feet do his talking) of Masters distance running! There are no runners we “young” masters athletes like better than our elders in the sport, because they make us believe that we too can continue on our running paths for many moons to come. Ed rocks!
“That said, I’m STILL tired from all this racing (someday, I’ll have to ask Ed how he does it!). So I shall enjoy a couple down weeks.”
2 Responses
Pete, that was fun to watch while I was visiting the LA area. And the course and temperature where somewhat challenging too! Just great pacing. & yes Ed Rocks!
I just wanted to know if my son may have some ability that is worth looking at. At 9 years old he just finished a 5K in a little over 23 minutes with no training except for finishing a soccer season two weeks before. He has not been running since the season’s end but stays active with Wrestling and Gymnastics. Do you think this is a time worth noting and should we think about getting him a running coach in a few years to start developing a better technique?
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